+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Storm Clouds-- Fly over a Late Winter Storm onboard a NASA Earth Observing Satellite

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students study cloud data and weather maps to explore cloud activity.  In this cloud data lesson students locate latitude and longitude coordinates and determine cloud cover percentages. 
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sun Affects Earth

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read, write, and listen to information about the sun and its effects on the Earth.as it relates to its axis, orbit, rotate, and revolution.  In this solar system instructional activity, 3rd graders examine how the sun...
+
Interactive
Curated OER

Thunder and Lightning

For Students 6th - 9th
For this earth science worksheet, students read and study about the formation of lightning and thunder using online resources. They complete 8 short answer questions that follow.
+
Interactive
Curated OER

Volcanoes and Plate Tectonics

For Students 6th - 9th
In this earth science activity, students read and study about divergent and convergent boundaries, tectonic plates and volcanoes to complete 1 data chart 7 short answer questions.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hands on Biome-Building: Build a Forest

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore Earth science by identifying environmental factors. In this biome lesson, students discuss the importance of a functioning ecology and design a biome diorama. Students utilize images of trees and plants which represent a...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

People Change the Landscape

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine ways in which humans have brought change to the natural environment. In this ecology and literacy lesson, students listen to the book Island Boy by Barbara Cooney. Students observe and define map-reading vocabulary as...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Is the Hudson River Too Salty to Drink?

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Learners explore reasons for varied salinity in bodies of water. In this geographical inquiry lesson, students use a variety of visual and written information including maps, data tables, and graphs, to form a hypothesis as to why the...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Making Maps

For Students 4th - 6th
In this map making activity, students learn about the science of making maps, which is cartography. They then answer the 11 questions on the activity. The answers are on the last page.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Idea Mapping

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students generate, share and display ideas as a group. They break into small groups to work on hand-drawn maps made up of concentric circles. they come before the group and make a similar diagram by charting each other's characteristics.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Forests Need Fires?

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students consider how forest fires are both damaging and beneficial to forests.  For this earth science lesson, students are read the book Fire! In Yellowstone by Robert Ekey and watch "Fire Ecology" and "Two Sides of Fire" before...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hands on Biome-Building

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore Earth science by participating in an environment activity. In this biome lesson, students discuss the importance of a healthy ecology in order to sustain life, both animal and plant. Students utilize a cardboard or wood...
+
Interactive
Curated OER

Anatomy of an Earthquake

For Students 6th - 8th
In this earthquake worksheet, students read and study earthquake maps and statistics. They complete 8 short answer questions that follow.
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Hurricane Katrina's Floods

For Students 6th - 12th
In this ecology activity, students analyze and interpret flood maps of Hurricane Katrina and complete 8 short answer questions about them.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Barrels and Buckets: Access to Water - What Would It Be Like to Live in Africa?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners compare water access in the United States with that of Africa. In this water access lesson, students located Ghana and Kenya on a globe before reading Peace Corps Volunteer accounts of the difficulty of accessing clean water....
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pollution is Not a Solution

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students explore the environment by completing science worksheets in class. In this water conservation lesson, students identify ways water is used in our society and how we abuse the privilege. Students discuss methods to reduce water...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Microclimates of Our School

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners read the story "Weslandia" by Paul Fleischman, define the term microclimate, gather and record data in various places on school grounds to establish the presence of difference microclimates, analyze and compare microclimates,...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Recent Volcanoes And Earthquakes:

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students investigate the current model for the structure of the Earth. On a world map, they mark areas where they think earthquakes and volcanoes occur and compare those areas with earthquake and volcano location patterns.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Off to the Future

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students read a handout and predict the position of the San Andreas Fault far in the future. For this future world lesson, students use a map worksheet to demonstrate the path of the Pacific Plate millions of years from now.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How would an oil spill affect a Marine Sanctuary?

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore the concept of environmental stewardship. In this science lesson, students discover how scientists assess damages to the environment following oil spills. Students conduct a simulation of a public meeting in order to...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Endangered Giant Pandas

For Students 3rd - 4th
In this giant panda worksheet, students read and complete 5 pages of information and activities pertaining to the giant panda. Students study maps of the area, read fun facts about pandas, cut and paste life cycle sequencing, and read...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Science 4 Inquiry

Deforestation

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Young scientists observe deforestation from satellite photos and discuss the importance of forests to the global environment. They then simulate a plot of forest when farmers move into the area over the course of seven years. Finally,...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simulation: Yum, Yum Trees Simulation: Yum Yum Trees Conservation of Resources

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students weigh the uses of the yum yum tree against the problem of conserving them. In this conservation lesson, groups of students discuss and make suggestion to conserve the yum, yum trees. Students apply knowledge to renewable and...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Soils

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students apply knowledge of soil, environmental impacts, economics, multiple human demands, and use given data for a proposed scenario in making land use decisions. They debate land use issues and/or scenarios and discuss a case study.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sea Water Mixing and Sinking

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners investigate the role of temperature and salinity in determining seawater density. They use a Temperature-Salinity Diagram to examine the effects of mixing on density.