Coalbed methane (CH4) is a natural gas and valuable energy resource that occurs in coal beds. This site, hosted by an energy development corporation, explains the geology and stratigraphy of Wyoming in the context of the formation of coalbed methane and its occurrence in Wyoming. Maps, cross sections, stratigraphic columns and fence diagrams are provided to explain Cretaceous and Tertiary coalbed methane-plays in Wyoming.

Learn about how Iowa was settled and how their educational system was created.

In this activity, students investigate how scientists monitor changes in Earth's glaciers, ice caps, and ice sheets. The activity is linked to 2009 PBS Nova program entitled Extreme Ice.

In this lesson, students will view a plant-based meat commercial that makes claims about being healthier for our planet.  Students will then find evidence from reliable sources that either supports or refutes those claims.  Does raising plants or cattle for meat make a healthier planet?  The students will then write a claim, evidence, and reasoning argument that supports their claim for this question.

This online reference list provides links to nine local and national environmental organizations that have Web sites rich in valuable biodiversity information. Where possible, it includes the following information for each: details about the organization's mission, knowledge base, and activities; the type of support offered, including educational materials, resource libraries, and classes/workshops; and mailing address and contact information. In addition, links to four Web directories are provided, which in turn have links to dozens of other organizations.

This unit takes the ideas learned in Understanding Commodity Markets and Understanding Basis and digs deeper to explain how futures contracts are used to allow agricultural producers to hedge. 

This lesson plan will cover establishing business goals, types of agribusiness goals, ways to accomplish goals, and major parts of a business plan. Adapted from Illinois Agricultural Education Core Curriculum.

This Instructional Guide is one of a set of three components provided for each chapter included in the “Video Chapters of Iowa History Series.” This Guide is for use by local groups, historians, students and teachers to learn about the history of Iowa’s rural settlement and one-room schools. The other two components are the video, Iowa’s Unsung Prairie Transformation to Farms and One Room Schools 1870-1900 and a digital library with pictures of artifacts, photos and primary sources. 

This is a streamlined lesson for students to prepare for a Community Resilience Expo, focusing on wildfire.

The HEART Force curriculum builds understanding of wildfire, flood, or drought in the context of place-based community resilience.

This series of 16 captioned images depict representative plant and animal species threatened by climate change. In contrast, images of healthy plants are also shown to emphasize their role in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The Climate Kids website is a NASA education resource featuring articles, videos, images and games focused on the science of climate change.

In this week-long unit students will explore Critical Zone function and dynamics as they relate to nutrient cycling in agricultural systems and nutrient pollution into aquatic systems. This unit is generally subdivided into three sections: (1) nutrient pollution (2) agricultural importance and (3) Critical Zone function and dynamics in relation to nutrient cycling. The students will use data sets, interactive activities, primary literature, and videos to allow them to examine the role that the CZ plays and how that role changes with differing land uses. Important present-day topics of food production, clean water, nutrient pollution, and sustainable agriculture are examined using a CZ lens. Students will interact with each other on a variety of scales (individual, small groups, entire class) and using a variety of modes (presentations, written reports, question and answers, and class discussion) in this unit. Additionally, optional activities are provided if lab activities are able to be accommodated. The unit ends with a summative assessment assignment that is based on an innovative call for proposals to combat one of America's most widespread, costly, and challenging environmental problems: nutrient pollution.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

Students will gain a general understanding of FFA History, opportunities, and procedures, as well as a general knowledge about Agricultural Education through various structured activities. By Holly Podliska, NE AFNR Educator

This collection of learning activities allows students to explore phenology, phenological changes over time, and how these changes fit into the larger context of climate change. Students explore patterns of solar radiation and seasons as well as phenological cycles and ecological affects of these patterns.

Learn more about how immigrants settled Iowa by developing farms and built schools on the tall grass prairie in Iowa. Through video, primary sources, activities and text learn more about:
(Continued from part 1)
C) Transformation of Prairie to Farms, Towns and Building One Room Schools
D) Operation and Success of the Iowa Rural School System Over Time
E) Challenges and the end of the Iowa Rural School System

Cretaceous and Tertiary strata exposed in northern Alaska record clastic sediment deposition within a foreland basin adjacent to the ancestral Brooks Range, and form part of an important petroleum play. The goal of this U.S. Geological Survey report is to synthesize the complex stratigraphy of this area into a more simplified scheme. It discusses the regional geology of northern Alaska and the stratigraphy of the Colville Basin in detail. Maps, cross sections, correlation charts, and numerous outcrop photos with detailed captions accompany the text.

This article provides a brief introduction to solar energy, explains its benefits, and culminates in a description of the work being done by a group of volunteers, (the "Sun power people") who help install solar panels on homes in California. The Climate Kids website is a NASA education resource featuring articles, videos, images and games focused on the science of climate change.