Whether you have your class plant seeds or begin when sprouts are visible, math skills are used here to predict and track growth over time. Straw bar graphs show plant height on a given day while the graph as a whole shows changes over...

Fifth graders examine ecosystems in their schoolyard. In this nature and ecosystem lesson, 5th graders map their schoolyard into workable plots. They classify plants and animals found in the plot. They revisit their site every two weeks...

Students discover how to "read" tree rings to determine the date of a volcanic eruption and the effects an eruption has on plant growth. After a lecture/demo, students utilize a worksheet imbedded in this plan to date an eruption.

In this sunspots and climate change learning exercise, learners use a diagram of a tree stump and its rings to determine the age of the tree. They use sunspot data from the internet and they construct an Excel spreadsheet to compare the...

Sixth graders observe school ground trees planted nearly 3 decades ago.  For this ecology instructional activity, 6th graders examine a group of trees planted near their campus and measure the diameter, circumference and growth of...

Learners investigate how weather affects how plants grow. They collect data on weather and plant growth for a week and display the data on a graph. For a culminating experience they design a movie using software that shows plant growth...

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.

Students study pictures of seeds and the conditions in which they grow during their study of archaeobotany. They infer ancient plant use by looking at archaeobotanical samples. They determine the change of plant use by interpreting a...

Students explore how a pattern built with square tiles grows and describe the change from stage to stage. They predict later stages of a tile design sequence and create math equations related to the growth of tile designs.

Students create books with photographs as illustrations. In this book making lesson, students create books for different subjects to accompany what they are learning. They take photographs to match what they have written.