Young scholars identify the four basic natural resources. They distinguish bettween renewable and non-renewable resources. Pupils recognize that all natural resources are needed by living plants and animals. Students list consequences...

What's the difference between wind erosion and water erosion? Perform an experiment to study the effects of air on soil, as well as water and soil, and how effective it can be to place rocks on the soil. 

All you need is light. Groups use a reflectometer to find the reflectivity of specific chemical compounds. Learners compare the graphs of the reflectivity of the known compounds to Martian soil. Using the graph comparisons, scholars...

Explore the consistency of the earth's layers and soil through modeling. By conducting an engaging experiment, learners develop a model for the earth's layers and a soil profile using edible materials. Each material is chosen based on...

Dead trees provide nutrients for the soil, food for animals, protection and a home for organisms, a seed-bed for new trees, and a place for nitrogen-fixing bacteria to live. In the activity, pupils collect decaying logs, expose them to a...

Explore soil, genetic traits, natural resources, and pollution in a series of lessons that focus on biodiversity. Kids complete experiments to learn more about the importance of varied genes and organisms in an ecosystem.

Explore the amazing power of glaciers with a hands-on earth science experiment! After first learning basic background information, learners go on to create their very own chunks of frozen water and gravel in order to...

Get your hands dirty with a set of earth science activities! Class members delve into a hard-boiled egg to find the similarities to the earth's layers, create a papier-mâché model of the earth, craft a simulation of the earth's...

Where does the mass for a growing tree come from? Scholars consider a few different hypotheses and guess which is correct. They then analyze data from different experiments to understand which concepts science supports.

Students perform soil tests for pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, composition and water percolation rate and assess the conditions in the schoolyard.

Students are introduced to the differences that exist in soil properties with depth. They are introduced to the factors that influence a soil's development (soil forming factors). Pupils are introduced to the impact of soil of soil...

Young scholars are introduces to soil profile classification. They remember that classification of soils is an important aspect of studying soils as it aids in predicting how soils react to weathering, transport nutrients or pollution. ...

Fourth graders describe the various kinds of soils and how plants and animals are affected by them. They describe the baic needs of plants, scoring at least a 3 or 4 on a 4-point rubic. Students are able to predict and/or infer what...

Third graders investigate different types of soil. In this soil lesson plan, 3rd graders compare various soil samples. They work hands-on with their peers to find the differences and similarities.

Young scholars investigate the Earth's crust. For this geology lesson, students identify the materials made up of the Earth's crust and investigate the different kinds of soil.

Students explore channelization, riparian habitats and soil erosion to find out about  the aquatic habitats in Iowa. In this aquatic habitats lesson, students define important terms and read an article about pollution. ...

In this porosity and permeability worksheet, learners experiment with different types of soils such as sand, gravel, pebbled and rocks. They put each soil type in a beaker and pour water in being sure to measure the amount of water they...

Students design an experiment to test the effects of common fertilizers on grass growth. They write or present a laboratory report responding to their observations and consider how fertilizers may affect the soil environment.

Learners investigate how organic matter increases the amount of water soil will hold. In this water soil lesson plan, students use soil and measure water amounts using organic matter. Learners measure the water holding capacities.

Young scholars examine the changes in Earth's temperature. In this global warming activity, students perform an experiment testing temperatures of soil. Young scholars record their findings and discuss what made the differences in the...

Students explore the needs of plants.  In this plants biology lesson, students work in groups to perform an experiment with tomato plants.  Each group records observations in a journal, takes pictures, and interprets the...

Students plant wetland plants in aquatic soil and regular soil. They test the effect fertilizers have on each and record the chemicals found in run-off water collected from each soil sample.

Fifth graders simulate wind driven soil erosion by using paper confetti to demonstrate the movement of the soil. They write about three examples of soil erosion found in their community.

Learners research the effects of soil erosion and pollution in the soil.