Curated OER
Soil Treasure Hunt
Students explore the concept of soil and decomposition. In this soil and decomposition instructional activity, students investigate bags of soil. Students then learn how animals and other organisms help in the decomposition process.
Curated OER
Rocks
Learners use their five senses to experience different types of rocks. In groups, they compare and contrast the information they collected. They observe rocks in their local community and describe their uses to the class.
Curated OER
Extracting Oxygen from Moon Rocks
In this extracting oxygen from moon rocks worksheet, high schoolers read about the need for oxygen for lunar colonists. Students solve 2 problems about the lunar mineral ilmenite which contains oxygen and other elements. They find the...
Virginia Department of Education
Permeability and Porosity
Covering both permeability and porosity, scholars perform a hands-on experiment testing various soil types. The material includes a pre-lesson worksheet to help focus pupils on the task at hand.
Skyscraper Museum
Building a Skyscraper
The construction of skyscrapers is no simple undertaking, involving the careful coordination and planning of many different people. The third lesson in this series explores this detailed process by first teaching children about the main...
Curated OER
SCRUMPTIOUS SOIL
Students engage in investigations that lead to the discovery that earth materials consist of rocks, soils, water, and air. They build models of soil profiles, using breakfast cereal and other edible materials. They observe how water...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
American Indians and their Environment
People could take a page in ingenuity and survival from the Powhatans. Deer skins became clothes, and the members of the Native American group farmed the rich Virginia soil and hunted in its forests for food. Using images of artifacts...
Biology Junction
Changes in Ecosystems: Ecological Succession
Can an area with no soil turn into a forest? Scholars learn about the process of ecological succession using an interesting presentation. It covers both primary and secondary succession in the building of new ecosystems.
Curated OER
Look Out, Below!
Students study the four layers of soil while identifying the substances that each level is composed up. They investigate the properties of soil such as color, texture, water retention and the ability to maintain life by growing a plant.
Curated OER
Landforms of Illinois
Fifth and sixth graders are introduced to the primary landforms of Illinois and discover how they were created. Landform cards are made for each pupil. They use the twenty-questions format until they have identified each one. Then,...
Curated OER
Can the Radon Problem Be Fixed?
Students devise the solutions to the radon problem. They consider how radon enters homes and the air flow patterns within them while focusing on the fact that the ultimate source of radon is the rocks and soils under the house. They...
National Park Service
Living & Non-Living Interactions
What better way to learn about ecosystems than by getting outside and observing them first hand? Accompanying a field trip to a local park or outdoor space, this series of collaborative activities engages children in learning about the...
Curated OER
Seismic Waves
In this seismic waves worksheet, student will read information about the different types of waves that occur during an earthquake: P (Primary) waves, S (Secondary) waves, and shear waves. Then middle schoolers will complete 2 short...
Alabama Learning Exchange
The Earth Has Many Layers
Students conduct an experiment. In this Earth's layers lesson, students learn about soil, sand and rock. They complete their own Jell-O Mountain and investigate the Earth's layers on-line.
Curated OER
Landforms of Illinois
Young scholars discover the primary landforms of Illinois. They examine how those landforms were formed as well. In groups, they research one of the landforms from their vocabulary list. They create their landform in a shoebox and...
Curated OER
I Got a Lava Livin' to Do in Pompeii
Scholars imagine themselves as citizens of Pompeii in 79 AD. First they are assigned a job (or place in society like a child or slave). Then they record their daily activities for the weeks leading up to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in...
BBC
Ourselves
Young biologists identify parts of the body, sort humans from other animals, and list the difference they see. Learners are split up into groups of three, and each group must find pictures in magazines of humans and other animals. They...
Curated OER
Mighty Earth Movers
Note that although the publisher lists almost all of the Common Core standards for both math and language arts, you will most likely want to take the general topic and choose which area to focus on. Regarding math, pupils measure worms...
Virginia Department of Education
The Hydrologic Cycle
There is the same amount of water on earth now as there was when it was formed. The water from your faucet could contain molecules that dinosaurs drank! Young scientists build their own hydrologic cycle model and observe it for five...
Curated OER
Visualizing Succession
Ecosystem change is easier to understand when you use hands-on activities.
Curated OER
Can The Radon Problem Be Fixed?
Students develop their own solutions to the problem of radon. They share their solutions with the class and if possible carried out. They identify the health issues related to radon.
Curated OER
Museum Adventure WebQuest
Students discover the background and properties of minerals. They examine fluorite and record data after testing it. They use the internet to help them discover information about minerals.
Curated OER
Carnivorous Plants
Students examine how carnivorous plants get their nutrients from animals. In this food web lesson students examine how the plants attract their prey and are given many onilne sources to research.
Curated OER
Habitat Unit - Day 2
Students explore abiotic factors that affect habitats. After a class lecture, students work in groups to answer questions about plant tissue, production and growth. They share answers, complete a crossword puzzle, and create a habitat...