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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Filtration Investigation

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Scholars build a simple filtration system to remove impurities from muddy water and rate the filtered water to a grade of clarity scale. The focus is on teamwork and problem solving. This instructional activity would be effective in your...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Marvels of Mud

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Young scientists roll up their sleeves and get a little dirty in this three-day earth science investigation. Following the scientific method, children monitor the growth of algae in pond water samples in order to determine the role that...
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Investigating the Atmosphere - Air Takes Up Space

For Students 1st - 5th Standards
How do you know there is air? Can you see it, smell it, feel it? To begin the investigation, learners watch a video and discuss what they know about air and the atmosphere. Then, they participate in five different hands-on, inquiry-based...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth: Our Big Blue Marble

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students investigate Earth and its resources. In this Earth, space, and nature lesson plan, students collaborate to design presentations on the Earth, its cycles, and how humans have impacted the planet. Images, diagrams, and background...
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Lesson Plan
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Science 4 Inquiry

Journey Through the Spheres of the Earth

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Each of the Earth's spheres interacts with the other spheres in predictable ways. Young scientists explore these interactions through a hands-on activity, graphing, and watching a video. They summarize their knowledge in a video or...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

Into the Deep

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
Take young scientists into the depths of the world's ocean with the second instructional activity of this three-part earth science series. After first drawing pictures representing how they imagine the bottom of the ocean to appear,...
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Lesson Plan
PHET

The Earth as a Magnet

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Everyone loves playing with magnets and iron filings. Here, young scientists first observe and then participate in an activity demonstrating magnetic fields. After completing their observations, they apply this knowledge to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Volcanoes: Windows Into The Earth

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students investigate the concepts related to volcanoes and focus upon Mt. St. Helens. They define the difference between an active and dormant volcano. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The information is used in order...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water in the Geosphere

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Through a PowerPoint presentation and the embedded animation and video, earth science enthusiasts find out about the moisture in the soil beneath our feet. In the animation, follow a water molecule on its path through the water cycle. As...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Evaporation

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
This is one in several lessons that explore the relationship between temperature and phase changes of water. After some discussion, elementary physical scientists place wet paper toweling on a hot and a room-temperature water bag and...
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Fizzy Balloons - C02 in School

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Carbon dioxide is a very important gas; it is present in the air, used in cooking, and supports plant and animal life. Scholars investigate the properties of carbon dioxide with three different activities. They experience a color change,...
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Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Which Way is North?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Who needs a compass to find cardinal directions? Just place a stick in the ground and record the movement of its shadow over the course of a day. Then, measure the shadow lengths in order to determine a north-south line. A simple...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating the Climate System - Clouds

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Here is a fabulous lesson on the Earth's radiant energy system. This amazing, 31-page document is chock-full of great activities, worksheets, lab sheets, quizzes, rubrics, and assessments. Learners model and explain cloud formation,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Wow! What a lesson plan! Six terrific activities are described in great detail, in this 31-page document! Learners will model and explain cloud formation, sketch and identify certain cloud types, calculate and compare incoming and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth's Heavenly Treasures: Hummingbirds

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Young ornithologists watch an informative video and use the Internet to gather data about the life, size, habitat, and migration of hummingbirds. The interdisciplinary lesson includes activities that target art, science, math, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating Native Plants

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore Earth science by participating in a gardening activity. In this botany lesson, students discuss a group of non-native plants that would grow well in a school garden. Students complete a plant science graphic organizer...
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Lesson Plan
US Department of Energy

Geothermal Energy

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
With Earth Day quickly approaching, as well as many science fairs, why not challenge your class to investigate geothermal energy or other renewable energy resources? There are five driving questions explored in depth here, as well as...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth's Water

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
If the majority of our planet is covered with water, why do we need to bother conserving it? With a thorough and varied investigation into the location and types of water on the earth, learners will gain an understanding of why this...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Exploring Moisture on the Outside of a Cold Cup: For Dry Environments

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
If the area you live in is arid, or the preceding experiment in this unit didn't yield obvious results, use this one in place of it to help reveal where condensation comes from. The mini unit that this is part of a comprehensive...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Good Old Earth Materials

For Teachers K - 4th
Students investigate different types of building structures and how they are able to stand up to earthquakes. Through comparison they determine which buildings are better able to handle earthquakes than others. They create a building,...
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

How To Travel On Earth Without Getting Lost

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Have you ever wanted to travel the world? Take a virtual trip with a geography lesson that uses longitude and latitude, the position of the sun, an astronomy app, and a classroom globe.
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Exploring Moisture on the Outside of a Cold Cup

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
As a stand-alone or as part of the intended unit, this is a valid investigation of what causes condensation to occur.  By limiting the amount of air around a cold cup of water and comparing it to one out in the open, they find that the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Planet: Rising Ocean Temperatures - Rising Sea Levels

For Teachers 5th - 9th
As an anticipatory set, young environmental technicians watch a video about how ocean temperatures seem to be changing along with the global climate. They perform a laboratory demonstration with the purpose of observing what happens to...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Condensation

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
It's time to break the ice! If you are doing all of the lessons in the unit, children have already seen that increasing heat increases the rate of evaporation, but is the opposite true? Does decreasing temperature cause more condensation...