If you don't want to drink red cabbage juice, here's another use for it—a decoder! Using vinegar and ammonia-based window cleaning liquids as invisible inks, scholars create designs in the second lesson of the series. Red cabbage juice...

What is the root of the conflict between ranchers and environmentalists? Middle schoolers write their impressions of what an environmentalist is and does. They read the New York Times article "In New Wild West, It's Cowboys vs....

Varve: a deposit of cyclical sediments that help scientists determine historical climates. Individuals analyze the topography of a region and then study varve datasets from the same area. Using this information, they determine the...

What kind of impact do humans have on watersheds? Find out in a lesson that defines, explores, and promotes ways to protect our watersheds. The ultimate goal of the lesson is for learners to discover how a watershed is impacted by...

Here's a lesson that just might make your class squirm! Learn about segmented worms in a detailed PowerPoint presentation including the wriggly earthworms young scientists dig up in their backyards. Although seemingly simple creatures,...

A walk through the grocery store is like a walk around the world. An interactive activity shows popular grocery items and where the ingredients originate. Perfect as a remote learning resource, the lesson connects groceries to the...

Middle schoolers take a close look at the prairie environment. They identify common plants and animals of the prairie. In addition, pupils work in teams in order to put together a presentation on a certain aspect of the prairie...

Students create their own rainforest environment. This tropical rainforest lesson, introduces where rainforests are located, their real world connections, and their structural make up. It includes further resources online.

This short presentation provides a convenient introduction to the nitrogen group in the periodic table of elements. A graphic displays where they are placed in the periodic table. The nitrogen cycle is mentioned and ammonia is explained....

Many of us focus on the causes and effects of the Dust Bowl as it relates to people. Why not shift the focus of cause and effects to how the Dust Bowl affected the environment. Here is a different take on the tried-and-true Dust Bowl...

Do not let the class just sit and rot. Pupils learn how decomposition and nutrient recycling is important to an ecosystem. Groups design an experiment to determine how environmental conditions affect decomposition. They develop a poster...

Time to rock out! Discover the "life" cycle of the average rock using an illustrative stations lab and stimulating pairs game. Roll the dice to determine your fate: will it be melting in magma or chilling out to form igneous rock? The...

Students see that ecosystems provide services to people that are essential to life as we know it. Reporters (drops of water) could interview the trees and soil in the surrounding ecosystems for news stories on how they helped keep the...

Students examine the issue of soil infertility in Senegal. In this agriculture lesson, students follow the steps to complete the provided webquest that requires them to learn about  the issue and create a 3-year plan for planting in...

Here's a fine instructional activity on renewable and non-renewable sources of energy for your 5th graders. In it, learners list a number of natural resources on the board, then try to sort the resources into appropriate categories. This...

Students determine how the various levels of minerals in the soil, as well as the pH of the soil, affect the growth of plants in these plant growth experiments.

Third graders examine what makes soil by creating a Venn Diagram.  In this Earth environment lesson, 3rd graders identify the different components that soil is made from. Students bring soil from their homes to examine and create a...

Fourth graders conduct investigations to test different types of soil from different regions of Texas. They make comparisons and identify the characteristics of the soil. The end product of the inquiry is a student report.

Atmosphere aces investigate the microclimates that exist within a larger area. They use a thermometer to record the varying temperatures and identify the microclimates on a map that they have drawn. This exercise helps them to understand...

Students view examples of different types of erosion. In this erosion activity, students discuss the different types of erosion and how erosion changes Earth. Students explore erosion and the effect it has on engineering.

Students recognize the presence of organic matter in soils from their immediate area and recognize which soil sample contains the highest concentration of organic matter.

Through inquiry, experimentation, and observation, young scientists see how an increase in rainfall under climate change can affect the water table and soil salinity underground. Young scientists build models that represent the...

Students determine how and why soil needs to be prepared for the fall and winter seasons. In this agriculture lesson plan, students determine how to use gardening tools safely. They show how to work with compost material and fertilizer...

Students discuss background information presented by the teacher and read dictionary definitions for the words "organic" and "synthetic." In this gardengin lesson, students complete a worksheet on the material. Students grow and compare...