Curated OER
Dark and Beautiful Caves
Students research how caves form. They describe the major stone formations in caves by taking notes. They construct a clay model of a cave and mark each formation making it easy to identify in the legend.
Curated OER
THE TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT
Students participate in an exercise which demonstrates how sediments are deposited.
Curated OER
Three Main Rock Groups
Students are introduced to igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. They use foods to demonstrate the basic formation of each type of rock, read books about rock formation and view related videos.
Curated OER
Bhutan, the Last Shangri-La: Sandwich Squash: How the Himalayas Were Formed
Young scholars create and record a model of mountain formation. They identify major mountain building formations. Students understand how the Himalaya Mountains were formed, why they are located near Bhutan, and why they are becoming...
Curated OER
DON'T TREAD ON ME
Students explore how the habits and practices of people affect the soil and growth of plants. They are introduced to the phrase "soil compaction." Students play the Soil Particle Game in the related activities section. They go outside...
Curated OER
Factors That Shaped Indiana
Fourth graders construct a model of Indiana which displays the effects of the glacial period on the state's physical structure. Students work in groups to plan and execute their model based on an established rubric.
Curated OER
Biomes: Extreme Climate
Students create a web connecting global warming, the Arctic, and wold climate. They write a paragraph explaining the role of the Arctic in world climate.
Curated OER
Extreme Climate
Students discuss global warming, greenhouse effect, permafrost and other key words. In this climate lesson students create a web that connects global warming, the Arctic and world climate then write a paragraph explaining the role...
Curated OER
Food Webs
Students recognize interdependence in a food web by using yarn and notecards to create a food web and discussing what would happen if one of the organisms from a certain trophic level is removed.
Curated OER
Ecology: Why Are Rice Fields Suitable Habitats for Birds?
Fifth graders discover the uses for rice by reading about the habitats of certain birds. In this agriculture lesson, 5th graders research birds from the Gulf Coast and California and their reasons for living in rice fields....
Curated OER
Minimize the Effects of Fire
Students explore environmental safety by reading assigned text in class. In this fires lesson, students discuss the benefits and negative aspects of lighting a fire near a campground. Students list other ways to avoid leaving an impact...
Curated OER
Rock Families
Students study the three types of rock characteristics; igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. They are divided into three groups and each group takes one of the rock characteristics. They then act out the characteristics of their rock...
Curated OER
Layers of Time in the Earth
Students are introduced to the concept of stratification as a historical and geological process. Students will read about the Richard Beene archaeological site, which lies near San Antonio, Texas on the Medina River, and watch a short...
Curated OER
The Effects of Volcanoes
Students use the internet to research the effects of volcanoes. They create a chart showing the negative and positive aspects that a volcanoe can bring to an area. Using PowerPoint, they create a presentation showing the negative and...
Curated OER
Arkansas and Louisiana Purchase Wetlands
Learners experiment to determine the value and importance of wetlands in Arkansas. They develop an environmental appreciation for wetlands.
Curated OER
Glaciers and How They Form lands
As a whole class, the students define glacier and perform an experiment involving glaciers. The students brainstorm ideas of what a glacier is, and narrow the ideas down to a definition. The students then participate in an activity that...
Curated OER
Indiana Ice Investigations
Fourth graders create a model of the formation of Indiana by glaciers. Working in groups with appropriate materials, they create a model documenting how glaciers moved through the land and formed the geological structure and land masses...
Utah Education Network
Uen: Trb 4:3 Investigation 4 Erosion
Activities help students understand erosion.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Erosion
For this investigation, students will use sand to build a mountain and then use a straw and watering can to simulate wind erosion and water erosion. Students will make observations and then propose ways to slow the erosion and/or speed...
Peace Corps
Peace Corps: Fighting Soil Erosion
Educate students about soil erosion with this thorough lesson which focuses on the geography of Guinea.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: The Earth Is a Changin'
This lesson introduces and describes the main types of erosion (i.e., chemical, water, wind, glacier and temperature). Students learn examples of each type of erosion and discuss how erosion changes the surface of the Earth. Students...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Erosion in Our World
Students collect evidence to investigate erosion and deposition around the schoolyard.