Young scholars engage in a prelab discussion about the earth's radiation budget and global warming. They use "trading cards" to find specific websites to research radiation budget questions.

Learners examine and plot atmospheric data on bar graphs.

Students examine the potential impact of climate change to agriculture, coastal areas, forests, water, and human health. They hypothesize what might happen to a sugar maple forest and hold a debate about global warming.

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.

Middle schoolers classify rocks as sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic based on physical properties. In this earth science instructional activity, students recreate the rock cycle using a set of stones placed on labeled shower curtain....

The earth only revolves around one thing — and it's not any of your pupils. The lesson includes two activities dealing with the distance to the sun and the moon. First, scholars create a pin hole camera and use the rules of similar...

What is the difference between a comet and a meteoroid? An educational lesson includes five demonstrations of how the atmosphere can inhibit our ability to measure many things in the galaxy. 

Class members play a version of the game Chronology to determine when certain scientific events occurred in history. Teams play until someone has 5-10 events in the correct order.

Scientists know the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today is higher than at any point in the last 800,000 years. Scholars learn about the amount of thermic radiation absorbed by air and what happens to the rest of the...

What happens to stars as they get older? A simulation takes pupils through the life cycle of stars based on their masses. The resource introduces the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and the common relationships and life cycle patterns observed.

Students arrange various pictures of the Earth to identify its journey through space. In this Earth's rotation lesson, students use models of the Earth and demonstrate its journey through space. Students complete the worksheet about the...

Students study plate tectonics.  In this plate tectonics lesson students build a cutaway scale model of the Earth. 

Students study wind and its effect on weather.  In this investigative lesson students write a report on wind and weather and create a movement sequence. 

Students investigate the celestial sphere and circumpolar motion. In this science lesson plan, students view an applet, The Celestial Sphere and Circumpolar Motion. Students discuss the Earth's rotation and stellar movement.

What do Newton's Laws have to do with getting from Earth to Mars?The activities in this resource show how Newton's Laws work with rockets to get them into space. Background information includes facts about orbits and how orbits...

Students investigate how engineers navigate satellites in orbit around the Earth and on their way to other planets in the solar system. They study vocabulary words and participate in studying a satellite by learning about times and...

In this space worksheet, learners, with a partner, answer five questions about the universe and read and discuss ten questions regarding astronomy.

For this earth science worksheet, students read a 5 journal entries and illustrate how the places look based on the journal description.

Students analyze atmosphere and light. For this earth science lesson, students are introduced to an investigation about why the sky is blue. Students complete a WebQuest to answer the question.

In this earth science worksheet, students match 21 hurricane satellite images to their appropriate shape. They also answer 4 short answer questions about hurricane shape classification.

Middle schoolers read ancient Greek texts to explore ancient healing practices and compare them to modern-day medicine. They conduct research into modern first-aid practices, using a standard medical reference.

Young scientists investigate the elements found in our solar system and then construct a model of a comet. They apply their new knowledge to the formation of the solar system. 

Students explain the difference between regolith formation on Earth and the Moon. In this space science lesson, students model the different factors affecting regolith formation on Earth. They identify the different types of weathering.

Young scientists build on their previous knowledge and apply it to coronal mass ejections. By plotting the path of two different coronal mass ejections, they develop an understanding of why most don't collide with Earth.