Environmental Science Course Plan

I am currently in the process of posting my favorite resources for this course. This was designed for a 9th grade environmental science class.

Semester 1

Unit 1 - Intro to Environmental Science

Week 1 Activities - Back to School

Start the school year on the right note with these fun activities!

Syllabus Review - create your own

Back to School Survey - FREE

Name Writing Data Collection Challenge - TPT

Virtual Locker - FREE

Science and Engineering Practice Stations - TPT (not my product - well worth the investment, can be used in a virtual setting as well!)

  • Materials list included in product description

Week 2 Activities - Scientific Method & Tragedy of the Commons

Oreo Inquiry Lab - FREE

  • Regular and double stuf Oreos, scale, paper towels, plastic knives, rulers

Tragedy of the Commons Goldfish Lab - FREE (There are many versions of this activity available online, so find one that works for you! I find myself referencing this lab multiple times throughout the year.)

  • Goldfish, straws, some kind of central container such as a paper plate, tray, or dish

Tragedy of the Commons Video - YouTube

The Lorax 1972 video with The Lorax Worksheet - YouTube

Week 3 Activities - More Intro to Environmental Science and CER

Scientific Sketching - FREE (I get some beautiful work, and always display these in the classroom!)

  • Variety of leaves, paper, colored pencils

Claim, Evidence, Reasoning Intro - FREE (show the videos in class and give students the opportunity to practice writing evidence and reasoning with other examples)

CER Early Discoveries in Science - FREE

7 Billion Video - YouTube

Where Was My Shirt Made? Activity - FREE

Unit 2 - Freshwater issues & engineering

Week 4 Activities - Intro to Water Quality & Engineering Challenge

Water Quality Pre-Test (page 15) - FREE

Origins of Epidemiology Case Study - FREE

Epidemiology Video - PBS

Water Filtering Challenge (page 49) - FREE

  • Water bottles, rubber bands, coffee filters, plastic wrap, paper clips, cotton balls, gravel, sand, macaroni, pH meter, conductivity meter)

Local Water Quality Analysis - Have students analyze a local water quality report (for their school or home)

Week 5 Activities - Flint Water Crisis

Poisoned Water Movie - FREE (PBS) - Excellent documentary about the Flint Water Crisis

Flint Water Crisis Article & Activities - FREE

Testing Drinking Water Lab - FREE - goes with NeoSci water sampling kit

  • Have student bring water quality samples from home, pH strips, alkalinity strips, hardness strips, chlorine strips, fluoride strips, cups for water samples

Week 6 Activities - Watersheds & Runoff

Battling the Bloom: Lake Eerie Kick Off Video - YouTube

CK12 Water Pollution Reading and Questions - FREE

Engineering Everywhere Runoff Video - YouTube

Build a Watershed Lab - FREE

  • Materials listed on document

Have students go to their local city website and investigate where the storm drains in town runoff to. Do they eventually enter a local river, lake, or even the ocean?

Week 7 - Engineering to Prevent Runoff

Eutrophication Animation Video with Worksheet - YouTube

Green Roofs Video - YouTube

Don't Runoff Green Roof Building Lab (Activity 2, pages 43 - 46) - FREE

  • Index cards, tape, foil, leaves or plant materials (I like cedar leaves), gravel, soil, sand, spray bottle, trays, other optional earth materials for designing)

  • I allow one class period to design and build the building, and another to create and test the green roof

CK12 Protecting Water From Pollution Reading and Questions - FREE