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Showing 961 results for HS-LS2-1 ...

Curecanti National Recreation Area

Population of Great Blue Heron in Curecanti
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

Using data from the park, students analyze the great blue heron population living in Curecanti National Recreation Area from 1989-2019. Students identify potential limiting factors that influenced the sudden decline in great blue heron population and identify which ones are density dependent and density independent factors. They also hypothesize what might happen to the population and learn about the value of citizen science.

Invaders of the Great Lakes Classroom Program
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

Students will learn about the Great Lakes and be introduced to the ecological impact of invasive species in this region. An optional pre-site program is designed to orient students to terminology used by land managers when controlling invasive species. Students will watch the virtual program in which National Park Service rangers will talk about the Great Lakes and introduce the concept of invasive species to classrooms. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist focus on sea lamprey and their control.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Biological Indicators
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

Macroinvertebrates can be found in bodies of water buried in sediments and detritus or attached to rocks or plants. They are visible without magnification and can be used by scientists to measure water quality. In this lesson, introduce your students to these organisms and to the use of a dichotomous key. Students will hone basic identification skills to increase the reliability of data they may collect during a visit to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

George Washington Carver National Monument

George Washington Carver - An Original Conservationist: Introduction
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

Unit lessons include: Lesson 1: George Washington Carver-An Original Conservationist: The Man, The Scientist the Artist Lesson 2: George Washington Carver-An Original Conservationist: Sharing the Soil Lesson 3: George Washington Carver-An Original Conservationist: The Importance of Compost Lesson 4: George Washington Carver-An Original Conservationist: Alternative Uses for Everyday Products Lesson 5: George Washington Carver-An Original Conservationist: Welcome to the 21st Century

Devils Postpile National Monument

Climate Science in Focus (Evaluations)
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

In “Climate Science in Focus (Evaluations),” students will demonstrate what they’ve learned from the unit by completing a post test evaluation.

Yellowstone National Park

Wolverines and Climate Change
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade

Students will demonstrate an understanding of specific adaptations that have prepared the pika and wolverine to survive in cool climates with harsh winter conditions. Students will additionally demonstrate an understanding of timescales and evolution, and how due to the increased speed of global temperature rise, climate change can have negative effects on these mammals despite their ability to adapt.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

What's in the Water?
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

Water quality is measured using many physical, chemical, and biological assessments. In this lesson, introduce your students to five water chemistry tests. Students will become familiar with pH, nitrates, phosphates, dissolved oxygen and turbidity and their relationship to the Cuyahoga River Watershed. They will begin to understand acceptable test value ranges, make connections between water quality and the biological community and become familiar with the causes of poor water quality.

Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument

Climate Change & Bird Range
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

Tule Springs Expedition Research Learning Center partners with our local Audubon Society Chapter to participate in the Climate Watch bird survey citizen science project. Citizen scientists across North America report the data they collected during these surveys to help document how bird species are responding to climate change and shifting their ranges. This activity explores how different climate change scenarios may affect bird populations locally. Author: Jake Johnson & Lauren Parry

Lake Clark National Park & Preserve

Carrying Capacity and Bears in Alaska
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

This lesson allows students to learn about the concept of carrying capacity by looking at the factors that allow animals to thrive in some areas, but not in others. Students will learn about the brown bears of Lake Clark National Park and the Denali area to see why some are leading successful lives and reproducing often and why some aren’t doing as well.

Devils Postpile National Monument

Climate Science in Focus (Project Preparation)
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

In “Climate Science in Focus (Project Preparation),” students will create a final project that demonstrates comprehension of the unit.

George Washington Carver National Monument

George Washington Carver - An Original Conservationist: Sharing the Soil
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

For this activity students will create a brochure for farmers. The brochure will describe the needs each crop has (soil type, weather, etc.), the impact of the crop on the soil and the different ways the crop can be used. Students will focus on cotton, tobacco, peanuts, soybeans and sweet potatoes. The goal is for students to understand the impact cash crops may have on soil quality and how farmers can replenish their soil through crop rotation.

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument

Fossil Teeth: Changing Climates and Evolutionary Responses Preserved in the Fossil Record (Lesson Plan by Geoscientist-in-the-Park Gina Roberti)
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

Students will look at changes in tooth size and shape (morphology) in the fossil record of herbivorous mammals in North America using data from a recent paleontological study. Students will infer factors which caused the observed evolutionary adaptions and link biological adaptation with global climate change and localized habitat change.

George Washington Carver National Monument

George Washington Carver - An Original Conservationist: Welcome to the 21st Century
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

This activity will serve as the culmination to an ecological unit, especially those on current environmental problems. Students will take the role of George Washington Carver from 100 years ago. They will evaluate current ecological problems as if they were George Washington Carver. Their goal is to understand how the world has changed in the last century but also to recognize how solutions for today’s problems may have been around for decades and just need to be implemented.

George Washington Carver - An Original Conservationist: The Importance of Compost
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

This lesson will look at the impact of artificially created fertilizers on the quality of the soil, especially in comparison with natural compost. Students will begin by creating their own compost. The “Compost in a Bottle Lab” is a long-term lab that should be started 3-4 weeks prior to beginning this lesson. Try to time it so that this lesson comes at the time when students are collecting their last set of data on their compost. Students also create a presentation product.

Lake Clark National Park & Preserve

How Clear Is the Water?
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

In this lesson students will test their knowledge of ecosystems and the qualities necessary to sustain life by creating Secchi disks, testing turbidity (water clarity), and making predictions about the habitat that might exist. This fun, hands-on lesson allows students to be the scientist and make predictions based on their findings in their lab reports.

Haleakalā National Park

Maui Forest Birds
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

In Hawaiian mythology, the demigod Māui loved the forest birds and painted them bright colors for all to see and enjoy. The native Hawaiians loved to use the feathers of these forest birds to create lei kāmoe (feathered lei), mahiole (feathered helmets), kāhili (feathered standards), and ʻahu ʻula (feathered cloaks). These birds’ populations have been steadily declining since European settlers came in the 19th century bringing non-native plants and animals.

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine

Fort McHenry Scavenger Hunt| K-12
  • Type: Field Trips
  • Grade Levels: Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade

This self-guided activity helps students to explore Fort McHenry NM&HS and learn about its stories and resources by completing a scavenger hunt.

Yellowstone National Park

Dueling Mandates: Preservation and Use of National Parks
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade

Using dilemma cards describing some of the issues affecting Yellowstone National Park, students work in small groups to consider management issues that meet both of the conflicting mandates that the National Park Service must follow. After the investigation, students will be able to answer the question:

Devils Postpile National Monument

Climate Science in Focus (Weather versus Climate)
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

Discover the difference between weather and climate

George Washington Carver National Monument

George Washington Carver - An Original Conservationist: Alternative Uses for Everyday Materials
  • Type: Lesson Plan
  • Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

This topic is a focus on alternative uses for source materials and products that can be made with alternative materials. Students will make peanut milk in an effort to understand how foods can be used in different ways to increase nutrition to the consumer. Students will create a pros/cons poster researching products (such as fuel) and comparing traditional source materials (crude oil) with alternative materials (corn or soy-based ethanol).