Skip to Content
donate to Cary

Curricula and Lesson Plans

At the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, we strive to take a science-based, inquiry approach to teaching about ecosystems, highlighting the key ideas of ecosystem literacy:

  • Every place is an ecosystem.
  • One must leave nothing important out when thinking about ecosystems, including their invisible components like nutrients, energy and microbes.
  • People are part of every ecosystem.
  • No ecosystem is an island; they are connected to nearby and often to distant ecosystems.
  • Ecosystems can bend and they can break; they change, sometimes gradually, other times suddenly, over years, decades, centuries and more.
  • Ecosystems provide people with essential services.
  • We need reasoned, evidence-based forethought about ecosystems to survive.

We are excited that you have chosen to explore ecosystems with us!

Please visit our curriculum database in order to search for lesson plans, investigation protocols, visuals, readings, data sets, and a number of other resources. Or, find out more about specific projects from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies Education Program.

 

Changing Hudson Project
The Changing Hudson Project (CHP) curriculum was developed by scientists and educators at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies to help students understand how the Hudson River changes over time. By collaborating with area teachers, scientists, and management agencies, the curriculum has grown to include a wide range of topics that engage students with visualizations, readings, investigations, and actual scientific data.
More...
Urban Ecosystems
The Urban Ecosystems curriculum is a library of modules that teach students about ecosystem processes in their backyard, including land use, water systems, biodiversity, and human impacts. Lessons are appropriate for a wide range of students, and can be implemented in any schoolyard. Included are materials from the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES), and the Mid-Hudson Urban Ecology Study (MHUES).
More...
Teaching the Local Water Cycle
Teaching about the water cycle can be made more realistic and valuable for students by incorporating what they know about water-where it comes from, what happens to it after they use it, and what problems are associated with its use. These materials, part of a unit called "The Broken Water Cycle", will help teachers facilitate place-based learning about water for upper elementary and middle school students.
More...
Ecology of Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is an ecologically complex disease that is becoming increasingly prevalent in the Northeast. Through an interactive online module and hands-on investigations developed through the Hotpots Project, students learn about the ecology of Northeast forests and how land use change creates favorable conditions for the increase of Lyme disease.
More...
SYEFEST
Schoolyards present a wealth of opportunities for exploring ecological concepts, and the Cary Institute has long been a pioneer in helping teachers develop authentic and worthwhile investigations for students. The Schoolyard Ecology for Elementary School Teachers (SYEFEST) project created a number protocols and lessons, most of them inquiry-based, for outdoor study.
More...
Eco-Inquiry
Eco-Inquiry, an ecology curriculum for grades 5-8 developed by Dr. Kathleen Hogan, a former Associate Scientist, helps teachers transform their classrooms into centers of ecological research. Students learn about the flow of matter in ecosystems as the practices of science are demystified and made engaging. Lessons from this book have been scanned and are available as PDFs through our curriculum database.
More...