From Leaf to Soil

View how microbes grow in soil. Class members first create a Winogradsky column to grow bacteria. They then set up the column of mud in a plastic bottle and include a food source for the microbes and observe the column of mud over the...

It's time to roll up those sleeves and get a little dirty in the second lesson of this series on the science of food. Investigate where plants and animals get the minerals they need to live in this two-part exploration of soil. First,...

Fourth and fifth graders explore soil by taking a simulated field trip under the earth. They go to an Internet site that runs a simulation which charges them with finding a source of pollution that could destroy all of Earth's soil, and...

The structure of a leaf reveals a lot about the plant it comes from. Young scholars collect and prepare leaves for comparison. After pressing the leaves, they identify the different parts and then use the leaves to complete an art project.

Worms are the kings of the decomposers. A four-part lesson has learners experiment with the characteristics of earthworms and their sensitivities. They vary factors such as light, acidity, temperature, and touch of soil and observe the...

What type of soil holds in moisture the best? Find out with a guided-inquiry based lesson in which scholars investigate three types of soil—sand, clay, and silt—and the ability of each to retain waiter for plant growth. Learners graph...

Boost observational skills and get to know the difference between deciduous, coniferous, and evergreen trees with a lesson that challenges scholars to compare, contrast, identify, sort, and draw their findings.   

Long life or a fast life cycle? Class members each gather a leaf, observe its characteristics such as texture, surface, scent, design, shading, and size and then discuss the adaptations made for survival as well as what the leaf reveals...

As part of a study of soil and composting, fourth graders become worm farmers, build a vermiculture bin, observe, and care for their red worms.

Students explore decomposition and soil health by creating their own garden.  In this agriculture lesson plan, students build a "lasagna garden" with organic matter found in the area and plant perennials native to their region.  Students...