Learners evaluate the relationship between rainfall and runoff of a small island for one year. In this rainfall vs. runoff lesson plan, students analyze the relationship between the rainfall and the runoff on Barro Colorado Island over a...

Students work on the multimedia presentation for this session and for future sessions. They plan new products that can be made with the content used for the multimedia presentation.

Students prepare for a field trip. They navigate through a Underground Network site. This "field trip" can be conducted in a patch of healthy grass or soil anywhere you can find it: right outside your building, in a backyard or at a...

Middle schoolers explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students read Seedfolks and discuss the characters in the story and consider their actions that led to a community garden. Middle schoolers journal...

Introduce the topic of water conservation with a little drama. Dressed as snowflakes, hail stones, or rain drops class members dramatize the events in a narration of the water cycle. The series of lessons that follow focus on...

Students discover that composting helps reduce landfill waste and is good for the soil. They explore the techniques of composting through a variety of media, art activities and hands-on experience.

Fifth graders explore erosion and the different types of sediment.  In this erosion patterns lesson students complete an activity and divide into groups and conduct an experiment. 

students identify questions about trees and plants to include their importance, parts, and systems. They list the things they know, want to know, and how they are going to study it.

Students study ecology, listen to speakers and research conservation topics.  In this investigative lesson students discuss wilderness resources, learn about Native Americans and participate in activities that help them to better...

Put on those forest ranger hats for an engaging and informative lesson. Eager scientists study the makeup of a local forest ecosystem and then write a forest management plan. They consider many parameters including identification of both...

Students experiment to determine the positive and negative impacts of human activities on environmental change. They examine how physical and biological processes such as decomposition affect soil characteristics while looking at the pH...

Students identify consumers and producers in different communities. Students collect a variety of soil samples and record organisms found in the samples.

Fourth graders make predictions, observe, collect and record data. They investigate several soil and worm websites. Finally, 4th graders write a letter to The President which defends earthworms by explaining their value to the United...

Students explore the importance of natural resources. They are given copies of the story, "Who Cares For The Land," and students follow along as the teacher reads it. Students identify the key points in the story. (Soil, water and air...

Students problem solve to understand the value of the Earth's soil. In this value of dirt instructional activity, students understand how much of Earth is made of dirt and how important to our survival it is.

Students plan and construct a "mini-lab" to measure the reflectivity of different earth surfaces. They measure reflectivity of materials, including ice, soil, rocks, etc., and then extrapolate from what they have learned to consider the...

Students study the Temperate Grasslands biome of North America. They explain that it is an endangered ecosystem because the rich soils have been converted to farming in most areas. They view videos imbedded in this plan, then complete...

History comes alive for students as they develop an immigrant persona and "become" immigrants who make the journey from Europe to the United States. Once on American soil, they experience the immigration process as they participate in a...

Students collect samples of pond water, dried grass, and soil in a jar. They predict the order of ecological succession in their pond water cultures. They compare their expected results with their observed results.

The "Engage" section of a wetlands lesson plan asks young ecologists to examine a wetlands poster. You can easily find one online and display it using a projector. Pupils immerse a piece of sandstone and a piece of granite in water to...

Students make a contingency plan in case of unexpected events such as bad weather. They discuss safety and appropriate conduct.They map out a schedule to ensure that sufficient time is allotted for all activities.

Students observe and classify the permeability of a variety of materials.

Students describe the movement of water within the water cycle and identify the states of water as it moves through the water cycle.

First graders compare and contrast different seeds before planting them. They assess the basic needs to plants and conduct experiments of deprivation of those needs. They write stories and draw pictures of plants which are bound into a...