Learning Through Nature

Bring cohesive, NGSS-aligned middle school weather and climate instruction into your classroom with this complete Weather & Water Systems Unit from Learning Through Nature™ – Cycle A, Unit 2. This 12-lesson unit uses structured nature journaling to guide students from collecting real weather data to developing system models, analyzing climate patterns, and designing evidence-based solutions to water system challenges. Students move through a scaffolded progression of scientific practices — obser

Help middle school students explore ecosystems through observation, modeling, argument writing, and solution design with this complete NGSS-aligned ecosystems unit. Designed for grades 6–8, this nature-journaling-based science unit includes 12 structured lessons that guide students from early field observations to food webs, citizen science, CER writing, ecosystem problem definition, solution development, scientific communication, and final reflection. This unit is built for teachers who want

Give your middle school Earth science students repeated opportunities to investigate real Earth systems outdoors with this Earth Science Field Lab Bundle. This bundle includes 5 ready-to-use outdoor field labs focused on weather changes, microclimates, runoff and infiltration, erosion and surface change, and Earth materials. Each field lab is designed for realistic schoolyard science. Students do not need a special outdoor classroom, nature preserve, stream, or large field site. These investig

Give your middle school life science students repeated opportunities to investigate real ecosystems outdoors with this Life Science Field Lab Bundle. This bundle includes 5 ready-to-use outdoor field labs focused on ecosystem change, decomposition and matter cycling, invasive species, biodiversity, and limiting factors. Each field lab is designed for realistic schoolyard science. Students do not need a special outdoor classroom, forest, pond, or nature preserve. These investigations can be com

Engage your middle school students in a rigorous, NGSS-aligned engineering project grounded in real local observation. In this 5-day Water Mitigation Project, students investigate a real water issue in their school or community, analyze how surface conditions influence runoff and site instability, and propose a feasible mitigation strategy. They revise their design under defined constraints, develop a measurable monitoring plan with observable indicators, and present evidence-based conclusions.

Bring meaningful outdoor science learning into your classroom with this Nature Journaling Bundle for Grades 5-8. This bundle includes 6 mini-packs with 12 reusable outdoor observation protocols that help students observe closely, ask questions, compare patterns, illustrate scientific details, and record evidence-based thinking in their journals. Designed for 5-8 science teachers, these nature journaling routines are flexible enough to use across the school year with topics like ecosystems, st

Help students slow down, observe closely, sketch what they notice, ask questions, and reflect on the natural world with this ready-to-run nature journaling program for grades 3–12. This resource includes 8 structured nature journaling activities designed for summer programs, homeschool nature study, afterschool groups, nature clubs, outdoor classrooms, and nature-based learning settings. Each session gives you a clear routine, guided journal rounds, reflection prompts, and leader support so you

Help students organize, display, discuss, and reflect on their outdoor science work with this Science Portfolio Templates, Evidence Boards, and Gallery Walk Bundle. These digital and printable tools are designed for grades 5-8 and work well with outdoor observations, field investigations, nature journaling, data collection, student displays, unit wrap-ups, and end-of-year science showcases. Use each resource separately, or combine them into a complete student evidence and reflection system. Stud

Take your middle school life science students outside to investigate visible ecosystem change in a real schoolyard or local outdoor space. In this Ecosystem Change Field Lab, students observe evidence of disturbance, recovery, habitat conditions, nearby populations, and possible causes of change. Then they use their field evidence to construct a Claim-Evidence-Reasoning argument about how ecosystem change may affect populations. This outdoor investigation is designed for realistic schoolyard eco

Take your middle school life science students outside to investigate decomposition, decomposers, and matter cycling in a real schoolyard ecosystem. In this Decomposition & Matter Cycling Field Lab, students observe leaf litter, soil, plants, decomposer evidence, and nonliving factors, then use their field evidence to develop a model showing how matter cycles and energy flows through an ecosystem. This outdoor investigation is designed for realistic schoolyard science. Students do not need a for

Take your middle school life science students outside to investigate how a focal species may affect populations in a local ecosystem. In this Invasive Species Field Lab, students choose a focal species, collect field evidence about abundance, distribution, nearby populations, and habitat conditions, then use their observations to construct a Claim-Evidence-Reasoning argument. This outdoor investigation is designed for real schoolyard ecosystems. Students do not need to prove that a species is in

Take your students outside for a structured, end-of-year science project that turns real observations into clear scientific explanations. This outdoor ecosystem investigation guides students through collecting evidence, analyzing patterns, and presenting their findings—without requiring extensive prep or materials. This Outdoor End of Year Science Project provides a complete, low-prep structure for engaging students in meaningful scientific work during the final weeks of school. Instead of fille

Help students turn outdoor observations, sketches, photos, and field data into clear, organized science evidence boards. This resource gives students editable digital templates and printable display materials for building evidence-based science displays after outdoor observations, nature journaling, field investigations, or end-of-unit science work. Students can use the templates to organize claims, data, visuals, reasoning, patterns, comparisons, questions, findings, and conclusions. The boards

Help students organize, reflect on, and showcase their science learning with these printable and digital science portfolio templates.This flexible portfolio resource gives students a structured way to choose science work, add evidence, identify the science thinking shown, and explain why each piece matters. Use it for outdoor science work, nature journals, labs, investigations, unit reviews, student-led conferences, growth portfolios, or end-of-year reflection. Students do more than collect assi

Bring earth science outdoors with a structured, NGSS-aligned field lab that helps students investigate how water and gravity move Earth materials. This middle school science resource gives students the opportunity to observe changes in a real outdoor setting, analyze evidence, and develop a model to explain erosion, deposition, and materials in motion. Designed for teachers who want meaningful outdoor learning without creating every part from scratch, this field investigation combines hands-on s

Bring structured, NGSS-aligned field science into your middle school classroom with this Biodiversity Quadrat Field Lab from the Learning Through Nature™ Field Investigation Series. In this outdoor investigation, students use a quadrat sampling method to measure biodiversity within a defined area of a local ecosystem. Students record species presence and abundance, calculate species richness, analyze patterns in organism distribution, and construct an evidence-based explanation aligned to NGSS M

Help middle school students collect real weather data and use it as evidence of changing weather conditions with this NGSS-aligned outdoor Earth science field lab. In this multi-day investigation, students return to the same outdoor location, record air temperature and other weather observations, analyze patterns across days, and write an evidence-based explanation using their collected data. This resource is designed as a ready-to-teach outdoor field investigation for middle school Earth scienc

Help middle school students investigate real outdoor microclimates with this NGSS-aligned Earth science field lab. In this outdoor investigation, students compare air temperature, sun and shade, surface conditions, and site features across multiple locations, then analyze patterns, build a site-based model, and write an evidence-based explanation of local microclimate differences. This resource is designed as a ready-to-teach outdoor field investigation for middle school Earth science and NGSS M

This 60–90 minute outdoor field investigation helps middle school students analyze how resource availability may influence organism abundance using real, student-generated data. Students conduct a line transect across a vegetation gradient, estimate percent vegetation cover (0–100%), and complete a 1-minute timed macroinvertebrate count (observe only—no touching or collecting). Students then create a scatterplot, identify the overall relationship (positive/negative/no clear pattern), and constru

Take science outside with a high-rigor, teacher-friendly field lab on erosion and surface change. In one class period, students investigate a real erosion or deposition feature on campus, collect 3-point measurements (A→B→C), document the site with simple sketches, and write an evidence-based explanation for how geoscience processes change Earth’s surface over time. This lab is built for real schoolyard conditions—data will vary, but expectations stay clear and grading stays fast. Best for: m