Growing Classroom
Space Travelers
Groups of three scientists from the rocky planet Zog investigate the composition of soil so that they can take the information back to their home, create soil there, and begin to grow food.
Discovery Education
Weathering Cubes
Weathering is not necessarily a result of the weather. Scholars conduct an experiment to explore the effect of surface area and volume on the weathering process. They create their own sugar cube rocks using the same number of cubes—but...
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Weathering
Second graders explore weathering and how the water cycle plays a part in weathering. In this weathering lesson plan, 2nd graders put gravel and sugar cubes in a jar and shake, simulating weathering. Students use the scientific method to...
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Let's Take a Rock Apart!
Students examine a crushed rock and sort the minerals they find in that rock by color and other properties.
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What's Under My Feet?
Students choose one rock from a collection of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. They use multiple resources to create an informational brochure highlighting their rock. The brochures are combined into a class rock museum to be...
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Microbes in Long Island Sound
Students discover the harm and benefits of microbes. In this biology lesson, students explore water, nitrogen and carbon cycles. They investigate the factors affecting bacteria growth.
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SOIL
Second graders name the various materials that comprise soil, including weathered rock and other organic matter; and explain that soils differ in their color, texture, capacity to retain water, and ability to support the growth of many...
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The Earth Around Us: Air, Water & Soil
Second graders explore erosion and find the factors effecting erosion of hillsides. In this erosion lesson, 2nd graders experiment by creating a hillside and simulating rain. Students discuss and record their results on a worksheet.
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...
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Surface Water and Groundwater
Students examine distribution of water and minerals. In this surface and groundwater lesson, students conduct an experiment with fresh and salt water making hypothesis and drawing conclusions about minerals.
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Three Clouds Activity
Young scholars understand how clouds are formed. In this cloud lesson, students participate in three experiments to make clouds. Young scholars complete activity sheets for each experiment.
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RAINSTICKS
Students create a rainstick from recycled materials and begin learning about the "nature" of the rainforest.
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Global Warming Information at the Mount
In this online interactive science learning exercise, students answer 4 science questions with multiple choice answers regarding global warming. Students fill in the answer online to one question about temperature.
Project SMART
Rocks and Minerals: Touch the Earth
Students complete a unit of lessons on rocks and minerals. They conduct research, write e-mail questions to geologists, write daily journal entries, label maps demonstrating types of rocks/minerals found, and create a web page that...
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Let's Take a Rock Apart
Students take a crushed rock and sort the remains of the rock minerals into different categories based on the different properties. In this sorting lesson plan, students learn what makes up a rock and how to sort something into categories.
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Nebraska's Wild Weather
Students examine the weather in Nebraska. Using this information, they describe the cause and effect relationships in the environment based on these changes in weather. They write various types of poems with weather themes and share them...
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Interdisciplinary Task: Weather
Students design a chart to use to record the weather for five days. They then build an anemometer to record wind speed and discover why they are used for this purpose.
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A Rocky Situation
Second graders conduct experiments with rocks to observe weathering. They read books, examine websites and watch a video to examine how rocks break down into soil.
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Shake, Rattle and Roll
Learners compare the weathering of different-sized materials. Comparisons are made and data analyzed to reach conclusions about the process of weathering. Applications can be made for the higher grades.
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Erosion
Students examine soil erosion and what causes it. In this soil lesson students complete several experiments on soil erosion and the weathering process.
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Raindrops Keep Falling on my Art
Kids may be a little resistant to this rainy day idea, but it could produce some amazing art. They paint a watercolor picture of anything they like. When they are done, they take their paintings outside and let the rain work its magic!...
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Understanding Wind Direction And Making A Wind Vane
Students construct a wind vane while learning the functionality of its parts and the effects that wind has on the weather. They study the four directions and indicate them by looking at their wind vanes.
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Three Clouds Activity
Students explore how clouds are produced through three different age-appropriate hands-on experiments.
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Erosion
Students study various types of erosion. The purpose of these activities is to increase students awareness to the point where they can make intelligent decisions on proper land use.