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 instructional activity students search the Internet for the parts of the Earth's system, gather climate data and complete a challenge scenario. 
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Climate Change & Coral Activities

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students study how the ocean stabilizes our planet's climates and how global warming is becoming a threat to this fine balance.  In this climate change lesson, students identify that fossil fuel emissions are responsible for...
Lesson Plan
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Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Students become familiar with coal as an energy source and how it is mined.  In this coal lesson, students research the effects of coal mining on the environment. Students discuss the various problems associated with coal mining....
Lesson Plan
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Getting to Know Soil

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Young scholars make predictions and analyze soil. In this soil properties lesson, students make predictions about soil properties for various soil samples. Young scholars examine the types of soils and record their observations. Students...
Lesson Plan
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Ocean Botttom Profile

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students interpret a graph of ocean depths and topographic features. This task assesses students' abilities to interpret figures, organize and represent data, apply knowledge of scale to a profile, and apply theoretical knowledge.
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Using the Very, Very Simple Climate Model in the Classroom

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners study the relationship between the average global temperature and carbon dioxide emissions.  In this weather activity students develop a test scenario using a model then read and interpret graphs of data. 
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Invention Project

For Teachers 5th - Higher Ed
Students study air pollution and design inventions to prevent indoor environment problems. In this air pollution inventions lesson, students read about and discuss famous inventors and inventions. Students then research indoor air...
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To Spread or Not to Spread

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students explore the difference between the three types of contrails. In this contrails lesson, students make observations of contrails and record them. Students identify the three types of contrails and complete an experiment activity.
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Creating Public Awareness - Indoor Air Quality

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students design a poster about indoor air quality. In this indoor air quality lesson, students make a billboard that tells the occupants of a building about at least one air quality problem.
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Understanding the Indoor Environment: The Movement of Air

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students discuss HVAC to assess prior knowledge. Students create a rubric to assess their modals of HVAC units, and build the models according to instructions and discussion by the teacher.
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Identifying Indoor Environment Pollution Sources (List, Group, Label Activity)

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students identify the cause of indoor air pollution. In this indoor air pollution lesson, students list, group, and label sources of indoor pollution. They brainstorm a list of all of the indoor pollutants they can think of before...
Lesson Plan
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Understanding the Indoor Environment:Preventing and Fixing Indoor Air Pollution

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explore air pollution.  In this environmental studies instructional activity, students work with a partner to create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting possible solutions to prevalent indoor air pollution...
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Deck of Word Cards

For Teachers 4th - Higher Ed
Students study vocabulary words associated with indoor air quality. In this air quality activity, students participate in a word card game where they write sentences for the vocabulary words given. Students then check the original...
Lesson Plan
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Indoor Air Quality

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students make a work puzzle using air quality vocabulary. In this air quality vocabulary lesson, students design a word puzzle using a teacher designated number of vocabulary words. They peer edit the puzzles with their classmates.
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Understanding the Indoor Environment: Word Walls

For Teachers K - Higher Ed
Young scholars study vocabulary words about indoor air quality. For this indoor environment lesson, students create a word wall with vocabulary words about indoor air quality and pollutants.
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Earthquake Epicenters and Magnitudes

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students work on a virtual earthquake to increase their understanding of seismograms, earthquake epicenters, Richter Magnitude and triangulation when finding the epicenter of an earthquake.
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Exploring the Dynamic Nature of the Sun

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students compare and contrast images of the sun taken at different times and viewed at different scales. They record their observations in a journal and create a graphic organizer to help analyze their observations.
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Pattern

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars describe examples of the relationship between structure and function in living systems, particularly with regard to specialized tissues and organs. They describe examples of biological diversity and adaptation of organisms...
Lesson Plan
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Formation of Wind

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students correctly sequence the steps leading to the formation of wind, and describe the cause and effect relationships involved in the formation of wind. This task assesses students' abilities to classify, generalize, infer, interpret...
Lesson Plan
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The Blizzard of 1993

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students read and interpret the information from a barograph from a major winter storm. This task assesses students' abilities to interpret and analyze graphs, construct data tables and graphs, generalize, infer, apply knowledge of...
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Aging of Trees

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students examine tree rings to determine its age.  In this tree ring lesson, students examine core tree samples, identify the tree rings, and then determine its age. Students complete a worksheet, deciding which of the two core...
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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.
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Sun and Temperatures

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students consider the relationship of temperature to environmental conditions and then apply their knowledge to a practical event. The task assesses students' knowledge and application of that knowledge to an additional situation.
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Warm and Toasty

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students are introduced to the concepts of specific heat and heat capacity. In groups, they design an experiment to test these two topics on various fabrics. They compare and contrast the amount of heat loss on the different materials...