Curated OER
ExplorA-Pond: 5th Grade Soil Erosion
Fifth graders visit a pond or a stream and find areas of the shoreline with vegetation and without. They pour buckets of water down each and observe the effect plants have on soil erosion. They draw and record results in a lab booklet.
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Soil Erosion
Students examine how erosion is affected by the composition of the soil and the slope of the land. They look at plant roots, rocks and land slope as experimental factors. They complete the associated worksheets before discussing their...
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Erosion
Fifth graders engage in some activities that will help them to identify erosion and explain the causes of erosion. They also look into ways that humans can slow the process of erosion in some cases. After a teacher-led demonstration,...
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Erosion
In this erosion worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle given 17 clues about the types of erosion, the causes of erosion and the results of erosion.
Curated OER
Soil Type and Management
Young scholars study the basics of soil science. They research and gather data through readings, videos, and performance of laboratory investigations. As a team they generate oral and written recommendations for the amendment of soil.
Kenan Fellows
Sustainability: Learning for a Lifetime – Soil
Do great gardeners really have green thumbs—or just really great soil? Environmental scholars discover what makes Earth's soil and soil quality so important through research and experimentation. Learners also develop an understanding of...
Curated OER
Soil, the Forgotten Resource
Learners discuss soil understanding that is is often overlooked as a natural resource. In this science lesson, students recognize that we depend on it for energy in the form of foods. Learners experiment with six boxes of soil to help in...
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Trees and Erosion
Students examine the connection between trees and erosion. For this erosion lesson students experiment with the effects of rain on a hillside. Students investigate the number of trees and the amount of erosion.
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Water Speed and Erosion
Fourth graders investigate the process of water erosion. They observe the roots of a plant and discuss the concept of erosion. Next, in small groups they conduct an experiment to observe how water erodes soil on a stream table, and...
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Identifying Erosion
Students identify erosion in various forms and explain its causes. They look for evidence of erosion on school grounds, describe it in their journals, and draw labeled rough sketches of the erosion.
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soil, Water, and Plants
Students examine the relationship between water retention and plant growth by conducting two experiments. They first compare the water retention qualities of clay, sand and loam soil types. Then they use the data from the first...
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The Water We Drink
Third graders relate that the quality of their drinking water is subject to the condition of the environment and water found in streams and creeks in their community. They track the travel of a wad of paper from a student's desk to a...
Curated OER
Forest as a Filter
Students experiment using soil and water. In this forest as a filter lesson, students identify the role of forest cover, vegetation, and foliage impacts erosion and evaporation. Students conduct a simple experiment, form a hypothesis,...
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Prairie Restoration and Prairie Ecology
Young scholars 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...
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Non Native Species: English Ivy-Landscape Plant or Deadly Killer?
Young scholars study the impact that invasive species have on biodiversity and more natural areas.
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How Can Clear of Tress Destroy a Community?
Fifth graders brainstorm the relationship between trees and humans to determine how humans benefit from trees and how they benefit from us. They discuss oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange, soil stablization, animal habitat, shade, medicine...
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Investigation 3 - Weathering
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...
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WHO CARES FOR THE LAND?
Students explore the importance of natural resources. They are given copies of the story, "Who Cares For The Land," and students follow
along as the teacher reads it. Students identify the key points in the story. (Soil, water and air...
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Controlling Nonpoint Source Pollution
Students examine factors affecting water quality. They test water in a local body of water to determine its quality. They collect data and continue monitoring the water monthly. They assess water quality in the home and on the farm.
Rainforest Alliance
Investments in Forest Carbon
One hundred metric tons of CO2 can accumulate in one acre of forest over time—that's a lot of carbon! In the activity, groups of middle school learners determine what makes forests important. They then solidify the concept by using a...
Forest Foundation
The Sustainable Forest
As part of their examination of forest ecosystems, class members examine how foresters, biologists, botanists, geologists, and hydrologists work to together to develop a management plan for sustainable forests.
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THE PEANUT WIZARD
Students read information about George Washington Carver and outline the information. They are given peanuts in the shell, students examine them and eat them. Students discuss the following questions: Why did George Washington Carver...
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Amazing Grazing: Keeping Our Ecosystem Running
Students discover the value of sustainability within our ecosystem. In this ecological lesson, students discuss the importance of a food cycle in our society, and how humans can improve the conservation of a healthy ecosystem. Eventually...
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TRB 5:2 - Activity 3: Earthquakes
Learners watch a classroom demonstration, and experiment to discover the five ways that Earth's crust shifts along a fault.