Students build and experiment with a watershed to understand the effects of pollution. In this movement of water lesson plan, students work in groups creating rock formations and change the viscosity of the liquids falling down the...

Students participate in an interactive instructional activity using the scientific method to study biodiversity.  In this insect monitoring instructional activity, students simulate the layers of soil and the insects that would live...

Third graders investigate how farmers get more rice from their land. In this farming lesson, 3rd graders discover things that farmers to do produce more rice. Students study photosynthesis and illustrate pictures about it. Students test...

Students discuss caves. In this science lesson, students experiment with how dissolution, a chemical weathering process, leads to the formation of caves. Once the cave is finsihed students draw a picture or describe in writing what it...

Students investigate the water cycle. In this water cycle science lesson, students participate in a series of activities that demonstrate evaporation, precipitation, and condensation.  Students describe their observations using...

The "Engage" section of a wetlands lesson plan asks young ecologists to examine a wetlands poster. You can easily find one online and display it using a projector. Pupils immerse a piece of sandstone and a piece of granite in water to...

A set of questions on weathering and erosion are found in this resource. Some of them can be used as discussion topics or lecture guides. There are also suggested activities such as the examination of topographic quadrangles and the...

The landscape impacted by glacier activity is drawn at the top of this worksheet. Ten multiple choice questions follow, some relating to the diagram, and some about the quality of soil left by glaciation. It is not often that you come...

This rare resource is a brief overview of some of our government protective agencies. There is a slide for each of the following: Bureau of Land Management, Department of Fish and Wildlife, National Parks Service, Environmental...

Fourth graders investigate the contents of various types of soil to determine the differences in salinity levels. They conduct an experiment of observing the plants in the different soils. Students then determine survival rates by...

Students complete several plant life activities. In this botany lesson, students practice painting images that resemble plants they are familiar with as well as planting seeds outside of class. Students participate in a dramatic...

Students perform experiments to determine the nutritional needs and physical space requirements for slime mold to survive. After formulating hypotheses, they seal the petri dishes and set up the experiment along with two controls. ...

Students explore the process of photosynthesis in plants. They discuss the purpose of photosynthesis and its components. Students discuss the importance of photosynthesis for plants and they examine the parts of the plant that play an...

Students look at the crops of the settlers. In this crop lesson, students discuss why each crop was important to the settlers and how they used it. They plant seeds and track and observe the growth. 

Students study data from a USDA catfish pond. They look for microbial populations and chemical concentrations in the runoff to determine the effectiveness of filter strips. They use their knowledge of biogeochemical cycles to explain the...

Students propose and perform an experiment using the scientific method. The purpose of the experiment is to discern some earth materials or combinations of earth materials that best increases the pH of "acid rain". From the results of...

Students explore the Earth and its ability to support life. They discuss the geosphere and the water cycle and complete the Water Wonders activity. After completing the activity, they respond in their journals and reflect upon the...

Fourth graders tie together elements about the world and their environment. Students incorporate styles of higher order thinking skills. Students measure skills of observations, conclusions, inferences and predictions.

Sixth graders experiment with different ways to test an apple for ripeness. In this apple harvesting instructional activity, 6th graders conduct three different experiments to test apples for ripeness and carry-out four additional...

In this water vocabulary worksheet, learners read and learn 12 words that pertain to water and the water cycle. Each word and definition is printed on a separate page in a snowflake shape.

What is a natural resource, and what resources did the Lewis and Clark expedition seek? After reading an article on the mapping of the west, learners get into small groups to discuss the important natural resources of the period. They...

First graders compare and contrast different seeds before planting them. They assess the basic needs to plants and conduct experiments of deprivation of those needs. They write stories and draw pictures of plants which are bound into a...

Students conduct an experiment to demonstrate that many of the enzyme systems needed to break down society's wastes exist in nature among the decomposers in a compost pile. They culture compost bacteria on starch agar to examine the...

Students describe the movement of water within the water cycle and identify the states of water as it moves through the water cycle.