The United States is divided into 15 broad ecological regions, each one home to a variety of fascinating native plants. In the Southwest, creosote bushes are found in and around the Mojave, Chihuahuan, and Sonoran deserts at elevations below 5,000 feet and is one of the oldest living things on Earth--approximately 11,700 years old. This evergreen…

In a series of 12 project-based learning lessons, a group of seven fifth-grade students who live 200 miles from the coast explored their personal connections to the ocean. After completing a unit on the role of water in Earth's surface processes, the students investigated ocean acidification and how this pervasive ocean problem impacts their local…

In practice, sustainable development is the use of natural resources in a manner that allows ecosystems to continue to function as natural ecosystems and biotic and abiotic interactions to maintain checks and balances are homeostatic. Historically, human activity has led to modification of nature that leads to (1) economic development, (2) biotic…

Designing opportunities for students to discover core science concepts can be challenging, however, with a good understanding of their interests, proper planning, and the use of technology and the outdoors, students can become engaged in a way that can leave a legacy for future students. Last fall, this author designed a nine-session unit for a…

Through the construction of arguments, students are invited to make sense of the concept of a species and its connection to both extinction and local biomes. Scientific argumentation is the process by which scientists engage in discourse aimed at developing common knowledge about the natural world (Driver et al. 1994). This article describes a 5E…