Curated OER
"Investigating Soil Color and Texture"
Ninth graders will identify/understand the differences between soil and dirt. They will classify soil color accurately and use Munsell notation to describe it (Munsell books provided).Students will classify soil texture using the feel...
Curated OER
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...
Captain Planet Foundation
Worm Your Way Out of This
How can you provide healthy soil for your garden? Study worms, bacteria, and other microorganisms in a lesson about decomposition and organic compost. After discussing what you know about worms and watching a video, watch what worms do...
Curated OER
Fertilizers & Grass Growth
Students design an experiment to test the effects of common fertilizers on grass growth. They write or present a laboratory report responding to their observations and consider how fertilizers may affect the soil environment.
Curated OER
Measuring Soil Temperatures at South Penquite Farm
Students investigate soil temperatures. In this graphing and earth science lesson, students insert temperature probes into different types of soil at varying depths. Students complete a data chart and construct a related graph...
Curated OER
Soil In The Amazon
Students grow plants in soil representing that found in the Amazon basin. They compare results to plants growing in fertile soil and soil fertilized with leaf compost. Students chart, average and graph plant growth by height.
Students...
Curated OER
Establishing a Lawn
The techniques for preparing soil before laying, or seeding, a lawn is covered in this set of slides. Ideal pH, fertilizer, and drainage is described. Details of the best seed type for different conditions are also given. Pictures to...
Curated OER
What Kind of Garden Would Grow in Our Schoolyard?
Students perform soil tests for pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, composition and water percolation rate and assess the conditions in the schoolyard.
Curated OER
WebQuest: The Growing Challenge in Senegal
Students examine the issue of soil infertility in Senegal. In this agriculture instructional activity, students follow the steps to complete the provided webquest that requires them to learn about the issue and create a 3-year plan for...
Curated OER
Fertilizers
Students examine the nutrient makeup in fertilizers. In this plant nutrient lesson students see the effects of common fertilizers on plants.
Curated OER
HAPPY SOIL, SAD SOIL
Learners will be able to identify the characteristics of healthy soil and unhealthy soil.Take the class outside to an area of thick grass near trees, if available. Compare the
clothes people wear to the thin cover. Discuss the reasons...
Curated OER
The Interrelationships of Soil, Water and Fertilizers and How They Affect Plant Growth
Students examine how different nutrients in the soil and fertilizers affect plant growth. In groups, they participate in a role play in which allows them to see the interactions of humans and plants. They also read articles and record...
Curated OER
Traditional Soil Remediation in the Garden
Learners use testing kits to analyze garden soil. They research the nutritional needs of various crops as well as the nutritional properties of fish. Students participate in fish harvesting for garden fertilizing.
Curated OER
Secrets to Healthy Soil
Fourth graders explore needed mineral nutrients for healthy soil. In this soil lesson, 4th graders investigate how living and nonliving elements combine to contribute to fertile soil development.
Curated OER
Planning and Preparing a Vegetable Garden
An anticipatory slide suggests personal benefits from gardening. Then the presentation goes into choosing a location, considering soil type, the use of fertilizers, and the variety of crops available to choose from. If you are teaching...
Curated OER
Plant Parts and their Function
Discover why plants are important to our world. View plant parts and categorize them as stems or buds. Students do a cut and paste of pictures of plants into correct categories. Students also plant a carrot top,and record the growth and...
Curated OER
Wetland/Estuary Structure and Functions
Students plant wetland plants in aquatic soil and regular soil. They test the effect fertilizers have on each and record the chemicals found in run-off water collected from each soil sample.
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Soil
Second graders name the various materials that comprise soil, including weathered rock and other organic matter. They explain that soils differ in their color, texture, capacity to retain water, and ability to support the growth of many...
Curated OER
Vermicomposting
First graders investigate composting. In this biology lesson, 1st graders identify ways to use garbage as fertilizer. Students examine soil and compost matter as well as the role of worms in the dirt.
Curated OER
Soil Erosion
Second graders complete activities to observe the effects of erosion. In this erosion lesson, 2nd graders define erosion and learn the process. Students complete an erosion experiment.
Curated OER
Soil Composition
Students investigate how soil composition affects plant growth. In small groups, they plant various seeds in different soil mixtures, record plant and seed growth, and analyze the results.
Curated OER
Build an Outdoor Compost Heap
Students study how to create a compost heap. In this composting lesson, students create a compost heap. Students write an essay describing the process.