Curated OER
Peace Corps Challenge Game: Soil Runoff
Students examine the causes and effects of soil runoff. In this environment lesson, students look at ways in which soil runoff is controlled. Students then play a game and discuss how the Peace Corps deals with soil runoff in African...
Kenan Fellows
Sustainability: Learning for a Lifetime – Soil
Do great gardeners really have green thumbs—or just really great soil? Environmental scholars discover what makes Earth's soil and soil quality so important through research and experimentation. Learners also develop an understanding of...
Curated OER
Soils
Students apply knowledge of soil, environmental impacts, economics, multiple human demands, and use given data for a proposed scenario in making land use decisions. They debate land use issues and/or scenarios and discuss a case study.
Curated OER
Save Our Soil
Students read about the history of soil and complete language arts, math, social studies, and more activities about soil. In this soil lesson plan, students complete fraction problems, create a school compost pile, write about conserving...
Curated OER
Sustainable Agriculture: Soils And Food Production
Ninth graders recognize differences in soil quality from one area to another. They describe the importance of organic matter in soil health and suggest ideas that help provide adequate food supplies for the world. The interview a person...
Curated OER
Losing Ground
Students examine how effects of farming practices in the early 20th Century contributed to severe soil erosion of a large portion of the North American grasslands.
Curated OER
Agriculture and the Environment
Students investigate the interdependence of agriculture and the environment. They research areas of interdependence and provide examples of situations where farmers are practicing conservation in the local area. Their findings are...
Curated OER
WATER HERE AND THERE
Introduce the topic of water conservation with a little drama. Dressed as snowflakes, hail stones, or rain drops class members dramatize the events in a narration of the water cycle. The series of lessons that follow focus on...
Curated OER
Oyster Gardens - No Soil Required!
Explore the practice of oyster gardening. Because oysters play a vital role in marine ecosystems and their populations have declined, biologists are transplanting oyster seed to repopulate reefs. After learning about this practice,...
Curated OER
Beautiful Soil
Students discover what are the components of soil. They examine how it is formed and it's importance. They engage in garden activities and processes. They hold a handful of garden soil and describe what they see. They take a...
Curated OER
Erosion
Young scientists identify erosion, explain the causes of erosion, and name some techniques that can slow the process of erosion. Learners are divided up into groups of four and perform a simulation of soil erosion in class. The...
NASA
The Case of the Wacky Water Cycle
Join the tree house detectives in learning about the processes of the water cycle, water conservation, water treatment, and water as a limited resource.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Section Two: Why is Biodiversity Important?
Explore soil, genetic traits, natural resources, and pollution in a series of lessons that focus on biodiversity. Kids complete experiments to learn more about the importance of varied genes and organisms in an ecosystem.
Curated OER
Renewable vs. Non-Renewable Resources
Fifth graders are introduced to the important topic of renewable, and non-renewable, resources. They are expected to be able to correctly categorize different types of resources as renewable or non-renewable. Another emphasis of this...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
"Wet" Your Appetite: Conserving Water
Students investigate how water is utilized in producing food. In this agriculture lesson, students examine how much water goes into the creation of their daily menu. Students create a new menu that can conserve water and cut their water...
National Park Service
Reduce Our Carbon Footprint, Let’s Compost!
Roll up your sleeves and get a little dirty with this elementary and middle school compost lesson. All you need is a large plastic container, a couple old newspapers, some organic waste, and a few hundred worms and you're ready to start...
Curated OER
This Land is Our Land
Students interpret NASS data to determine loss or gain of farm land and compare land in production and crop production over a 50 year period.
Curated OER
Erosion
In this erosion worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle given 17 clues about the types of erosion, the causes of erosion and the results of erosion.
Curated OER
Conservation in Small Places - Composting
A fabulous lesson introduces the art of composting to your gardeners. In it, youngsters learn about the composting process and how it actually works. They discuss the environmental benefits of composting, and use the "lasagna" method...
American Forest Foundation
Who Speaks for the Trees?
Help young conservationists appreciate the important role that trees play in ecosystems around the world with this collection of six engaging activities. From a shared reading and class discussion of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, to in an depth...
Curated OER
Amazing Grazing: Keeping Our Ecosystem Running
Students discover the value of sustainability within our ecosystem. In this ecological lesson, students discuss the importance of a food cycle in our society, and how humans can improve the conservation of a healthy ecosystem. Eventually...
Curated OER
Waste Not Want Not
Students are introduced to the need to save natural resources. Through inquiry, hands-on activities, and problem solving, students increase their understanding of solid waste materials and the need to reduce, recycle, and reuse.
Curated OER
What happens to water before we use it?
Learners examine how water is treated prior to becoming available for human consumption. In this water treatment lesson plan, students conduct an experiment in which they filter water. Learners formulate a hypothesis, test, analyze data,...