This activity allows students to explore the growth of plants and the care required for plant survival in an indoor setting. Students will research the characteristics of plants, and gather information about soil, nutrients, temperature, light, and water in order to set up an environment that will help the plants grow the quickest. A rubric for evaluating students' performance based on their research ... Full description.

Part of the USGS Water Science for Schools site, this resource defines irrigation water use and includes several tables and maps showing water use by various irrigation systems, by state, by crop, and by percentage of fresh water available. Students and teachers can look at their state and see 1990 data for how much ground water and how much ground water and surface water is used for irrigation. Various ... Full description.

This lesson plan develops the concept of irrigation for elementary school level kids. The lesson plan provides two activities involving role playing. Using the role playing activites and labs, elementary students should acquire the critical thinking skills necessary to draw conclusions about various aspects of irrigation. Full description.

This site is a US Global Change Research Program Seminar, dated 23 November 1998. It consists of a series or reports that help students to understand how water has been used to transform desert regions into productive and livable environments. Full description.

This unit, designed to span two class periods, helps students understand that physical factors, particularly temperature and precipitation, limit the growth of plant ecosystems. The activity begins with a discussion in which students develop their own ideas about the role of temperature, precipitation, and environment on plant growth. They will then examine X-Y graphs of vegetation growth, temperature, ... Full description.

This interactive map allows users to access climate information down to the county level for states or territories of the United States. The data includes wetlands, Temperature and Precipitation Summaries (TAPS), frost free days, and growing season. It is in table or text form, with metadata, and is downloadable. Full description.

This page is part of a larger USGS project called Water Science for Schools. This section covers different water-use topics and categories of water-use. A Spanish translation is available. Full description.

K-12 students from all over the world are participating in the GLOBE program by taking environmental measurements at their schools and sharing their data via the Internet. NASA scientists use GLOBE data in their research and provide feedback to the students. The Soil Chapter of the GLOBE 2003 Teacher's Guide presents information on how to characterize soil profiles and measure soil moisture and temperature. ... Full description.

This site offers an extensive collection of links to sites about water, life, and agriculture in the American West. Some of the articles are from the 19th century, when the arid, western United States was settled. Other pieces are more current and show how indigenous peoples of North America have survived in hostile terrains. Full description.

A Texas-based task force produced this website as a public outreach and education tool about urban storm water runoff. A kids section provides games, fun facts, illustrations, and frequently asked questions. A public section offers downloadable education brochures on pesticides, fertilizers, storm water quality, and reporting illicit activity. The professional section provides handbooks and guidelines ... Full description.