Curated OER
Nutrient Cycling
AP environmental science or college-level ecology classes will glean a tremendous amount of information on nutrient cycles from this detailed PowerPoint. It covers nutrient requirements, biogeochemcial cycles, decomposition rates, and...
Curated OER
Researching the Nutrient Cycle
In this researching the nutrient cycle activity, students read about the cycle of nutrients, look at the diagram, then answer two questions by doing research on this topic.
Curated OER
Case Study of Local Trends in the Carbon Cycle
Students examine the relationship between chlorophyll and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In this investigative lesson students study the local effects of climate change.
Alabama Wildlife Federation
Forest Floor Investigation
Most living things go unnoticed. Change that using a fun activity about the nutrient cycle. Pupils use hula hoops to mark areas of study and then make observations about the living things they see. They first make surface observations,...
Curated OER
Energy Flow Through Ecosystems
Middle or high school environmental studies classes will learn much from this presentation on energy in ecosystems. It covers the foundational topics of trophic levels, food webs, and nutrient cycles using informational text and...
Curated OER
The Marvels of Mud
Young scientists roll up their sleeves and get a little dirty in this three-day earth science investigation. Following the scientific method, children monitor the growth of algae in pond water samples in order to determine...
Teach Engineering
Life Cycles
Breathe some life into product design. Pupils learn about the stages of product creation, use, and disposal—sometimes called a cradle-to-grave assessment. They see how this cycle relates to the life cycle of organisms.
K5 Learning
The Life Cycle
Studying plant, animal, or insect life cycles? Pair a science unit with a reading comprehension worksheet on life cycles. The passage touches briefly on butterfly, plant, frog, and dog life cycles before prompting readers to answer six...
Curated OER
Runoff with Chunky the Chicken
Young scholars 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...
Curated OER
Let's Make a Compost Cake
Students create a compost cake. In this gardening and decomposition science lesson, students review and describe the "nutrient cycle." Students create a compost pile, measure and record the dimensions and temperature of the pile, and...
NOAA
The Dead Zone
The fifth installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program defines dead zones and how they form. Pupils then examine data from the Gulf of Mexico to determine dead zone formation.
University of Florida
Protecting Our Water Resources
Teach young environmentalists to protect their planet's resources with a set of interactive experiments. Kindergartners and other youngsters learn about watersheds and the water cycle, while older elementary learners focus on fertilizer...
Curated OER
How Trees Contribute to the Water Cycle
In this water cycle instructional activity, 3rd graders conduct an experiment where they observe and calculate how water transpires in different types of trees. Students engage in a class discussion and use Venn Diagrams to compare...
National Park Service
The Secret of Life
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...
NOAA
I Can't Breathe!
The Gulf of Mexico dead zone, an area of low oxygen that kills marine life, costs the United States $82 million every year. Young scientists research anoxic ocean environments then come up with a hypothesis for the cause of the Gulf of...
Curated OER
Soil Acidity and Leaching
Students are introduced to the concept of acids and bases and arouse curiosity about acids and bases in daily life. They are introduced to the measurement of soil pH. Pupils are introduced to the effect of soil pH on nutrient cycling...
Curated OER
Traveling Nitrogen
Students act out the cycling of nitrogen through the environment. In this nutrient cycle lesson, students role play as nitrogen atoms traveling through the nitrogen cycle. They travel to stations and roll dice to determine the...
Curated OER
Agriculture is a Cycle
Students explore cycles in nature. In this cross curriculum agriculture lesson, students define "cycle" and research weather and planting folklore. Students make a bracelet in which individual colored beads represent the many "cycles" of...
Curated OER
Chemistry And The Nitrogen Cycle
Students investigate the factors that compose the nitrogen cycle. The harmful effects of acid rain and ozone depletion are also discussed in the lesson. Students define the nutrient that is often limiting to plant growth through...
Curated OER
Cellular Transport and the Cell Cycle
With a multitude of questions, this worksheet offers students the opportunity to review their knowledge about the cell cycle. Question types include true/false, word bank, and completing a table about the differences between interphase...
Curated OER
The Nutrient Cycles
Students investigate the circle of sea life by creating nitrogen compound models. In this oceanography instructional activity, students discuss sea creatures and where their waste goes. Students identify nitrogen cycles in...
Nuffield Foundation
Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria in Root Nodules of Leguminous Plants
Fixin' to add a great resource to your plans? Scholars perform an experiment to investigate nitrogen-fixing bacteria from plant roots. Along the way, they learn about the concepts of symbiosis and mutualism.
Captain Planet Foundation
Square Foot Fall Garden
First graders learn the basic needs of plants and identify geometric shapes while planting a fall garden. Combining math and science in one lesson, the resource guides kids through starting their class garden as they...
Science Matters
Matter Cycles — Sum It Up
Scholars become part of the cycle of matter with a reader's theater that showcases producers, consumers, decomposers, and the sun. A diagram and discussion concludes the learning experience and enhances comprehension.