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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Soil Treasure Hunt

For Teachers K - 4th
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. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rocks

For Teachers 1st - 5th
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.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Extracting Oxygen from Moon Rocks

For Students 9th - 12th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Permeability and Porosity

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
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. 
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Lesson Plan
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Skyscraper Museum

Building a Skyscraper

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

SCRUMPTIOUS SOIL

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

American Indians and their Environment

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
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...
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PPT
Biology Junction

Changes in Ecosystems: Ecological Succession

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
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.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Look Out, Below!

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
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.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Landforms of Illinois

For Teachers 5th - 6th
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,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Can the Radon Problem Be Fixed?

For Teachers 4th - 5th
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...
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Lesson Plan
National Park Service

Living & Non-Living Interactions

For Teachers 2nd - 6th Standards
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...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Seismic Waves

For Students 6th - 8th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

The Earth Has Many Layers

For Teachers 4th - 5th Standards
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.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Landforms of Illinois

For Teachers 5th - 6th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Got a Lava Livin' to Do in Pompeii

For Teachers 6th
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...
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Lesson Plan
BBC

Ourselves

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mighty Earth Movers

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
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...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

The Hydrologic Cycle

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
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...
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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Visualizing Succession

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Ecosystem change is easier to understand when you use hands-on activities.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Can The Radon Problem Be Fixed?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Museum Adventure WebQuest

For Teachers 5th - 8th
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.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Carnivorous Plants

For Teachers 7th - 12th
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.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Habitat Unit - Day 2

For Teachers 8th - 11th
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...