It's time to roll up those sleeves and get a little dirty in the second lesson of this series on the science of food. Investigate where plants and animals get the minerals they need to live in this two-part exploration of soil. First,...

Ready to roll up those sleeves and get your hands dirty? Dirty with soil science content, that is! Overcome those "But it's just dirt" objections with a trip outside to collect soil samples for some in-class analysis. Use the...

Students find ways to decrease soil runoff for an African Village as a part of a Peace Corps project. For this soil runoff lesson, students play a soil runoff challenge online. Students complete online activities and view a slide show to...

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.

Students are introduces to soil profile classification. They remember that classification of soils is an important aspect of studying soils as it aids in predicting how soils react to weathering, transport nutrients or pollution. ...

Young scientists conduct a series of experiments to determine what type of soils produce the best results in roof-top gardens.

Organic or mineral? How does the matter matter? Second graders use their knowledge of the rock cycle to label the different components in garden soil.

Young scholars study and classify soil. In this soil science lesson, students classify soil by texture and size and study soil horizons. Young scholars label the soil types with their specific soil horizon and learn about permafrost....

Learners make predictions and analyze soil. In this soil properties instructional activity, students make predictions about soil properties for various soil samples. Learners examine the types of soils and record their observations....

Third graders observe soil samples. They then form hypotheses as to whether or not soil is alive. Students read and discuss information about soil and components of soil. They state wheter or not they believe soil is alive and list...

Young scientists roll up their sleeves and get a little dirty in this three-day earth science investigation. Following the scientific method, children monitor the growth of algae in pond water samples in order to determine...

Take your biology class' understanding of biodiversity to a whole new level! Ecology scholars use data to calculate three different diversity indices based on the organisms in the Gorongosa National Park. The four-part activity uses an...

We know that the type of soil varies by location, but does the seafloor sediment also vary, or is it all the same? Scholars compare photos of the seafloor from two different locations: the Savannah Scarp and the Charleston Bump. Through...

Students explore how the number and types of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and on abiotic factors, such as quantities of light and water, a range of temperatures, soil composition. They are...

Students are able to describe earth processes (e.g., rusting, weathering, erosion) that have affected selected physical features in students, neighborhoods. They are able to identify various earth structures (e.g., mountains, faults,...

Students discover soil characteristics and how it is formed on Earth and the Moon by examining local samples to a lunar simulant. They replicate the effects of wind erosion by scraping dry bread with sandpaper. Students use rocks and...

Students use a microcomputer connected to a light sensor and temperature probe to explore the reflection and absorption of radiation for different surfaces. Students follow instructions in this guided inquiry based lab and are then asked...

Middle schoolers are introduced to the concept of species habitats and ranges. They introduced to ArcView GIS as a tool for mapping. Pupils use query data for species withina county, elevation, range, rivers and streams, land cover, and...

Young scholars investigate the growth of yeast in a sugar solution. They verify the pressure of carbon dioxide using bromothymol blue. Students are asked to describe the difference between the contents of the test tubes used and to...

Students study how to create a compost heap. For this composting lesson, students create a compost heap. Students write an essay describing the process.

Seventy percent of the air pollution in China is due to car exhaust. Under the umbrella of environmental chemistry, learners extensively explore air pollution. From the makeup of our atmosphere to sources of major air pollutants, classes...

Everyone knows a tree makes a sound when it falls, but what do we know about dying trees? Class members learn background information about Laurel wilt disease from a teacher-led presentation. Team members work with partners to read and...

Comets are also known as dirty snowballs or icy mud balls. With your super scientists, create a model comet nucleus to discover how they are made and take part in a scientific discussion to learn how it behaves.

Sixth graders investigate the various types of pollutants found in water and ways to help prevent water pollution. Through a hands-on experiment, students create samples of polluted water by mixing water with vegetable oil, dirt,...