Curated OER
Measure for Measure
Young mathematicians work to recognize the relationship between their scale models of the Joides research vessel and the real vessel. They calculate the relationships between various parts of the ship using fractions, ratios, and...
Curated OER
Deep Sea Drilling
Students explore ocean vessels that drill the ocean floor. In this ocean drilling lesson, students watch videos about drilling the ocean floor and discuss. Students get into groups, go outside and use string to mark off the amount of...
Ventura County Air Pollution Control District
Effects of Global Warming
Your learners have probably heard of climate change, but do they really understand what it is? Study the history, details, and future implications of global warming and the greenhouse effect with a set of activities designed for an...
Curated OER
Modeling Estuaries
Students create a model estuary. In this modeling estuaries lesson, students identify characteristics and mix water of varying densities. Students form a hypothesis, conduct an experiment, and analyze the results.
Curated OER
Glacier Presentations
Students research news articles relating to global climate change. In this earth science lesson, students create a news broadcast using the information they gathered. They present this in class and each student gives their peer...
Illustrative Mathematics
Downhill
A car traveling down a steep hill is the model for this resource. The confusion comes when the elevation, E, is given in terms of distance, d. The distance, d, is the horizontal distance from E. Therefore, the equation, E = 7500 – 250d,...
Curated OER
Building a Topographic Model
Students explore the features of a topographic map. They make paper models that portray, in three-dimensions, features represented by contour lines on a topographic map. Students demonstrate different elevations shown on a...
Curated OER
Sea Surface Temperature Trends of the Gulf Stream
Students use authentic satellite data to produce plots and graphs of sea surface temperature as they explore the seasonal changes of the Gulf Stream.
Curated OER
Greenhouse Effect- Online Interactive
In this greenhouse effect learning exercise, students learn about Earth's climate change by reading a 7 paragraph text. Students then answer 10 questions. This is an online interactive learning exercise.
Curated OER
Using and Creating a Dichotomous Key
Students assess what a dichotomous key is and how it identifies objects in a group through a process of answering yes/no-type questions about certain objects. They examine an interactive graphic key on sea turtles and then create their...
Curated OER
Topographic Connections: Earth's Surface Shapes Streams; Streams Sculpt the Earth
Middle schoolers identify physical characteristics of developing streams and infer changes in the landscape by creating a river model.
Curated OER
The Open Ocean, What is it and How Does it Change?
Students investigate the ocean environment. In this ocean lesson, students discover the physical properties of the ocean. Over two days, students work in small groups investigating ocean maps and creating water currents.
Curated OER
Sea Surface Temperature Trends of the Gulf Stream
Students explore the importance of the Gulf Stream. Using a NASA satellite images, they examine the sea surface temperature. Students collect the temperature at various locations and times. Using spreadsheet technology, they graph the...
Beyond Benign
The Big Melt: Arctic Ice Caps
Are the Arctic ice caps really melting out of existence? Junior climatologists examine the statistics of ice decline through four math-based lessons. Each activity incorporates data, climate information, and environmental impact into an...
Curated OER
Seashore Explorers
There are three separate lessons within this resource that can be used together, or that can each stand alone. In the first, five simple activities allow junior scientists to examine the amazing properties of water. In the second, they...
Curated OER
Salt Marsh in a Pan
Students create a model of a salt marsh to discover the impact of pollution and human activities on water-based habitats including bays and the ocean. They recognize the relationship between natural and developed areas. Students impact...
Curated OER
Landforms in a Tub
Fifth graders use common household items to build landforms and simulate weathering and erosion.
Curated OER
Making Sedimentary Rocks
Learners make models of sedimentary rock layers to explain how rocks form layers and represent ancient environments. Layers of sediment and fossils are added together to simulate the environment and connections to sedimentary rocks are...
Curated OER
The Fact of Global Warming
Students investigate the harmful impact of global warming by reading news articles. In this environmental care lesson plan, students analyze an article about the Kyoto Protocol and its goal of saving our environment. Students...
Curated OER
Mountains of Erosion
Students study the change in land formations due to water erosion. They work in groups to build a model of a mountain that will be composed of materials that will best withstand water erosion.
Curated OER
Did you know....?
High schoolers share their prior climate change knowledge and work in groups to extract and present key information from large colorful climate change posters. They understand the science of climate change, appreciate its impacts in...
Cornell University
Constructing and Visualizing Topographic Profiles
Militaries throughout history have used topography information to plan strategies, yet many pupils today don't understand it. Scholars use Legos and a contour gauge to understand how to construct and visualize topographic profiles. This...
Curated OER
Cradles of Civilization Information Sheet
In this early civilizations worksheet, students read 4 paragraphs about great river civilizations and then label them Nile, Tigris and Euphrates, Indus, and the Huang He River Civilizations. Student also complete a writing prompt on the...
Curated OER
Lights On ! Lights Off! Exploring Human Settlement Patterns
Third graders write informational paragraphs based on the settlement patterns of the United States. In this settlement lesson plan, 3rd graders read about population and how it affects where people settle next.