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Investigating Soil
Students investigate soil contents. In this soil lesson, students gather samples of soil and record their findings on a graphic organizer. After analyzing the material in the soil, students illustrate the layers they found.
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Soil, Designer Soil: From Rainforests to the Prairie
Students explore the role and importance of soil in the ecosystem. In this Science and Social Studies instructional activity, students complete an experiment using various kinds of soil and clay and then examine how soil has a direct...
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Soil Treasure Hunt
Students explore the concept of soil and decomposition. In this soil and decomposition lesson, students investigate bags of soil. Students then learn how animals and other organisms help in the decomposition process.
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Plant Needs
Students explore the needs of plants. For this plants biology lesson, students work in groups to perform an experiment with tomato plants. Each group records observations in a journal, takes pictures, and interprets the results of...
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Soil Permeability
Learners discuss how soil permeability is affected by permafrost. In this soil lesson plan, students freeze soil over night, and discuss how the environmental conditions of freezing affect soil and further affect vegetation.
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Perkin' Through the Pores
Learners investigate how organic matter increases the amount of water soil will hold. For this water soil lesson plan, students use soil and measure water amounts using organic matter. Learners measure the water holding capacities.
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Digging the Earth's Crust
Students investigate the Earth's crust. In this geology lesson plan, students identify the materials made up of the Earth's crust and investigate the different kinds of soil.
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Worms! Nature's Recyclers
Third graders explore the process of composting. In this composting lesson, 3rd graders read the book Wonderful Worms, and create composters.
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What Will Biodegrade?
Students create their own landfill where they observe materials that will and won't biodegrade. In this biodegrading lesson, students discuss the concept of a landfill and what materials biodegrade into soil and which ones stay in the...
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The World's Soil
In this world's soil worksheet, students use an apple to simulate the amount of soil in the world. They cut the apple into 1/32 to represent the soil and along the way they draw pictures for each cut and label what the pieces represent.
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Solar Energy Lab
In this solar energy instructional activity, students experiment with soil and water to determine if they heat at different rates. They record the temperature of the soil and water under light and in the dark. They graph their data and...
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Soil
In this soil activity, students read about soil and the attributes that determine how soil is formed. They then answer the 11 questions in the packet. The answers are on the last page of the packet.
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How Does Vegetation Decrease Erosion?
In this erosion worksheet, students will compare what happens to soil when water flows over soil with no vegetation and soil with vegetation. Then, students will complete four short answer questions.
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Weathering and Soil Formation
In this science worksheet, students examine the topic in order to solidify knowledge covered in the curriculum using puzzles and creative games.
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Sunlight & Soil
For this soil condition worksheet, students record the soil and air temperature as well as the day length and cloud cover in a small outside area for two weeks. They complete 5 short answer questions and draw graphs of the data.
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Specific Heat of Air and Soil
Students are introduced to the concept of specific heat. In groups, they are given a set of data showing the temperatures of air and soil samples in which they calculate the ranges of the data. They identify whether the air or soil...
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Water Works Wonders
Students examine where water is found in the world, how we use it, and the various forms it takes. They observe the refraction of light through a prism, record the day and night sky over a week's time, and create a topographic model of...
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Soil Types
Fifth graders examine how sand and rock fragments in soil are products of erosion or the weathering of rocks. They listen to the book "Sand" by Ellen J. Prager and answer discussion questions. Next, they analyze sand samples and sort...
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Testing for Chemicals in Soils
Students use sight, touch and chemical test kits to evaluate and classify soil types. They determine the organic content, soil pH, conduct visual analysis and nutrient tests of a variety of soil samples from various sources.
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Water Cycle and Its Movement in the Soil
Students are introduced to the water cycle and water movement in soil. In this water cycle lesson, students explore how water moves through the water cycle and discuss water sources, natural reservoirs, soil infiltration rates and...
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Soil Detectives: The Case of the Lost Friends
Students show how soil varies across the landscape, they explain how soil can be used to solve mysteries. Pupils are introduced to techniques that would be used to distinguish soils from different places.
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Soil Testing and Texturing
Young scholars are introduced to soil textures and why they are important in examining soil quality. They find out how to feel the difference between soil textures. Pupils describe which soil texture is best for gardens and growing...
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Prairie Restoration and Prairie Ecology
Students collect data as they identify and classify native prairie plants and insects. They create their own population study using a variety of sampling techniques to determine the population density of various species. Students...
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What Plants Need in Order to Survive and Grow: Soil
Students conduct an experiment to evaluate whether plants need soil to survive and grow. They plant two seeds, one with soil and one without, make predictions, and record and analyze the seed germination results on a worksheet.