Students read about specific instances of arsenic in history and share these stories with each other. They identify, after reading the articles and sharing, what role arsenic played, how arsenic enters the system and what its effects...

Students construct and observe a model of two different types of wetlands. In this wetlands activity, students create a model of a wetland with constant drainage and a wetland that maintains a well-saturated soil. Students observe and...

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...

Third graders, in groups, examine soil samples with magnifying glasses. They discuss the living and non-living things they find in their soild samples.

Pupils 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...

Learners create a soil center on their school grounds. They begin to write in their science journals. They participate in an experiment that helps the community begin their own gardens.

First graders awareness is raised that not all dirt is the same. They compare and observe particle sizes in three different kinds of soils. They keep a record book of what the discover and talk about how some soils are alike and some...

Students examine how soils within a community may enhance or inhibit development. In small groups, they analyze county soils maps, and develop a prospectus for a construction company looking to construct a housing development site.

Young geologists learn how to use an identification key in order to classify rocks. The key is designed to help them classify rocks into three types: ignesous, metamorphic, and sediimentary. After an initial teacher-led demonstration,...

Eighth graders study earthquakes.  In this earthquake lesson students research the Internet on earthquakes and plot earthquake locations. 

Fifth graders observe their plant experiments that they started in a previous lesson and examine the role of decomposers in the nitrogen cycle. Two weeks after they set up a worm terrarium, they analyze any changes they observe, and...

Third graders examine the rock-soil cycle. They identify the steps and describe what happens. They also discover the three layers of soil.

Eighth graders study the nine soil factors to use in field study and to complete an exam. They learn the components and characteristics of soil.

Students examine the relationship between particle size and rate of water flow through soil. They collect soil samples, make predictions, conduct a water flow experiment, analyze the data, and answer conclusion questions.

High schoolers explore the ways Earth's surface is shaped by hydrologic, climate and tectonic forces by participating in a whole class discussion. They respond to prompts that lead them to conclusions about the relationships between...

Students examine how Earth-Sun relationships affect Earth's energy balance and the pattern of world temperatures. Students study a Surface Temperature Regions map and write a paragraph describing the temperature pattern from the Equator...

Students are introduced to the on-farm nutrient cycle, which explains feed to manure, to soil, and back to the feed. They are introduced to the generation of runoff during rainstorms, and the contents of runoff water are more than water...

Fourth graders make predictions, observe, collect and record data. They investigate several soil and worm websites. Finally, 4th graders write a letter to The President which defends earthworms by explaining their value to the United...

Students identify the amount of heat given off by solar energy. In this solar energy lesson plan, students complete an experiment using soil and sand measuring the heat from solar energy.

Learners explore cycles in nature. In this cross curriculum agriculture lesson, students define "cycle" and research weather and planting folklore. Learners make a bracelet in which individual colored beads represent the many "cycles" of...

Students simulate the search for water in Mars using simple apparatus. For this space science lesson, students explain how soil temperature affects the cooling of probes. They graph the data collected from the simulation.

Students investigate the distribution of the earth's water. They conduct a demonstration of water distribution, and create a pie graph to display the results.

Young scholars investigate how earthworms help build good soil. They examine the worms carefully to find the ringlike segments and swollen band at the front of the earthworm's body. Students take turns dampening the soil every day and...

Students plan and construct a "mini-lab" to measure the reflectivity of different earth surfaces. They measure reflectivity of materials, including ice, soil, rocks, etc., and then extrapolate from what they have learned to consider the...