Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth's Water

For Teachers 4th - 8th
If the majority of our planet is covered with water, why do we need to bother conserving it? With a thorough and varied investigation into the location and types of water on the earth, learners will gain an understanding of why this...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Conservation

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Open learners' eyes to the challenge of finding safe drinking water – something we often take for granted in our country. The PowerPoint presentation includes images, graphs, diagrams, and even a video to stimulate discussion on how we...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Water Cycle

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Your class sets up a mini water cycle model to examine the process. Then they watch an animation, following a water molecule through the cycle. A well-developed lab sheet guides learners through the lesson and a PowerPoint presentation...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water in the Atmosphere

For Teachers 4th - 8th
A slide show serves as the backdrop for a lesson on the moisture in Earth's atmosphere. Through it, mini meteorologists learn about the attributes of the atmosphere and actually use data-collecting weather tools to make observations and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water in the Biosphere

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Environmental explorers examine the campus and take note of living organisms. Introduce them to the biosphere and the questions of the day: How much water can be found in the biosphere? A slide show helps you along, and even contains a...
Unit Plan
NASA

Engineering Design for Human Exploration

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
What would it take to live on the lunar surface? Small groups build model rockets in order to simulate launching a habitat into space and rebuilding it. Divide the class into groups to design and build a model of a lunar habitat. The...
Unit Plan
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NASA

Transportation and Space: Reuse and Recycle

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
What can I use in space? The three-lesson unit has groups research what man-made or natural resources would be available during space exploration or habitation. Team members think of ways that resources can be reclaimed or reused in...
Handout
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NASA

A Pictorial History of Rockets

For Students K - 12th
3, 2, 1: Blast off! Take a look at the history of rockets through a camera lens. A set of 41 cards displays more than 2,000 years of rockets, from their use as toys to space flight. 
Handout
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NASA

Applying Newton’s Laws

For Students K - 12th
Newton's Laws get the rocket to work, but do they serve any other functions? A six-page resource classifies rockets by the type of propellant they use. It then describes applications of Newton's Laws of Motion, both in the...
Lesson Plan
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NASA

3...2...1...Puff!

For Teachers K - 8th Standards
Which will make it fly better? Individuals build paper rockets with fins that are launched using straws. After determining an average flight distance, they make adjustments, such as size and location of fins, and try again. A second...
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NASA

Pop! Rocket Launcher

For Teachers K - 8th
How do I build a launcher to launch paper rockets? A teacher reference provides directions in order to build a rocket launcher out of PVC pipe and a two-liter bottle. The plans also contain directions on how to use the launcher. 
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NASA

Foam Rocket

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
When going for distance, does it make a difference at what angle you launch the rocket? Teams of three launch foam rockets, varying the launch angle and determining how far they flew. After conducting the series of flights three times,...
Unit Plan
NASA

Space Transportation: Reshooting the Moon

For Teachers 8th
What does it take to get stuff to the Moon? Design teams create subsystems for a space transportation system to go to the Moon. The teams study Earth transportation components along with historical space transportation systems to...
Unit Plan
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NASA

The Atmospheric Filter

For Teachers 5th - 8th
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. 
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NASA

Collecting Electromagnetic Radiation

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Astronomy is literally over your head, but this lesson will explain how we study it. Young scientists make telescopes, calculate and compare the light gathering power of lenses, and simulate detection of infared radiation....
Unit Plan
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NASA

Down to Earth

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
There are only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who don't. The lesson includes four activities in which students learn binary, convert binary to images, understand CCD arrays, and interpret...
Handout
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NASA

How Rockets Work

For Students K - 12th
Now, that's some fire power! A five-page handout provides a description of the basics of how rockets work. The reading explains Newton's Laws of Motion by beginning with defining some of the important terms. The article finishes by...
Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Albedo, Reflectivity, and Absorption

For Teachers 5th - 6th
What is reflectivity, and what does it have to do with the Earth's climate? As reflectivity is measured by albedo, scientists can gather information on Earth's energy balances that relate to global warming or climate change. Budding...
Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Accessing Prior Knowledge: Global Climate Change Survey

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Begin a unit on weather and climate change by assessing prior knowledge of the topic. Learners respond to a survey with questions that ask what they think causes climate change, the effects of climate change, and if it is important...
Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Greenhouse Gas Emissions — Natural and Human Causes

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
What impact do humans have on greenhouse gas emissions? What are the natural causes of these gasses? Thanks to the carbon cycle, carbon dioxide eats away at the earth's atmosphere with the intensified help of humans. Young scientists...
Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Understanding the Greenhouse Effect

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Dive into the power of the sun with a two-part lesson. Budding scientists model the greenhouse effect in a hands-on activity, and then participate in a skit that explores the earth's energy balances and what really occurs in the...
Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Weather or Not

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
What is the difference between weather and climate? This is the focus question of a lesson plan that takes a deeper look at how weather data helps determine climate in a region. Using weather and climate cards, students decide...
Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Recognizing Change (Observation vs. Inference)

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
What is the difference between making inferences and making observations? Young climatologists refer to a PowerPoint to make observations on each slide. They record their observations in a provided worksheet before drawing a...
Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Causes and Effects of Climate Change

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
Wrap-up a unit on global climate change with a lesson that examines the causes and effects of climate change. Learners fill out a chart that represents what they think causes climate change—natural and human-based—and what they think...

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