Students study the basic elements of the Earth's crust: rocks, soils and minerals. They categorize rocks, soils and minerals and how they are literally the foundation for our civilization. They also explore how engineers use rock soils...

Here is a comprehensive and well-written lesson plan that results in learners building a standard wind turbine. Once built, teens can design a variety of experiments to test different factors. This activity is a noble undertaking that...

Collaborative earth science groups create a working model of a watershed. Once it has been developed, you come along and introduce a change in land use, impacting the quality of water throughout their watershed. Model making is an...

Fifth graders are presented with three rocks and a variety of tools and are asked to investigate the properties of the rocks to see which rock is best for building tables and benches for a museum picnic area.

Students plan an itinerary for an educational trip to Rome. In this research skills lesson, students use Google Earth to conduct research for their project in their travel teams. Students also set up blogs to share their progress through...

Students explore decomposition and soil health by creating their own garden.  In this agriculture lesson, students build a "lasagna garden" with organic matter found in the area and plant perennials native to their region....

Add visual representation to teaching place value with a magnitude model. Using adding machine tape, pupils build a linear place value strip from 1 to 100.

Students fill out a worksheet after researching green buildings by taking a virtual tour. In this green buildings lesson plan, students use Google Earth to research green buildings.

Earth is a complex structure. Learners explore their home, the earth, using a fun hands-on activity. They create tactile models of the earth using ordinary household materials that represent some common features: land, polar caps,...

Students investigate different types of building structures and how they are able to stand up to earthquakes. Through comparison they determine which buildings are better able to handle earthquakes than others. They create a building,...

Japan is one of only a handful of countries that constructs buildings that are almost earthquake proof. The 13th instructional activity in the 20-part series challenges scholars to build structures to test against earthquakes. With...

Students investigate how rocks are modified into construction materials. In this building up and breaking down lesson plan, students explore what happens to building materials over time and how people modify natural materials. Students...

Students analyze Earth science by answering environmental study questions. In this Earth Day instructional activity, students read the book The Lorax and identify the themes within it. Students define several recycling vocabulary terms...

Fourth graders observe and identify the effects of geological activities and weathering on Earth's surface. They also take a look at reports of events such as storms, earthquakes, floods, and volcanoes. There is a hefty hands-on activity...

How is the Earth's weather created? Middle schoolers will explain how the Sun's energy is transformed into different forms. They will perform mathematical calculations of volume, mass, and temperature. They they will explain the...

Students investigate the Earth's crust. In this geology lesson, students identify the materials made up of the Earth's crust and investigate the different kinds of soil.

Students observe and analyze weathering. In this earth science lesson, students demonstrate physical and chemical weathering in two experiments, then write questions for a class Jeopardy game.

The sun sends the earth 35,000 times the amount of energy required by all of us on the entire planet, every day. The fourth lesson in the 10-part series looks at how light energy from the sun transfers into thermal energy. Scholars build...

Students explore their school building and examine the rocks it is made of. They discover how rocks become building materials and participate in a variety of activities surrounding this subject.

Scholars become experts on the moon, its phases, and craters with a series of lessons, activities, and extension opportunities. Learners' expert level of knowledge includes moon facts, how moon craters are created, the ability to...

What better way to understand how an object works than to make one! Learners take what they learned in the previous lessons and construct their own compasses. Using a needle, water, and styrofoam, they build and test compasses and verify...

Help your class improve the energy efficiency of their homes with the draft-o-meter. Simply tape a sheet of plastic wrap to a pencil and use it to observe any air leaking through windows, doorways, and other locations around the house....

Clever! Earth science learners construct a model of a planet containing a magnetic core. The planet, Terrabagga, is made out of a paper grocery bag, magnets, a dead D battery, and rubber bands. Pictures of each step of the construction...

Why do shadows look different in the summer than in the winter? What causes day and night? How can a sundial be used to tell time? Answer these questions and more through two engaging lessons about light and shadows. Fourth and fifth...