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...

Students find ways to decrease soil runoff for an African Village as a part of a Peace Corps project. In this soil runoff lesson, students play a soil runoff challenge online. Students complete online activities and view a slide show to...

After listening to a story about the water cycle, learners create their own versions of this tale. This is a great way to have your class review the concepts of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.

Young surveyors look for patterns in water flow around campus. Using a map of the school (that you will need to create), they mark the direction of the path of water. They also perform calculations for the volume that becomes runoff. The...

Students compare roofing materials to determine which ones reduce rain runoff. In this rain runoff lesson plan, students use a milk carton, stickers, soil, and more to create this activity.

Students examine the causes and effects of soil runoff. In this environment lesson, students look at ways in which soil runoff is controlled. Students then play a game  and discuss how the Peace Corps deals with soil runoff in...

High schoolers are taught that a watershed is, what types of basic land cover are impermeable and permeable to water. They trace the flow of water around their school and around their home. Students determine what watershed their school...

Students measure the toxic levels of runoff and discuss the effects it would have on the aquatic system. In this runoff lesson plan, students answer questions to how runoff would affect the animals in an aquatic system.

Thirsty plants soak up every bit of a rainfall, but what happens to the rain that hits the roof? Calculate the amount of rainwater from your school's roof with an Earth science activity, which brings measurement skills, observation...

Students are introduced to Delaware's waterways as precious resources used for drinking water, water for agricultural and industrial uses, recreational areas, and as habitats for wildlife. They are introduced to wastewater discharges,...

Students examine how mining and other industry operations can lead to acid runoff.  In this mining lesson students study weathering and complete a lab on it. 

Here is a great way to get pupils to express a scientific concept in a fun way. After hearing the story of Walter the Water drop and learning facts about the water cycle, the class will write a creative expository piece describing what...

Written as field trip preparation to Gateway National Recreation Area, this resource is also appropriate for any class that is studying the impact of human activity on the environment. During the first activity, learners identify...

Collaborative earth science groups create a working model of a watershed. Once it has been developed, you come along and introduce a change in land use, impacting the quality of water throughout their watershed. Model making is an...

Fourth graders examine best management practices for water quality.  In this water quality instructional activity, 4th graders explore unused land to identify areas of runoff, erosion, and effects of water flow.  Students...

Students define lake life zones. They define stormwater runoff and its effects on lakes. They identify the relationship between decaying substances and water pollution. They construct a freshwater food web.

Learners explore the components of a watershed and the factors that affect it. They read a topographical map and use geometry to determine the area of a watershed. Students estimate the volume of a body of water and perform runoff...

Young scholars investigate some of the factors that determine the amount of runoff. They are reminded that infiltration and runoff tend to work oppositely. When conditions are bad for infiltration they usually lead to runoff.

Students examine runoff for the causes, the impact, and the solution.  In this investigative activity students construct a three dimensional model of a watershed and provide information of contaminated runoff to their audience. 

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 see how much runoff occurs by an average shopping mall parking lot.  In this groundwater lesson students complete a lab and a handout. 

Students write out sources of pollution and identify contaminants are most likely found in urban runoff.  In this pollution lesson students compare toxicity tests and chemical analysis of potential contaminants. 

Students map and calculate the area of the school parking lot and then the volume of water falling on the school parking lot. They map the route surface runoff will take to the nearest water body and describe the roles that human...

Learners evaluate the relationship between rainfall and runoff of a small island for one year. In this rainfall vs. runoff lesson, students analyze the relationship between the rainfall and the runoff on Barro Colorado Island over a...