Activity
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Web Weather for Kids: Thunderstorms & Tornadoes Make Convection Currents

For Students 9th - 10th
Demonstrate convection currents using a clear box, red food coloring, ice cubes, colored pencils and index cards. Get all the directions you need for this simple lab.
Activity
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Atmospheric Processes: Convection

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides a pair of activities to demonstrate convection currents in air and water. Encourages students to view air as a fluid.
Unit Plan
Texas Education Agency

Texas Gateway: The Sun and Convection Currents

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the sun's energy, Coriolis effect, and how wind is formed in this interactive learning module.
Activity
Exploratorium

Exploratorium: Exhibit Cross Reference: Convection Currents

For Students 9th - 10th
A description of a museum exhibit that illustrates convection and convection currents. Great idea stimulus for a student project or lab investigation.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Mn Step: What Makes Thunderstorms? See Convection

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Using water, food coloring, and an ice cube, students observe the movement of convection currents in a container, and illustrate what they see happening. This activity develops their understanding of how thunderstorms form.
Activity
Other

Steve Spangler Science: Denver's Brown Cloud

For Students 3rd - 8th
Learn how fluids move through our atmosphere and water. This experiment explains atmospheric convection currents (thunderstorms), the Gulf Stream, and temperature inversion. A video is included.
Activity
Museum of Science

Museum of Science and Industry: Activities: Fly a Hot Air Balloon

For Students 5th - 9th
Step-by-step instructions, with photos, of how to construct a hot-air balloon from tissue paper, to demonstrate that heated air expands, creating a convection current. This activity requires the use of a hot air gun and is labor-intensive.
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Climate Discovery Teacher's Guide: Investigating Climate Present

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Lesson plans on the following: Carbon cycle: Carbon Dioxide Sources and Sinks, Nitrogen Cycle: Traveling Nitrogen, Ocean and Atmosphere: Make Convection Currents, Energy Cycle: Albedo
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Let's Get Breezy!

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students apply an understanding of the concept of heat transfer through convection, conduction, and radiation as they use wireless temperature probes to investigate the heating capacity of different materials under heat lamps.
Unit Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Air Pollution

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students are introduced to the concept of air quality by investigating the composition, properties, atmospheric layers and everyday importance of air. They explore the sources and effects of visible and invisible air pollution. By...
Lesson Plan
Climate Literacy

Clean: What Happens to Ice in Water?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students investigate the properties of water in the ice and liquid phase as it relates to convection in the ocean and density driven circulation, and ultimately the climate.
Unit Plan
Georgia Department of Education

Ga Virtual Learning: Plate Tectonics

For Students 9th - 10th
In this interactive lesson you will learn about the theory of plate tectonics and the three types of plate boundaries that are responsible for Earth's geologic features.
Article
National Earth Science Teachers Association

Windows to the Universe: Volcano Formation

For Students 6th - 9th
Explanation of the factors that result in the formation of volcanoes, some basic but helpful animations and photographs.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Heat on the Move

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This activity is meant to be one of many common experiences that help learners understand that convection is a major driving force on our planet.
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Bubbles on Bottles

For Teachers K - 1st
Students observe that a change in the temperature of air can impact the size of a bubble placed on a bottle that is cooled and/or heated.
PPT
BBC

Bbc News: Science and Environment: How Earthquakes Happen

For Students 9th - 10th
This site uses a series of animations to give an overview of earthquake types and their causes. This colorful site is accompanied by brief descriptions. Additional animations of other natural disasters are featured on the right side of...
Lesson Plan
Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement (SMILE)

Smile: Plate Tectonics (Intermediate)

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Many activities in this lesson plan to help students understand the Theory of Plate Tectonics. Plans can be used in intermediate or middle school levels.
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Solar Water: Heat It Up!

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students explore energy efficiency, focusing on renewable energy, by designing and building flat-plate solar water heaters. They apply their understanding of the three forms of heat transfer (conduction, convection and radiation), as...
Handout
Other

University of Delaware: Plate Tectonics

For Students 3rd - 8th
This site is a very simple overview of plate tectonics. It includes a map of all the major plates and a diagram of the layers of the earth.

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