Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Earth is a Changin'

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students view examples of different types of erosion. In this erosion lesson, students discuss the different types of erosion and how erosion changes Earth. Students explore erosion and the effect it has on engineering.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Drought

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students gain knowledge about the impact of drought in agriculture. They investigate soil types, water flow, and various erosion conditions which occur during a drought and see how farming practices changed after the 1930's.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Erosion Exploration

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders investigate the factors that increase soil erosion. They identify how the environment is affected by erosion. In small groups, 9th graders research erosion problems in various locations. Groups brainstorm ideas to help...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Earth Around Us: Air, Water & Soil

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders explore erosion and find the factors effecting erosion of hillsides.   In this erosion instructional activity, 2nd graders experiment by creating a hillside and simulating rain.  Students discuss and record...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Forest as a Filter

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars experiment using soil and water. For this forest as a filter lesson, students identify the role of forest cover, vegetation, and foliage impacts erosion and evaporation. Young scholars conduct a simple experiment, form a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Disappearing Sand

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students discover what sand looks like, how sand dunes form and what minerals can be found in sand. They also examine how beach erosion occurs. They explore how to stay safe at the beach.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weathering Rocks

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders investigate what natural events cause rocks to break apart and differentiate between erosion and weathering. They conduct an experiment with plaster of paris to observe why some rocks are hard and others break, and...
Lesson Plan
Science Friday

How Boulders Are Born

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Want your class to rock? Then try this boulder activity. Pupils learn about a specific boulder field and use edible materials to demonstrate the geological processes that formed this unique feature. Weathering, erosion, and mass...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Don't Think We're in Kansas Anymore (Grades 2-5)

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students give examples of erosion and weathering processes. They determine causes of America's Dust Bowl phenomena.Students define erosion as the condition in which the earth's surface is worn away by the action of water and wind.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Physical Environment

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders use damp sand, a baking pan, and water to simulate erosion. In this erosion lesson plan, 4th graders participate in a simulation to show what moving water does to land.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating Sand Dunes

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Students explain how sand dunes are formed, the different circumstances that effect the movement of or formation of sand dunes, and relate the information gathered to soil conservation. In this sand dunes lesson, students use pans of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Look At What Nature Has Done!

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students examine how easy it is to break rock. They investigate weathering and erosion in a number of activities.
Lesson Plan
Kenan Fellows

Sustainability: Learning for a Lifetime – The Importance of Water

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Water is essential for life—and understanding the importance of clean drinking water is essential in understanding sustainability! Show your environmental science class the basics of water testing and treatment through a week-long...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rocks

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars examine how sedimentary rocks are formed.  In this rock activity students research different rock formations and different types of rock. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mud in the Water

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders investigate erosion. In this erosion lesson, 6th graders explore how farming changes the environment. Students construct an erosion model and research ways to protect the soil from excess mud generated by farming.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Space Science: A Scoop of Moon Dirt

For Teachers K - 8th
Students discover soil characteristics and how it is formed on Earth and the Moon by examining local samples to a lunar simulant. They replicate the effects of wind erosion by scraping dry bread with sandpaper. Students use rocks and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mud in the Water

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students build a soil erosion model to study the importance of soil conservation. They investigate how land forms from both constructive and destructive forces.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sediment Tubes

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students observe how different density soils and rocks behave in wind and in water. They make predictions and careful observations as they explore sediment transport and sediment rates in streams and rivers.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Watershed Components

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders examine the components of a watershed. They view overheads, discuss the hydrologic cycle, and observe a demonstration of a soil erosion box.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rocks, Minerals, and Erosion

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders describe the difference between minerals (composed of the same substance throughout) and rocks (composed of two or more minerals). They recognize that there are three classes of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Subsidence/ Erosion

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students utilize prior knowledge about the Pontchartrain Basin. In this subsidence/erosion lesson, students study the chart on land subsidence and must them identify and find solution for problems caused by erosion.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hold on Tight!

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore the close connection between plant roots and the soil in which they grow. They investigate the roots of plants, make models of plant roots using pipe cleaners, and examine photos and images to explore the connection...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigation 3 - Weathering

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study 4 types of weather processes: wind, running water, plant growth, and freezing water. They explain how the processes of weathering and erosion change and move materials that become soil. They draw diagrams...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seas of Grass

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students view a video clip about grasslands. They identify threats to grasslands and describe cultures which have adapted to grassland conditions. They discuss possible solutions to preserve grasslands as well.