Students collect rocks, identify them, classify them, investigate their properties, and more. In this rocks lesson plan, students also experiment with soil and erosion and weather.

First graders examine different types of rocks and minerals. They create models of the rocks and minerals they find interesting. They discuss and explain three ways in which the earth changes.

Second graders investigate the water cycle. In this water cycle lesson, 2nd graders discover how the water cycle effects erosion and weathering. Students create their own terrariums to view the water cycle. Students illustrate their...

Second graders explore erosion and find the factors effecting erosion of hillsides.   In this erosion instructional activity, 2nd graders experiment by creating a hillside and simulating rain.  Students discuss and record...

Students explore erosion. Through multi-media and hands-on activities, students identify the effects of wave erosion and hurricanes on a barrier island. Students watch a video and create a cause and effect chart of their observations. ...

Students experiment using soil and water. For this forest as a filter lesson, students identify the role of forest cover, vegetation, and foliage impacts erosion and evaporation. Students conduct a simple experiment, form a hypothesis,...

Learners explore the concept of rock formation. In this sedimentary rocks activity, students observe and record their findings about sedimentary rocks. Learners then create limestone, coal, and sandstone models and write...

Second graders conduct experiments with rocks to observe weathering. They read books, examine websites and watch a video to examine how rocks break down into soil.

Second graders discuss various ways in which landforms change over time. They, in groups, research and create a reference book about landform change including tsunamis, earthquakes, weathering, erosion and volcanic eruptions.

Students play a Jeopary-style game in this engaging PowerPoint. The scientific categories are the solar system, planet, weather, cells, and rocks. These types of interactive games are an excellent way to reinforce the important...

Students use clay to form models of the different landforms and then complete a data table using a map, atlas, or the Internet to locate famous landforms in the United States. Students complete various activities, writing down their...

First graders listen to the book The Story of Sand and make predictions about an investigation based on soil, sand, and silt. In this sand lesson, 1st graders work in groups to discuss their observations about sand and answer higher...

Third graders explore how barrier islands work. In this erosion instructional activity, 3rd graders create barrier islands in stream tables and simulate wave action to see how it affects their island.

Learners demonstrate their knowledge of rock formation processes in varied ways by sharing their cooperative research projects with the class. They generate well-framed questions in response to each presentation.

Students explore the topics of ocean water salinity, ocean life zones, marine life classification, and ocean food chains. They observe demonstrations, conduct experiments, complete quizzes and handouts, and analyze key vocabulary.

The young scholars take a harbor cruise, photograph, and draw shore line features attending to evidence of human impact/consequences, and its cost on marine/land animal habitats vegetation, weather patterns, signs of erosion, and the...

Students discover how weather conditions can give rise to severe storms and tornadoes. They study the different types of severe weather, how they can track conditions in their own neighborhood, and how to prepare for the worst.

Students investigate the factors affecting the size of a crater. In this space science activity, students collect data from the activity and graph them. They explain how velocity of impact relate to crater size.

Students define constructive forces. They describe how landforms are created as a result of constructive forces. Students recognize active volcano areas in the United States. They demonstrate an understanding of Panagea.

Fourth graders study the Grand Canyon. They research the Grand Canyon and locate the Colorado River on the map of Arizona. They discuss erosion and read how sedimentary rock was formed. They view photographs of the Grand Canyon and...

First graders discover plate tectonics. They observe the forces of erosion. They observe the forces of weathering. They state three ways the earth changes. They record observations and make conclusions about their observations.

Students identify and classify soil ypes according to data on the soil triangle. Given examples, students identify soil conservation practices, using criterion assessment instrument. When giving a case situation involving soil...

Students participate in a Web Quest activity in which they identify common exotic invasive plant species of the Southern Appalachian Region. After identifying the top 10 exotic invasive species, they choose one to research in depth.

Young students are introduced to the complex systems of the Earth through numerous lessons on its natural resources, processes, weather, climate and landforms. Key earth science topics include rocks, soils and minerals, water and natural...