Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Glacier Dynamics

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students create flubber glaciers. In this glacier dynamics lesson, students experiment factors that may affect glacier speed. Factors include slope, ice temperature, and basal conditions. Students develop hypothesis, conduct experiment,...
Lesson Plan
NASA

Earth's Global Energy Budget

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Introduce your earth science enthusiasts to the earth's energy budget. Teach them using an informative set of slides that include illuminating lecturer's notes, relevant vocabulary, embedded animations, colorful satellite maps, and a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sea and Ice Salinity

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Learners conduct an experiment.  In this salinity lesson, students learn about sea ice, why it is important and how changing amounts can affect the sea.  Learners conduct an experiment to find out the effects of salinity on the...
Website
American Museum of Natural History

What is the Greenhouse Effect?

For Students 6th - 12th
Without the greenhouse effect, Earth would not be inhabitable. A thorough online resource describes the greenhouse effect and how it occurs. The source highlights the different types of gases that work together to absorb the sun's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biomes: Extreme Climate

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discuss the causes of global warming. For this earth science lesson, students examine how global warming is connected to the arctic and world climate. They write a paragraph about their interconnection.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Is There Liquid Water on Mars?

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students assess whether there is liquid water on Mars by analyzing images and data.  In this planetary lesson students analyze temperature and pressure graphs and hypothesize about how water could have flowed on Mars.
PPT
Curated OER

The Geography of Africa

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Hop a flight to Africa in this presentation, which includes brilliant and appealing photographs of the continent as well as maps and graphs about its geography, topography, and climate. Those who are researching Africa for a project or...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Comparison of Land and Water Temperature

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students use the NASA website's Live Access Server to create a graph of surface temperature at two locations on earth. They analyze the data and then answer specific questions provided in this lesson. They also examine and compare the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth Energy Budget Pre Lab

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students explore energy by conducting an in class experiment. In this climate change lesson, students conduct a water vapor experiment in a soda bottle. Students utilize graphs and charts to analyze the results of the experiment and help...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Greenhouse Effect

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Learners investigate the greenhouse effect. In this environmental lesson, students investigate why the greenhouse effect changes the climate through an experiment. Learners use vinegar to simulate how acid damages the environment.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lake Ice Out Lessons

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explore the greenhouse effect.  In this environment instructional activity, students describe how "ice out" affects animals and plants who live in a Maine lake.  Students graph "ice out" data and make predictions about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica Today

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students explore the importance of research in Antarctica, then explain how snow becomes part of the Antarctic ice cap. They explore Antarctica's harsh environment and discover how scientists drill ice cores and what information ice...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Rising CO2! What Can We Do?

For Students 6th - 12th
It is colorless and scentless, but it makes a large impact on the environment. Learners explore carbon dioxide emissions and what they mean for the environment using an interactive graph. They review changes over time and how they impact...
Website
American Museum of Natural History

What is Marine Biology?

For Students 6th - 12th
A marine environment covers the majority of the earth but is arguably the least understood. Teach young scientists about the characteristics of oceans and ocean species using an interactive online lesson. The in-person or remote learning...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Glacier Climbing

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils discuss glaciers and the current distribution of glaciers around the Earth. They create simulated glaciers using cornstarch, shoeboxes, water, and pebbles.
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Tracking a Drifter

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Be shore to use this drifter resource. The third installment of a five-part series has learners using the NOAA's Adopt-a-Drifter website to track to movement of a drifter (buoy) in the ocean. Graphing the collected data on a map allows...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Oceanography Worksheet #1

For Students 6th - 9th
If you are teaching physical oceanography to middle school earth scientists, here is a terrific multiple choice worksheet. Learners look at a diagram of a landscape created by glacial sediment deposition and the resulting ocean floor....
Lesson Plan
Polar Trec

Global Snow Cover Changes

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Snow is actually translucent, reflecting light off its surface which creates its white appearance. Pairs or individuals access the given website and answer questions about snow cover. They analyze graphs and charts, examine data, and...
Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Changing Planet: Sea Levels Rising

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Begin by showing a six-minute video, Changing Planet: Rising Sea Level as an anticipatory set. Pupils draw a topographic map of a potato continent. Finally, they will visit NOAA's sea levels online map and NASA's carbon dioxide...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's So Sticky Outside That...

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the phases of the water cycle and water's different forms it can have. They work in groups to create pantomimes to illustrate the water cycle to their classmates.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Estimating Altitude of Water Cloud Base

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students conduct an experiment to determine dew point and use a formula to detemine altitude. They construct a chart and predict what altitude clouds would form, given the dew point on the ground.
Activity
1
1
University of Wisconsin

Rain Garden Maintenance

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Maintaining a garden is an ongoing responsibility. This resource follows a series of activities in a unit that resulted in the planting of a rain garden. What you will find here are general instructions for watering, weeding, pruning,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making Clouds: Aerosol-Cloud Interactions in a Beaker

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students observe a teacher demo on how clouds form. In this earth science instructional activity, students discover how cloudiness affects relative humidity. They explain the scattering of light by clouds.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Paraphrasing

For Students 6th - 12th
In this paraphrasing worksheet students are tasked to paraphrase five short passages. Students write their paraphrase and can then self check against sample answers.