Nutrient Cycle Teacher Resources

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...

A woman had a job crushing cans at the recycling plant; it was soda pressing. Video focuses on the ways our environment recycles, including the water cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, and the phosphorus cycle. It also describes the...

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...

In this researching the nutrient cycle worksheet, students read about the cycle of nutrients, look at the diagram, then answer two questions by doing research on this topic.

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...

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.

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,...

Students investigate, through their own experimentation, the important role wildlife play in nutrient cycling. Earthworms and compost are used in this experiment and different experimental setups be evaluated.

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...

Students 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 water...

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...

We wish you a happy, healthy, and phosphorus school year! A video explains the importance of getting the nutrients that are needed and focuses on the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. It includes discussions on the importance of...

Students act out the cycling of nitrogen through the environment. In this nutrient cycle lesson plan, students role play as nitrogen atoms traveling through the nitrogen cycle. They travel to stations and roll dice to determine...

Learners investigate nutrient cycling in a simplified desktop ecosystem involving aquarium and hydro-ponically grown plants. They set up an aquarium with 10 gallons of water at least a week before the lab is planned and place...

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. 

In this nutrient cycle learning exercise, students add arrows to the diagram and label the picture with the four different stages. Students also answer questions about nutrient loss and pollution.

Students examine the relationship between chlorophyll and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.  In this investigative lesson students study the local effects of climate change. 

In this food chain worksheet, students review terms associated with food chains and food webs. Students also recall the water cycle.

Students investigate the circle of sea life by creating nitrogen compound models.  In this oceanography lesson, students discuss sea creatures and where their waste goes.  Students identify nitrogen cycles in the ocean by...

Students explore cycles in nature. In this cross curriculum agriculture instructional activity, students define "cycle" and research weather and planting folklore. Students make a bracelet in which individual colored beads represent the...

Students plant seeds, observe and tend plants. They identify major plant parts, how to germinate and troubleshoot problems with plants; and, that plants need water, light, and soil nutrients to thrive. They create a Plant Growth Data Log.