students identify questions about trees and plants to include their importance, parts, and systems. They list the things they know, want to know, and how they are going to study it.

Fifth graders observe their plant experiments that they started in a previous lesson and examine the role of decomposers in the nitrogen cycle. Two weeks after they set up a worm terrarium, they analyze any changes they observe, and...

Students study ecology, listen to speakers and research conservation topics.  In this investigative lesson plan students discuss wilderness resources, learn about Native Americans and participate in activities that help them to...

Students explore the Earth and its ability to support life. They discuss the geosphere and the water cycle and complete the Water Wonders activity. After completing the activity, they respond in their journals and reflect upon the...

Fourth graders tie together elements about the world and their environment. Students incorporate styles of higher order thinking skills. Students measure skills of observations, conclusions, inferences and predictions.

Sixth graders experiment with different ways to test an apple for ripeness. In this apple harvesting lesson, 6th graders conduct three different experiments to test apples for ripeness and carry-out four additional activities involving...

In this water vocabulary worksheet, learners read and learn 12 words that pertain to water and the water cycle. Each word and definition is printed on a separate page in a snowflake shape.

What is a natural resource, and what resources did the Lewis and Clark expedition seek? After reading an article on the mapping of the west, learners get into small groups to discuss the important natural resources of the period. They...

Students discover decomposition. In this environmental lesson, students explore different types of decomposers and their role within the ecosystem. Students also discover how waste interferes with the decomposition process.

Groundwater is an essential natural resource, not to mention a fascinating topic to study. Here is a series of twelve amazing lessons on the water source and how we use it in our daily lives. Concepts require higher math and physics...

It may be tricky for a young mind to conceptualize that less than 1% of all water on earth is useable for humans to drink. Simulating the amount of fresh water available on earth by removing measured amounts of water from a five-gallon...

Students investigate equilibrium in erosion and deposition by predicting effects of moving water on soil; modeling an erosion simulation; observing results of a test; inferring causes and effects, and hypothesizing about erosion variables.

Third graders conduct an experiment to determine how water moves through different soils found in the Apalachicola River watershed. They read a scenario, conduct the experiment, answer follow-up questions, and draw the water movement...

Young scholars perform a series of experiments which show that plants require nutrients in certain quantities. They also cooperatively read materials on the nutrient requirements of plants, fertilizers, composting, and soil management,...

Students identify what and how to complete an Archaeological excavation is conducted. They identify the transition from one layer to the next more easily if the colors of the layers are different. When creating a dig, the teacher...

Students understand the value and harmful effects of plastics. In this plastics recycling lesson, students create a small compost bin that allows materials to return to the soil. Students explore what happens to the plastic in their...

Students investigate why the soil is important to our lives. In this natural resources instructional activity, students have a farmer as a guest speaker. Students begin to understand how farmers use and protect our natural resource....

Students discover how worms contribute to the balance of the environment. In this composting lesson, students study the composting and decomposition processes. Students then create habitats for worms that allow them to do their jobs.

Learners investigate one method used in the detection of lead in the soil. They use a Lead Check Soil Kit to safely obtain results in 30 minutes or less in levels of 400 ppm or above. In addition, they write a brief description of what...

In this worm worksheet, learners get soil wet and wait for worms to appear. Students complete the activity and then answer short answer questions about their findings.

The question is posed, is it permeable or impermeable, it's up to your critical thinkers to determine the answer. This presentation provides several scientific concepts related to permeability and the properties of matter alongside...

Glaciers may seem distant and stationary, but they are huge deposits of moving ice that have made changes to the earth's surface. Your pupils can learn about the different types of impressions left by glaciers by reading the short...

First graders listen to the book The Story of Sand and make predictions about an investigation based on soil, sand, and silt. In this sand lesson plan, 1st graders work in groups to discuss their observations about sand and answer higher...

There is the same amount of water on earth now as there was when it was formed. The water from your faucet could contain molecules that dinosaurs drank! Young scientists build their own hydrologic cycle model and observe...