Chicago Botanic Garden
Climate and Forest Ecosystem Services
Forests, through sequestration, capture excess carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and store it, aiding in climate change. The third installment in a four-part series on how climate impacts forests explores carbon sequestration....
Curated OER
Metamorphic Rock Pancakes
Students identify the properties of a metamorphic rock. They make delicious pancakes on a hot griddle at school to simulate how metamorphic rocks are made.
Curated OER
Rocks and Soil: What is the Land Made of?
Learners identify rock classifications and rock cycles. In this rocks and soils lesson students complete experiments on rocks and how they are symbols in the Bible.
Curated OER
Water, Water Everywhere
Students study the location of Earth's water and study the water cycle using a terrarium. In this water study lesson, students study a model globe for the Earth and find Alaska. Students locate the bodies of water and study an overhead...
Curated OER
Rocks and Soils
Young scholars compare the properties of rocks and relate these properties to their use. They perform a virtual experiment to describe and group rocks on the basis of their characteristics.
Alabama Learning Exchange
The Earth Has Many Layers
Young scholars 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.
Project SMART
Rocks and Minerals: Touch the Earth
Learners 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...
Curated OER
Life cycles
Students identify and explain the parts of a flower and their role in the life cycle of flowering plants, including pollination, seed dispersal and germination using the Internet. Students will also study and discuss the key points and...
Curated OER
Exploring the Night Sky: Summer
Learners explain how moon phases occur. They describe and explain at least two common misconceptions that people have about the moon. Students explain what a star is. They explain 3 ways that the night sky has been used throughout history.
Curated OER
A Never-ending Story
Students identify three main types of rocks found in a rocks and sediments booklet. Students identify and interpret the rock cycle to use in the activity. Students identify and classify rocks into the correct rock group. Students draw...
Curated OER
Plate Tectonics: Kindergarten Lesson Plans and Activities
This unit focuses primarily on plate tectonics and plate boundaries surrounding continents. It contains pre- and post-lab sections that walk young geologists through plate movements in order to visualize what's going on inside Earth.
Curated OER
The Rain Maker
Second graders work in small groups with a cup each of several materials. Students layer the gravel, sand, and water into a resealable bag. They draw a picture of this bag in their water journal. Students place their sealed bags in a...
Curated OER
Exploring the Night Sky: Fall/Winter
Students explain how moon phases occur. They explain three ways that the night sky has been used through history. Students locate some of the constellations in the night sky. They discuss stories and myths surrounding stars.
Curated OER
Phase In, Phase Out, the Magnificent Moon
First graders discuss why the moon appears to change shape. They use flashlights and balls to simulate the sun's light shining on the moon during its different phases. They read books, paint pictures and write sentences about the moon.
Curated OER
Gallery Walk Questions about Energy and Material Cycles
Students state the physical, chemical or biological processes associated with these environments: Pelagic ocean zone, California coat Cave, Indiana Barrier island beach, North Carolina Sand dune, Dunes National Park, Colorado Wetland and...
Curated OER
How to Recycle a Rock
Third graders explore the rock cycle and explore how rocks are made, changed, destroyed and recreated. They create representations of these processes with hands-on activities.
Curated OER
Erosion And the Cycling of Rocks And Minerals
Students investigate the concept of erosion by water in a problem solving activity. In small groups, they are assigned either sand, potting soil or rocks to construct a mountain that will hold up to a sprinkler can of water dripping on...
Curated OER
Let's Take a Rock Apart
Young scholars 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...
Curated OER
The Rock Cycle
Third graders, in groups, examine soil samples with magnifying glasses. They discuss the living and non-living things they find in their soild samples.
Curated OER
Luray Caverns - Rock Formation
Fifth graders conduct research on the geological formation Luray Caverns located in Luray, Virginia in preparation for a field trip to the caverns. They conduct Internet research, and answer worksheet discussion questions.
Curated OER
Life Cycles
Learners identify and explain the parts of a flower and their role in the life cycle of flowering plants. In this online plant biology lesson, students explore the processes of pollination, seed dispersal, and germination. Extension...
Curated OER
Structure of the Earth System
Eighth graders describe the steps in the water cycle. They discuss factors that affect runoff and explain the differences between stalactites and stalagmites. They discover the importance of ground water.
Curated OER
Life Science- Learning About Tadpoles
Learners investigate a frog's life cycle. In this tadpole lesson, students observe tadpoles in an aquarium and record results. Learners fill in a KWL chart as an assessment.
Curated OER
Famous Rock Groups
Students define igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary, and use rock identification books to identify igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. Students then discuss which rocks early man would have found useful for tool creation.