Curated OER
What Is Natural?
Your junior highers will learn about which objects are natural and classify objects as abiotic or biotic. Your class will trace human products to their natural resources using matter cycles and then create their own definition of nature.
Curated OER
Soil, Designing the Small Farm of the Future
Students examine the history of farming. In this environmental farming lesson plan, students explore the web and complete a variety of activities in order to understand the necessity of local, sustainable, and small farms for the future....
Curated OER
"The Soil Around Us" Project
Young scholars explore how to storyboard. They examine the tasks and roles involved in creating a multimedia presentation. They create a list of quality attributes for the presentation. Use the list to improve the style, accuracy and...
Curated OER
"Lettuce" Learn About the Water Cycle
Young scientists investigate the water cycle through a lettuce seed experiment. For this experiment, learners plant lettuce seeds inside of a ziplock bag in order to create a small greenhouse. They observe condensation and precipitation,...
Curated OER
"Wet" Your Appetite: Conserving Water
Students investigate how water is utilized in producing food. For 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...
Curated OER
They're Tilling that Field Behind the Mall
Unfortunately, the article for which this resource was written is not available. You can, however, find another current document on agriculture and urban development for your class to read together, and then still follow the suggested...
Curated OER
Egg People
Here is an ingeniously clever lesson on seed germination that's sure to be a hit with your kids. In it, learners create "egg people," out of eggs, egg cartons, potting soil, grass seeds, and markers. There is also a potato version and a...
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
Our Earth
In this Earth's environment worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle given 35 clues about a variety of topics related to our Earth. Topics include ecosystems, precipitation, biomes, energy transfer, soil, weathering and rocks.
SF Environment
Compost Tag
Composting is a great way to get children involved in recycling. First, they discuss how biodegradable products decompose to make compost. Then, they talk about what can and cannot be composted. They play a game similar to around the...
California Academy of Science
Composting: A Scientific Investigation: California Academy of Sciences
Garbage, recycle, compost: Does it really matter where we put our trash once we are done? By making detailed observations over seven weeks, kids will see which materials break down naturally to become a healthy part of the soil, and...
Curated OER
Ecosystems-The Essential Connection
Young scholars develop their abilities to solve problems both in school and in a variety of situations similar to that they have encountered in life. They define the term ecosystem in nature by comparing them to familiar organizational...
Desert Museum
Daisy Ecology
Here's a fine lesson plan that combines poetry with life sciences. Learners carefully listen to a poem that's all about a food chain. As the poem is read, learners name the producer, the herbivore, the carnivore, and the omnivore. Lots...
Curated OER
Growing from Seed
High school or college horticulturists will appreciate this PowerPoint on seed-propagation. It walks them through the science behind seed production and germination as well as the requirements for growing plants from this stage....
Curated OER
Japan: Farmers Face Global Competition
Students examine the history of Japanese farming and current international farming issues. They conduct Internet research, create a chart to illustrate the history of farm products in Japan, and simulate a WTO meeting.
Curated OER
The Nitrogen Cycle
The nitrogen cycle is the focus of a well-designed science lesson. In it, learners see that plants and animals produce waste products and decompose after death. Many of the waste products include nitrogen which is absobed by other...
Curated OER
How Can Clear of Tress Destroy a Community?
Fifth graders brainstorm the relationship between trees and humans to determine how humans benefit from trees and how they benefit from us. They discuss oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange, soil stablization, animal habitat, shade, medicine...
Curated OER
Dirt Babies
Dirt babies are an excellent way to show young botanists the plant life cycle. They explore the functions and industry behind grasses before growing some of their own. Use the informational text here and consider implementing some...
KOG Ranger Program
The Value of Oregon’s Forests
No matter where you go, you're in the middle of a forest in some way. Use a lesson about forests and the many ways they contribute to our world, including the ecosystems of animals and plants living in their shady soil.
Curated OER
The Plant Food Factory
Plants need sun and water to survive. Let kids discover these facts by reading a block of informational text and considering a scientific quandary. They read the text, then use the information to complete a two-part question about plant...
Learning Games Lab
Nitrogen in Fertilizer
Nitrogen is an essential element for productive farming. An interactive lesson explores the chemical makeup of different fertilizers and their corresponding nitrogen content. The interactive challenges individuals to complete molecular...
Curated OER
Class Conservation Corps (CCC)
Students investigate how the loss of soil, a valuable natural resource, affects their lives through loss of productive land to grow food, loss of coastal land mass, and poor water quality from runoff. They design a project to keep soil...
Curated OER
Vegetable Twister
Learners review vegetables and their nutrient values and production. In this vegetable production worksheet, students read information about the nutrients in vegetables and how they are grown. Learners participate in a game of Twister to...
Curated OER
Can You "Gas" What's Happening?
Students examine gas production in "soil" samples through hands on activities and class discussions, to determine if the soil samples have contain living or non-living systems.