Student teams investigate the migration of small-particle plastic pollution by exposing invertebrates found in water samples from a local lake or river to fluorescent bead fragments in a controlled environment of their own designs. Students begin by reviewing the composition of food webs and considering the ethics of studies on live organisms. In their model microcosms, they set up a food web so as to trace the microbead migration from one invertebrate species to another. Students use blacklights and microscopes to observe and quantify their experimental results. They develop diagrams that explain their investigations—modeling the ecological impacts of microplastics.

In this comprehensive website, students will learn about different forms of pollution, environmental impact of pollution, global warming, and things they can do to make a difference.

This issue of the free online magazine, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, explores the tundra and how it can illustrate ecological concepts, relationships, and changes.

This nonfiction article, written for students in grades 4-5, explores the relationships between various tundra species: marsh marigolds, bot flies, and caribou. Modified versions are available for students in younger grades.

This article assembles free resources from the Tundra: Life in the Polar Extremes issue of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears cyberzine into a unit outline based on the 5E learning cycle framework. Outlines are provided for Grades K-2 and 3-5.

This is a two part journaling activity prior to an existing week long biology field lab. The journaling activities described here have been added to the beginning of the Pond Study Lab to enhance student learning of observation and quality journaling skills.

In this learning module with the video series UNTAMED: The Wildlife Center of Virginia, students will learn from Ed Clark, the staff of the Wildlife Center of Virginia, and special guests discuss the issues facing wildlife and what people can do to make a difference. The UNTAMED series looks at the perilous world of wildlife, as seen through the eyes of the patients of the Wildlife Center of Virginia. It examines issues at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health.

This site has everything you might want to know about surface water and things you probably didn't even imagine! Click Home to access the site in Spanish.

A massive amount of information about groundwater. Topics covered include groundwater basics, humans and groundwater, groundwater quality, and its place in the water cycle. Includes true-and-false quiz and a Q&A section, as well as a large gallery of photographs, maps, and helpful illustrations. There are also links to data and tools.

An introduction, aimed at upper elementary- and middle-school learners, to acid rain. [Click back to home to access the site in Spanish.]

Understanding Biodiversity presents an overview of biodiversity, its importance and relevance to humans, all living things, and the Earth. It includes species pages and a template to engage and involve students in real-life data collection.

This list of children's books recommends nonfiction titles that supplement basic information found in lessons and activities of this themed issue of the online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle. The books are grouped by topic -- water, weather and climate, and atmosphere. Each book is described by its content, reading level, and possible uses in the classroom. Covers are pictured. The online magazine is produced for elementary school teachers and is structured around the essential principles of climate sciences and climate literacy.

This free, standards-based website developed for elementary teachers provides hand-picked, reviewed, on-line resources to enhance teacher content knowledge regarding reasons for the seasons.

This video from Kentucky's Last Great Places shows how the Green River has remained unusually clean and why it is home to several endangered aquatic species.

Unit plans for Grades K-2 and 3-5 are a regular feature of the magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle. The plans draw on articles and resources in a themed issue and are aligned with national science and language arts standards. This unit is designed to provide elementary students with the opportunity to investigate how the annual rings in trees help scientists learn about past climates. It uses hands-on experiences and nonfiction text to answer the unit question: How do trees help scientists learn about the past?

Four unit plans provide opportunities for in-depth explorations of important foundational climate concepts -- weather, water as a solid, liquid and gas, and the water cycle -- that are appropriate for K-2 and 3-5 learners. These unit plans incorporate many of the lessons highlighted in other articles in this issue of the online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle. The magazine is structured around the essential principles of the climate sciences.

A collection of lesson plans for specific age levels to help students gain a better understanding of animals, plants, and people, and how they affect each other in ecosystems. Many of the activities provide discussion questions and charts to supplement these lessons.

A variety of symbiotic relationships exist between sharks and other marine species in this segment from Nature.

In this video segment adapted from the International Institute for Sustainable Development, Inuit observers describe how their traditional understanding of weather patterns is being challenged by unpredictable weather behaviors.