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Soak It Up
Students examine the various materials that make up their local soils.  In groups, they record how each material is different and use cheesecloth to filter them into a bottle based on particle size.  They use the soils to determine if...
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Investigation 4 - Dinosaurs Tracks
Fourth graders make inferences and interpretations from sets of dinosaur tracks. They describe Utah fossils and how they were formed. Partners trade their sketches of tracks and try to guess which dinosaur it belonged to.
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Dirty Pictures
Students investigate how food, clothing and shelter come from soil after they examine soil from their own backyards. They map soils on the color wheel before making glue and soil pictures and tie-dying T-shirts in red soil.
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Soil Research
Third graders work together in groups to discover the importance of soils. Using a worksheet, they answer questions as they surf the internet. They observe three different types of soils and record their observations and use the internet...
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WALK, DON'T RUN
1. Bring two quarts of moist soil, a cake pan, a sprinkling can of water and a quart of grass clippings to class.
2. Share background material, and introduce the word "erosion."
3. Prepare a small model hill by mounding the soil in the...
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Coal Formation
Students create a condition in an aquarium which allows the formation of coal.  Students observe changes in decomposition and color of materials present in aquarium before a coal layer appears.  Plant "fossil" imprints will be left behind.
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HOLD ON TO THAT
Students will analyze how water enters different soils, how readily it passes through and how much water is held.1. Materials needed for the activity are; pint of clay, pint of sand, pint of loam, newspaper,
three frozen fruit juice...
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Soil Analysis
Students examine zip lock bags of clay, silt, and sand to determine its origin. They rotate through stations to compare different soils and perform oil separation and Tullgren funnel tests.
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Herb is the Word
Students conduct an experiment to determine how different soils affect plant growth over a six-week period. After determining the physical properties of different types of soil, students plant various types of seeds into the soil...
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Sedimentation
Students are introduced to the various types of sedimentation.  In groups, they define the term and research what causes it to happen.  They compare and contrast the different types of sedimentation and research how it occurs off of Cape...
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Hudson Canyon Expedition Let's Bet on Sediments!
Learners investigate and analyze the patterns of sedimentation in the Hudson Canyon students observe how heavier particles sink faster than finer particles. They study that submarine landslides (trench slope failure) are
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Creating Journals
Students take a virtual tour of Yosemite and selects photographs to use in their journal.
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The Formation of Soil
Students identify the different components that make up soil. In this earth science lesson, students create a pamphlet for next year's class. They analyze how erosion and weathering shape the Earth.
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Soil Factors
Eighth graders study the nine soil factors to use in field study and to complete an exam. They learn the components and characteristics of soil.
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What's Happening Below The Surface?
Students determine the soil composition of soil layers in their area.  They collect soil samples, calculate the percentage soil water content, analyze data, and evaluate each site for future tree growth.
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Katrina Case Study: Watershed
Pupils explore the importance of the coastal wetlands. In this environmental lesson, students observe a model of wetland transformation over time. They discuss what changes occur in the wetlands and how hurricanes can affect the balance...
American Museum of Natural History
Layer of Time
Dig through the layers for a better understanding of fossils. Scholars learn that fossils form in layers of sedimentary rock. Pupils arrange virtual layers to show the fossil record of different species. Once the layers are correct, they...
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A World of Soils
In this word search worksheet, students read several paragraphs about the types of soil. Students then use the bold words to complete the word search puzzle.
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Worm Family Needs A New Home
Students examine different types of soil. In this soil lesson, students research different types of soil. Students create a podcast about a worm family looking for a new home using storyboarding or graphic organizers.
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THE TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT
Students participate in an exercise which demonstrates how sediments are deposited.
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Word Grid
In this soil worksheet, students find words that represent soil words in a word search. Students search for 9 words in this word search.
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Create a Soil Aggregate
Students simulate the conditions which occur in a soil aggregate. They explain how IPM affects the environment. They identify the cast of characteristics to develop their aggregate.
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Questions About Rivers
Students investigate rivers. In this geography instructional activity, students work in cooperative groups to read about rivers from articles they have collected. Students form questions using Bloom's Taxonomy as a guide.
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Dishing the Dirt Part 2
Students explore the differences between specific soil characteristics.  They participate in an experiment in which they discover soil texture.  They write their observations in a journal.