Curated OER
How Much is Dirt Worth?
Dirt is worthless, isn't it? Find out the true value of dirt, and by dirt I mean soil. The class explores what makes soil, the types of soil, and what happens when soil becomes void of its nutrients. There are several great activities,...
Marine Institute
Water Pollution
Sixth graders investigate the various types of pollutants found in water and ways to help prevent water pollution. Through a hands-on experiment, students create samples of polluted water by mixing water with vegetable oil, dirt, and...
Curated OER
Soil Scrolls
Third graders examine soil samples and explore the what happens in each layer of the subsoil. They work in cooperative groups to create a scroll that shows what takes place in each layer, and discuss why much of the activity is in the...
Curated OER
Soil Stories
Tenth graders collect and analyze soil samples and extrapolate the characteristics needed to support different types of plant life. They research different types of prairie soil and how it supports plant and animal life.
Curated OER
Getting to Know Soil
Students make predictions and analyze soil. In this soil properties instructional activity, students make predictions about soil properties for various soil samples. Students examine the types of soils and record their observations....
Curated OER
Earth Rocks!
Students study the basic elements of the Earth's crust: rocks, soils and minerals. They categorize rocks, soils and minerals and how they are literally the foundation for our civilization. They also explore how engineers use rock soils...
Curated OER
Science Unit Lesson Five
Sixth graders review how and which plants operate in terrariums. In groups, they follow instructions to make their own terrarium and place different types of plants in it. To end the lesson, they review the steps in the water cycle and...
American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture
My Miniature Greenhouse!
Here is an activity that will peak your super scientists' interest and knowledge of greenhouse gardening. Green thumbs flourish when they build, prepare, take care of, and observe their seedlings inside a miniature greenhouse. With...
Curated OER
Rock On! Featuring the Igneous, Sedimentary and Metamorphic Trio!
Get your classroom rocking with this four-lesson earth science unit. Through a series of shared reading activities and hands-on investigations, young geologists learn about the three types of rocks and the unique properties of each.
National Park Service
Glaciers and Water
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 observe first-hand...
George Watts Montessori
Upper Elementary Lessons for Classroom and Garden
Plant knowledge by doing to create long-lasting results. Creating a school garden gives young scholars the opportunity to study several science topics. By working through the unit of 16 lessons, pupils use their gardens to complete...
Curated OER
Soil, Designer Soil: From Rainforests to the Prairie
Students explore the role and importance of soil in the ecosystem. In this Science and Social Studies lesson, students complete an experiment using various kinds of soil and clay and then examine how soil has a direct impact on our...
Curated OER
Should Soil Be Sterile?
Students determine if the sterilization of topsoil is beneficial to seed germination and plant growth. They grow plants alongside control groups, make and record observations of plant growth and measure plant biomass.
Science Matters
Crawly Composters
Get your hands dirty with an interactive instructional activity that showcases the process of decomposing and returning nutrients back into the soil. After building a compost pile, pupils regularly observe the...
University of Southern California
What Is The Ocean?
Go on a tour of the ocean through the lens of a scientist. Learners read maps of the ocean floor, study tide behavior, examine wave motion, and analyze components of soil. Each lesson incorporates a hands-on component.
Kenan Fellows
Sustainability: Learning for a Lifetime – The Importance of Water
Water is essential for life—and understanding the importance of clean drinking water is essential in understanding sustainability! Show your environmental science class the basics of water testing and treatment through a week-long...
National Wildlife Federation
Wherefore Art Thou, Albedo?
In the sixth lesson in a series of 21, scholars use NASA data to graph and interpret albedo seasonally and over the course of multiple years. This allows learners to compare albedo trends to changes in sea ice with connections to the...
Curated OER
Rocks and Soil Changes lesson plan
Learners recognize objects around their school made of rocky materials. In this changes in rocks and soil lesson, students use a website for a virtual experiment of rocks. Learners group rocks based on their properties. Students...
Curated OER
How Much Soil is There?
Students examine that all living things depend on soil to live. In this science lesson plan, students pretend that an apple is planet Earth. Students cut the apple to represent the portions of Earth with the last section representing soil.
Curated OER
Soil and Agriculture:Lesson 3 - Soil Erosion
Students reseach the different types of soil erosion and ways to control it in this series of activities.
Curated OER
Soil: Food Mapping
Students examine the concept of food mapping . In this agriculture lesson plan, students explore food and agriculture systems in the United States in the past and today. Students complete food mapping activities.
Curated OER
Compost Lesson
If you are looking for how to introduce elementary environmentalists to the process of composting, here is a comprehensive outline for making it happen. The plan is to set this up at the beginning of a school year in order to observe the...
Curated OER
Soil Detectives: The Case of the Lost Friends
Young scholars show how soil varies across the landscape, they explain how soil can be used to solve mysteries. Pupils are introduced to techniques that would be used to distinguish soils from different places.
Curated OER
Soil Testing and Texturing
Students are introduced to soil textures and why they are important in examining soil quality. They find out how to feel the difference between soil textures. Pupils describe which soil texture is best for gardens and growing healthy...