Lesson Plan
Journey Through the Universe

Impact Craters: A Look at the Past

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
The Galle crater on Mars is also known as the Happy Face crater because of its appearance. First, scholars use pebbles and flour to simulate craters and study their properties. They then apply this knowledge to help decipher the history...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Surface Air Temperature Trends of the Caribbean

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students use real satellite data to determine the changes in near-surface air temperature at different times of the year over the Caribbean Sea. They discover how Earth's tilt causes seasonal differences in incoming solar energy. They...
Lesson Plan
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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 Planet Article
Curated OER

Take Your Class to the Moon

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Get your kids talking about our lunar neighbor with these hands-on lessons.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Galaxy Adventure

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Working in groups, learners create a mnemonic device, give an oral presentation, and create a pictorial representation of the correct sequence of the planets and asteroid belt from the sun. An assessment rubric is included in the lesson.
Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Carbon Cycle Poster

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Humans can have a big impact on the environment, specifically the influence they have on the carbon cycle. First, the class will define and discuss each of the earths four major spheres, the biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars study the earth in relation to the solar system.  In this planetary lesson students complete several investigations into the measurement of the earth and its magnetic field.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pangaea Puzzle

For Teachers 5th - 11th
Students explore plate tectonics and the formations of the Earth's surface and why maps are distorted.  In this Earth's surface lesson students complete a lab and answer questions. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Basics of Earth Science

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils discuss and define the term "scientific theory." They work in small groups to draft an overview of one theory including details about the theory's evidence and significance.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Celestial Sphere and Circumpolar Motion

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Students investigate the celestial sphere and circumpolar motion. In this science lesson, students view an applet, The Celestial Sphere and Circumpolar Motion. Students discuss the Earth's rotation and stellar movement.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Dynamic Earth

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students use the Internet to investigate earthquakes and plate tectonics. In this plate tectonics instructional activity, students complete a web quest with multiple links and activity types relating to earthquakes and volcanoes. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Take a Stab!

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students construct an experiment to test the rigidity of compressed air and its strength. In this earth science lesson, students are divided into groups, and by putting their thumb over the end of a straw, use the compressed air strength...
Assessment
Science Matters

Post-Assessment Energy

For Teachers 6th Standards
After nine lessons and activities about energy, here is the final assessment. The 20-questions include multiple choice, multiple choice with justification, short answer, answer analysis, and labeling diagrams to challenge learners.
Lesson Plan
Science Friday

Capturing Carbon Dioxide

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Why don't we just capture carbon dioxide in the air and store it somewhere else? A hands-on lesson allows scholars to explore a complex concept. First, they will create a carbonated beverage, and then they will determine...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is Air?

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students investigate air by participating in a class experiment. In this matter measurement lesson, students identify air as a gas which consists of mass. Students utilize a windsock or balloon to measure oxygen and explore it's true...
Lesson Plan
NASA

Lava Layering

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Take the old baking soda and vinegar volcano to the next level by using it to study repeated lava flows over time, examine geologic features on Earth and Mars, and speculate about some of the formations on Mars. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water in the Atmosphere

For Teachers 4th - 8th
A slide show serves as the backdrop for a lesson on the moisture in Earth's atmosphere. Through it, mini meteorologists learn about the attributes of the atmosphere and actually use data-collecting weather tools to make observations and...
Lesson Plan
PHET

Features of the Sun

For Teachers 6th - 8th
There are so many things to discover about the sun! Pupils discuss their knowledge of the sun, explore its features, apply their knowledge by labeling photographs, and then reflect on their learning by working in groups to draw and label...
Unit Plan
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NASA

Space-Based Astronomy on the Internet

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Young scientists compile everything they have learned into a report in the fifth and final lesson in a unit on the visible light spectrum. Access to photos from observatories, telescopes, and satellites allows learners to compare...
Activity
Colorado State University

What Makes a Gas, a Greenhouse Gas?—The Carbon Dioxide Dance

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Investigate a heated topic in environmental science. Scholars team up to play the parts of gas molecules in the atmosphere. As the teacher moves about, acting as the electromagnetic wave, learners react as their molecules would to the...
Lesson Plan
Earth Day Network

Filtering Water

For Teachers 5th - 8th
See the water filtration system up close with a fun science experiment. Young scientists work for several class periods to design a water filter using household objects, and then decide which filter material would be most effective...
Lesson Plan
Science Matters

Energy from Water Wheels

For Teachers 6th Standards
Historians believe the first vertical water wheel was invented in Rome during the Augustan Age. The sixth lesson in the series of 10 has scholars experiment with designing their own water wheels. Through testing various pastas and...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

What do you Know About Climate Change?

For Students 6th - 12th
Test the class's knowledge of the key components of climate change. A 10-question online quiz asks learners about weather, climate, greenhouse gases, and several other concepts related to climate change. Interactive and easy for...
Lesson Plan
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Day the Mesozoic Died

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
While this is not the traditional, step-by-step lesson plan, it is chock-full of material that you can easily incorporate into your earth history unit. Its main purpose is to serve as a guide to using a three-part film, The Day the...

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