Young scholars place a peat pot in water to observe and calculate the rate of capillarity in a model of a soil. This task assesses students' abilities to make simple observations, collect, record, and represent data, use a data table to...

Students design and create a compost pile in order to study the Nitrogen Cycle. They then use the scientific method to determine if plants grow better when they add organic matter from their compost pile to the plant's soil.

Ninth graders explore how to apply ecological analysis to cropping systems.  In this agro-ecosystem lesson plan students study management practices including soil and fertility. 

Learners collect rocks, identify them, classify them, investigate their properties, and more. In this rocks lesson plan, students also experiment with soil and erosion and weather.

Students experiment to define which environmental factors favor decomposition by soil microbes. They decompose carrots in dirt, weigh the carrots periodically to determine how long it takes. They look at how engineers use this type of...

Students explain how sand dunes are formed, the different circumstances that effect the movement of or formation of sand dunes, and relate the information gathered to soil conservation. In this sand dunes lesson, students use pans of...

Learners view a video that presents the biogeochemical cycle of nitrogen. They compare types of soils and consider how different fertilizers affect soil composition.

First graders grow radishes. In this Science lesson, 1st graders observe the growth of radishes in both the light and dark. Students discuss what plants need to live.

Students grow flowers in different soil mediums to determine the effect on flavor.  In this investigative lesson students study flowers, plant them and taste them to see how they differ in different potting soils. 

In this bellwork worksheet, students answer questions about chemical and mechanical weathering, particle size, and the soil profile at the start of class.

Middle schoolers examine the importance of details in evidence gathering, as well as the relationship between chemistry, physics and biology.  For this forensics lesson students divide into groups and look at fingerprints and fill...

In this science project worksheet, students view a sheet of numerous science projects including weather, animals, flowers, and more. Students choose 1 project to do out of 22 projects total.

Students read about specific instances of arsenic in history and share these stories with each other. They identify, after reading the articles and sharing, what role arsenic played, how arsenic enters the system and what its effects...

Students experience a hands-on environmental science project. They access about recycling as they collect data on their own family's trash production. Students analyze the data with worksheets, chart the data, and present their findings.

In this environmental science worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle with 26 questions about human impact on the environment.

Students discover the importance of air in soil by planting bean seeds in different soil types. They predict which type of soil is best for plants. They discuss the importance of plants to other living things.

Students study the characteristics of different soil samples. They examine how soil provides some of the basic needs for life and food.

In this soil activity, students color a picture of a snail, with the caption beneath reading, "Soil forms really slowly, so we have to look after it!"

In this food/soil worksheet, students look at pictures in rows and correctly sequence the pictures; all have to do with food production/growth. A reference web site is given for additional activities.

The relationships within and between ecosystems can be explored. after examining an area for living and non-living things students complete the same examination in the forest ecosystem. Students identify abiotic and biotic elements in an...

Discover why plants are important to our world. View plant parts and categorize them as stems or buds. Students do a cut and paste of pictures of plants into correct categories.  Students also plant a carrot top,and record...

Looking at an image of plant systems with their roots in the ground, learners determine which would be the most or least difficult to pull. They write short sentences describing which plant they chose and why. Intended for 3rd or 4th...

Pick and choose which activities to include in this crime scene investigation. Junior detectives can examine fingerprints, DNA, blood samples, or bone structure.  The plan suggests you have teams solve a mystery, but it does not...