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Litter Garden
Students discuss what man-made and natural materials are visible in litter. Using a sample of litter, they review the concept of decomposition between the two types of materials. They examine the two samples once and a while and record...
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Touch and Discover
Students identify the physical properties of items using the sense of touch. In this touch and discover lesson, students describe items. Students sort items using a Venn diagram.
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Organic and Inorganic Waste
Students conduct a scientific investigation about organic or inorganic waste. In this organic or inorganic waste lesson, students create a compost heap to determine the difference between inorganic and organic waste. Students record...
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Producers and Consumers
Students make lists of producers and consumers and act as consumers that eat producers in a garden. In this producers and consumers lesson plan, students demonstrate a food chain by using a piece of yarn to connect all of them together.
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Compost and Composting Experiments
Students investigate the composting process through a variety of experiments. In this ecology lesson, students discuss the benefits of composting. They examine how compost affect plant growth.
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Nature's Recycling Program
Students identify what materials make up compost. In this science of recycling lesson, students explain the benefits of composting determine how compost is a good plant fertilizer.
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Our Schoolsyard is Full of Biology
Students study the habitats found in their schoolyard. They apply firsthand, what they have learned in the classroom to something familiar to them. Students look at biotic, abiotic habitats. Small groups will present their findings to...
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De-composers - Terrarium
Students explore the environment by building a mock ecosystem. In this rainforest analysis lesson, students define many environmental and rainforest related vocabulary terms and discuss the current status of our planet's rainforests....
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Managing Nutrients in Livestock Manure
Livestock managers reinforce math and science skills while learning about the nutrients found in manure. They predict which animal produces the largest amount and which animal's manure contains the most nitrogen. Finally, they compare...
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Vocabulary: Kansas Prairies
Students explore the ecosystem by reviewing scientific vocabulary terms. In this environmental awareness lesson, students identify the differences between abiotic and biotic factors and their relationship to the Earth. Students define...
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Forensic Entomology: What the Blowfly Saw
Young scholars read a paragraph describing various insects and decomposition rates, then fill in the table indicating when the three insects arrived or left the body. They write paragraphs explaining when the person died, and how they know.
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The Principles Of Composting
Students put items in a plastic bag and watch the effects of composting. While completing the experiment, students answer questions and ask permission to start their own compost pile at home.
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Carnivorous Plants: A Bugs Nightmare!
Students research carnivorous plants and how they trap insects. They role play as botanists to write a research field guide about a newly discovered imaginary carnivorous plant.
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De"compost"ition Activity
Students investigate the decomposition process and the parameters which influence the rate at which it occurs. They design a "controlled" experiment by comparing decomposition rates between two compost piles. Analysis questions include...