Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Watersheds, Watersheds Everywhere

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Students identify the watershed in which their school is located. They use maps to locate their homes and school. They define and use the correct vocabulary.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It Came from Outer Space! The AA Meteorite Connection

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students discover why Antarctica is the most fruitful place on earth for locating meteorites. They work in groups. Students are given a Museum or University Name for each group. They are explained that each group is allowed to comb...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Soils

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars 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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's Under There?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars determine ways to make "observations" about unknowns, such as the land beneath an ice sheet or the interior of the Earth, using tools other than sight. They build "mystery boxes" and exchange them with other groups to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Deep is the Ocean

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students predict and then analyze the layout of the tectonic plates that form the ocean's floor using mapping skills and Inquiry based problem solving, They compare the depth of various regions in the ocean with the geologic age to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Eyewitnesses to Change

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore recent changes in the Artic's climate that have been observed by Artic residents. They watch videos, take notes and create a concept map. They also look at historical weather data from a specific Artic community. The...
Lesson Plan
PHET

Soda Bottle Magnetometer

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Introduce learners to set of complete instructions that describe how to build a magnetometer that works just like the ones professional photographers use to predict auroras. The diagrams are wonderfully descriptive, and the written...
Lesson Plan
PHET

Where to See an Aurora

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Where can you see an aurora in North America? After completing an astronomy activity, scholars can locate the exact coordinates. Pupils plot points of the inner and outer ring of the auroral oval and answer questions based on...
Lesson Plan
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University of Colorado

Are All Asteroids' Surfaces the Same Age?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
There are more than 600,000 asteroids in our solar system. Pupils analyze images of two asteroids in order to determine if they are the same age. They count craters for each asteroid and compare numbers. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Are Butterflies Free?

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students use remote sensing to study monarch butterfly migration and human interaction to save the Oyamel forest (Mexico) for butterfly and human habitation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Planet: Fading Corals

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Show the six-minute video, "Changing Planet: Fading Corals," and then demonstrate how calcium carbonate forms a precipitate in the presence of carbon dioxide. Separate your scientists into small groups to gather information about coral...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seasons and Cloud Cover, Are They Related?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students use NASA satellite data to see cloud cover over Africa.  For this seasons lesson students access data and import it into Excel. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing the Relationship between Snowpack and River Flow

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students use the Internet to research current and past snowpack levels and river gauging station readings. They determine the relationship between snowpack and river flow. They predict future river flow.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Food Webs in the Barnegat Bay

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students investigate the food webs in the Barnegat Bay. In this organisms instructional activity, students use a graphic organizer to illustrate the types of consumers in the bay. Students use reference books to continue to research the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Barnegat Bay Watershed

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students design a model watershed. In this watershed lesson plan, students learn the needed parts of a watershed and how they work. Students evaluate how watersheds effect communities.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Aquifers and Groundwater

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students understand the purpose of an aquifer. In this aquifer and groundwater lesson, students build a model aquifer find its relationship to water usage. Students record observations as they build the layers of the aquifer.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Cycle

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore the water cycle. In this water cycle lesson, students examine water as a resource as they create a water cycle poster and create a water cycle model. Water cycle game instructions are included as well.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Frozen Desert: Graphing and Comparing Climates

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students explore the concept of climate. They use temperature and precipitation data from their area and other regions to construct climate graphs. These graphs are used to help identify factors that influence climate.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tornadoes

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the characteristics of a tornado. They practice using new vocabulary and participate in a question and answer session. They use the internet to gather more specific information.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Distribution of Active Volcanoes Exercise

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students collect and plot data, then interpret the results and answer questions about the geologic causes and the human effects of volcanic eruption. They participate in a role-play activity and a virtual field trip, as well.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Climate Systems - Which Location Is Best For Me?

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students study the difference between weather and climate.  In this climate systems lesson students search the Internet for the parts of the Earth's system, gather climate data and complete a challenge scenario. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Living During the Little Ice Age

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students brainstorm what living conditions during the period known as the Little Ice Age (1350-1850) might have been like. They research lifestyles, the economy, crop yields, and human and livestock mortality.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to the Barnegat Bay Estuary

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students research estuaries. In this estuaries lesson, students discuss the differences in a bay and an ocean. Students watch a PowerPoint of the properties of the estuaries and geography of Barnegat Bay. Students complete a worksheet...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jeannette

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars develop hypothesis about what might happen when salt water is frozen. In groups, they freeze ice samples with different salt concentrations. They use the internet to research the situation of the Jeannette to discover...