Curated OER
Nice Angle
Students experiment with paper, light, thermometers and measurement to explore how the Sun's angle affects the temperature on Earth.
Curated OER
What Factors Impact a Greenhouse?
Students analyze the Greenhouse Effect and the science of greenhouses. In this global climate instructional activity, students read background information about the 'greenhouse effect' and define 'albedo.' Students examine pictures of...
Curated OER
A SALT WATER-Y WORLD
Students observe a model of the distribution of the earth's water and compare the relative volumes and percentages of types of water on earth.
Curated OER
Just How DO Those Plates Move?
Students experiment with water, temperature and paper to explore how convection currents occur and how they are used to explain the movement of the Earth's plates.
Curated OER
Global Winds
Middle schoolers extend their understanding of convection to consider global winds and the effect of the earth's rotation on the creation of patterns of prevailing wind direction.
Curated OER
Space Exploration to Find Habitable Planets
Students explore space science by reviewing scientific vocabulary terms. In this planet identification lesson, students identify the nine planets in our solar system and discuss which ones could potentially harbor life at some point....
Curated OER
How Does Your Magma Grow?
Students identify the three types of plate boundaries and the Earth's tectonic plates system. They examine how the Galapagos Islands were formed and hydrothermal vents.
Curated OER
Faulty Movement
Students discover the faults throughout the Earth. They describe the different types of faults and how they are related to earthquakes. They build models of the faults.
Curated OER
How Far Away Is Saturn?
Students work together to create a scale model of the solar system. They write a descriptive paper and a paper comparing and contrasting the Earth to Saturn. They discuss their writings with the class.
Curated OER
As the Sun Burns
Learners examine the types of light the sun gives the Earth. They describe the electro-magnetic spectrum and how to protect themselves from different types of light. They identify the layers of the atmosphere as well.
Curated OER
PLANETS IN PROPORTION
Students discover scales for both the solar bodies' relative sizes and their distances from the sun. They find equatorial circumference and volumes of their solar bodies. Students apply estimation strategies and proportioanl reasoning to...
Curated OER
The Solar System
Learners describe the different bodies that make up our solar system, explain the place of our solar system within the Milky Way Galaxy and the universe, explain day and night and the Earth's movement, and describe the relationship...
Curated OER
Solar Box Cooker
Students explore solar power. In this solar power instructional activity, students build simple solar cookers after they study convection, conduction, and radiation. Students transfer their knowledge of how the solar cooker works to...
Curated OER
Rocks and Minerals
Young scholars identify how weathering and erosion effect the Earth's surface. In this weathering and rocks lesson, students study various types of rocks in water and brainstorm ways the Earth's surface changes. Young scholars view an...
Curated OER
Impact Craters
Students investigate the factors affecting the size of a crater. In this space science lesson, students collect data from the activity and graph them. They explain how velocity of impact relate to crater size.
Curated OER
Look at Those Leaves!
Learners observe leaves. In this math and science cross-curriculum leaf lesson plan, students take a nature walk and collect leaves. Attributes are assigned and leaves are sorted in various ways. Learners use non-standard or standard...
Curated OER
The Goldilocks Principle: A Model of Atmospheric Gases
Young scholars discuss the characteristics of the Goldilocks Principle. They discover the pressure and chemical composition of Venus and Mars. They discuss how the Earth's temperature is affected by the atmosphere.
Curated OER
Newton's Laws
Students give examples of each of Newton's three laws as they occur in everyday experiences. They visually represent and differentiate the difference between a direct proportion and an inverse proportion. Students explain how the...
Curated OER
Modeling the Seasons
Students explore the seasons and their attributes. In this geography lesson, students create a 3-D model of the Earth that showcases the elliptical travel of the Earth that causes seasons.
Curated OER
Wax On, Wane Off
Students investigate the cycles of the moon through an in class experiment. In this lunar lesson plan, students utilize a tennis ball and their own head to simulate the moon and Earth and create moon phases by observing the tennis ball...
Curated OER
Erosion
Students design and conduct an open-ended investigation using a variety of earth materials to answer a questions posed by the teacher: How does the erosion of sand compare with the erosion of gravel? After producing evidence that...
Curated OER
Global Warming
Students examine how human produced emissions of carbon dioxide contribute to global warming. Using the internet, they research the future effects of global warming on the Earth. In groups, they discover ways to reduce daily energy...
Curated OER
Pollution - What is It Doing to Us?
Learners recognize some forms of pollution. In this science lesson plan, students recognize and understand some of the devastating effects of the acid rains and other possible factors that are contrary to the pH balance of nature.
Curated OER
Recreating the Greenhouse Effect
Students recreate the greenhouse effect. In this environmental science lesson, students gather materials and follow procedures to create the greenhouse effect on a small scale.