Lesson 1

Activity:

1. Students will collect various seeds and separate them into groups according to survival of freezing and drying process.
2. Discuss the preservation of wild plants on the verge of becoming extinct.
3. Discuss with classmates the fact that of approximately 30,000 species and subspecies of vascular plants in the United States, 3000 are near extinction.
4. Discuss the need for forming a seed bank

Materials:
various plant seeds and a list of wild plants in the United States

Vocabulary:
perpetuating, preservation, genetic diversity, gene pool, species, subspecies, extinction

Assessment:
Identify the freezing technique as the easiest, cheapest, and most compact way of preserving the genetic diversity of each species. Give reasons why plants should be preserved. Define and discuss gene pool.

Lesson 2

Activity:

1. Prepare solutions with water and sulfuric acid that have pH levels of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 respectively.
2. Add acid to water, never add water to acid.
3. Use the solutions to provide the moisture necessary for growth of bean seeds.
4. Measure the height of the plants in centimeters.
5. Record observations of the appearance and number.
6. Discuss the effect of acid rain on plant growth.

Materials:
bean plants, sulfuric acid, water, eyedroppers

Vocabulary:
pH, acid, sulfuric

Assessment:
Describe the damaging effect that acid rain can have on plant life.

Evaluation: Students should be able to name common gases and rocks that exist on Earth.

Lesson 3

Activity:
Divide students into groups of five and give a different fragrance to each group, have each group memorize (and try to identify) a different fragrance-- groups will then leave room while teacher places a pollutant (garlic, dirt, bleach, hydrogen peroxide) in each home or canister-- students will try to sniff out their original group canisters.

Materials:
10 film canisters with lids, 10 cotton balls, 5 strong smelling spices or extracts (lemon, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, maple, orange, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, or chili powder), garlic, dirt, bleach, hydrogen peroxide.

Vocabulary:
pollutant, aquatic, life cycle.

Assessment:
Discuss how pollutants and physical barriers inhibit aquatic life's cycles.

Lesson 4

Activity:

1. Use an eyedropper to form a water drop on a plastic lid.
2. Open a paper clip and poke drop with point of paper clip, observe.
3. Dip opened paper clip into a small amount of liquid soap-- touch soaped paper clip to water drop.
4. Observe that the soap reduces the surface tension so that the drop can no longer hold its shape and it spreads.
5. Place second paper clip on water drop.
6. Dip paper clip into soap again.
7. Touch water near suspended paper clip- observe and predict what will happen.

Materials:
paper clips, liquid soap, plastic lids.

Vocabulary:
surface tension, pollutant, molecule, wetland, habitat

Assessment:
Students should be able to explain that soap weakens the attraction of the water molecules to each other, reducing surface tension. There are limits to the wetlands ability to filter pollutants changing one small variable like surface tension could have a ripple effect throughout the food web of a wetland habitat.