Lesson Plans & Resources for Educators

The Ocean County Soil Conservation District has compiled a list of resources for teachers, including lesson plans and project ideas focused on soil, water, native plants and other natural resources, as well as schoolyard gardening and healthy community landscapes.

Scroll down the page to explore a variety of lessons and resources pertaining to our five main topics below. To see a list of outreach programs offered by OCSCD’s Education & Outreach Specialist, visit our Classroom Programs page.

Curriculum Guides for Educators

• Discovering Barnegat Bay is an interdisciplinary guide for the historical, cultural and natural resources of the Barnegat Bay watershed
• New Jersey Pinelands Commission On-line Curriculum Project offers lesson plans for Grades 4-6 and Grades 7-8 featuring soil, water, fire, people, plants and animals of the Pinelands
• Schoolyard Biodiversity Investigation Educator Guide is a project of the Association of the Fish & Wildlife Agencies’ North American Conservation Education Strategy, developed by the Pacific Education Institute. Lessons can be adapted to local schoolyards.
• more links coming soon!

Soil Lesson Plans

• OCSCD’s compilation of Soil Science Lessons and Activities addresses soil texture, NPK macronutrients, and soil pH.
• Soil Science Society of America offers information about Soil Basics.
• Soil Science Society of America, Dig Deeper, Soil Experiments and Hands-On Projects
• Nutrients for Life Foundation, From the Ground Up – The Science of Soil activities for families and lesson plans for teachers.
• The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Dig It! The Secrets of Soil exhibition and online suite of lessons, resources and information.
• The Nature Conservancy explains How Dirt Works (Grades 3-8). Students learn about the value of soil as a natural resource.
• NRCS Celebrates the International Year of Soils. The 68^th General Assembly of the United Nations declared 2015 the International Year of Soils as a way to increase understanding of the importance of soil for food security and essential ecosystem functions. Follow the links on the website for soil lesson plans and activities for Educators.
• The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) celebrated the 2015 International Year of Soils. Educational materials including lesson plans, activities, and information is offered to support IYS.
• USDA-NRCS Soil Texture Pyramid and Texture Calculator
• USDA-NRCS Soil Texture Ribbon Test 
• New Jersey Ag Society – Teacher Toolbox
• The Magical World of Soil Biodiversity. A compilation of children’s stories about soil, compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
• more links coming soon!

Lesson Plans about Natural Resources: Water, Forests, Pollinators, Birds, Wildlife

• Monarch Watch shows you how to create a Monarch Waystation at school or rear Monarch butterflies in the classroom.
• USDA Forest Service Celebrating Wildflowers shares puzzles, coloring pages, and activities for kids.
• USDA Forest Service Celebrating Wildflowers offers resources for teachers about wildflowers and pollinators
• Utilizing Benthic Macroinvertebrates in the Classroom to Estimate Stream Health is a compilation of lesson plans and resources that focus on data collection using macroinvertebrates.
• Project Learning Tree – Teaching with iTree offers myriad lessons and activities focused on trees, supported by the Next Generation Science Standards
• Wild Ones offers nature-based games and puzzles for kids
• more links coming soon!

Student Projects and Research Ideas

• Science Buddies, Experiment with Soil Science Projects
• Project Budburst is a National Science Foundation citizen science phrenology program for students. Project Budburst participants make careful observations of the timing of leafing, flowering, and fruiting phases of plants throughout the year and submit their data, which is used by scientists to learn more about how plant species respond to changes in climate locally, regionally and nationally.
• Monarch Watch Research Projects for students (scroll down their page).
• National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Pollinator Field Day Curriculum Guide
• SciStarter is a website that highlights a collection of science projects and ideas – join a project or start your own!
• more links coming soon!

Schoolyard Gardening and Outdoor Classroom Resources

• Jersey-Friendly Yards School Certification Program. Take positive steps towards a healthy Schoolyard!
  Plan, design, and plant a Jersey-Friendly garden project with your students and the entire school community.
• Wild Ones is a non-profit organization that promotes native plants and natural landscaping. They provide information about how to create a natural area in your school yard.
• Gardening with Youth, Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
• Guidelines and Features for Outdoor Classrooms – a guide to implementing an Outdoor Classroom or Learning Space, Indiana Department of natural Resources
• more links coming soon!