Port Jefferson School District
Water and Climate
Dive into a lesson on the hydrosphere with this Powerpoint presentation. Building on prior knowledge of the water cycle, young scientists learn what happens to water after it falls as precipitation and explore the...
Curated OER
Seeping Stones
Students explore and experiment with oil traps in rocks. In this rocks lesson plan, students explore the porousness of different rocks and how the more porous a rock is, the more oil it can trap. Students also participate in a lab step...
Curated OER
Oil Search
Learners participate in a mock oil search game and attempt to find "oil" in a model oil field. They drill initially based on random guessing, but each time they drill they use prior knowledge to determine where to drill next. They must...
Curated OER
An Underground River
Seventh graders describe how water flows through the ground, what an aquifer is and what soil properties are used to predict groundwater flow. They consider the affects of pollution on groundwater supplies and write a letter drawing...
Curated OER
Soil Morphology
Students analyze images of five different soil types from various locations and discuss how climate, vegetation, parent material, topography, and time can contribute to soil characteristics.
Curated OER
Our Water Resources
Students build a model aquifer to study groundwater zones and water table formation. Students use the models to measure the movement of polluted groundwater.
Curated OER
Is Your Water Clean?
Students compare water quality of different sources. They test water samples for odor, phosphates, pH, bacteria, and dissolved solids. they fill out a data table and answer questions about their findings.
Curated OER
Understanding Groundwater & the Effects of Pollution
Students complete a unit on the effects of pollution on our water supply. They create a graph to examine the density of earth's land surface, round the population to the nearest hundred million place, participate in a...
Curated OER
What's down there?
students analyze how oil is formed and where in the Earth we find it. Students take a core sample to look for oil in a model of the Earth. They analyze their sample and make an informed decision as to whether or not they should "drill...
Curated OER
Earthquake!
Students study causes, probability and location of earthquakes. They complete a number of activities and look at web pages to examine the characteristics of earthquakes.
Curated OER
Wide Open Spaces
Students examine the problem of groundwater pollution. In groups, they develop a solution to solve the problem of a local polluted water source. They also practice measuring the space between sediment particles and the rate of water flow.
Curated OER
Water Flow Through Local Soils
Middle schoolers examine the relationship between particle size and rate of water flow through soil. They collect soil samples, make predictions, conduct a water flow experiment, analyze the data, and answer conclusion questions.
Other
Garden With Insight: Porosity
A good description of soil porosity and how it is measured. There are links to mixing soil, aerating soil, and soil settling with rain.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Porosity and Particle Size
Often, when we think of something that is solid we think about rocks. But in reality, rocks have tiny holes of air inside them. This is called porosity. In this experiment you can find out what it means to be "solid as a rock."
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Exploring Porosity
Experiment to find out which size of gravel has the most porosity by measuring volume.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Measuring Permeabilities of Soil, Sand, and Gravel
This investigation will help learners learn that different geologic materials have different characteristics.
Other
Schlumberger Excellence in Education Development: The Permeability of Soil
This resource includes an experiment to show where rainwater goes. Discover the different layers of soil and what each layer is made of.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: The Other Water Cycle
For students that have already been introduced to the water cycle, this lesson plan is intended as a logical follow-up. Students will learn about human impacts on the water cycle that create a pathway for pollutants beginning with urban...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: How Full Is Full?
During this activity, students will learn about porosity and permeability and relate these concepts to groundwater flow. Students will use simple materials to conduct a porosity experiment and use the information to understand how...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: What Trickles Down?
Permeability is the degree to which water or other liquids are able to flow through a material. Different substances such as soil, gravel, sand, and asphalt have varying levels of permeability. In this activity, students will explore...
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Soil Properties
Students investigate soil porosity by building a model using the three main soil textures: sand, silt, and clay.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: How Fast Does Water Travel Through Soils?
Students measure the permeability of different types of soils, compare results and realize the importance of size, voids and density in permeability response.
Energy4Me
Energy4me: Reservoirs and Production
The students will learn that porosity refers to the percentage of holes (pores) in the rock. Permeability is the ability of fluids to travel through porous rocks. If a well is to be successfully produced, the reservoir must have...
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Habitat Network: Pavement or Gravel
Find out how gravel and pavement can be beneficial to a backyard ecosystem.