Science Matters
Solar Energy
The solar energy industry in the United States added more jobs in 2015 than the oil and gas extraction and pipeline industries combined. With the field growing so rapidly, it's essential to understand what solar energy is and how it...
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Geology and it’s Influence
Students compare current geological map and the one from 1800's. In this earth science lesson, students discuss differences between the two and explain the factors that caused the change. They write an essay about how these changes...
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Hurricanes and the Importance of Wetlands
Students explain how wetlands minimize the impact of hurricanes. In this earth science lesson, students investigate how different materials affect the steam plume path. They complete their worksheet after the lab.
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Using Imported Data in Excel
Students import atmospheric data from the internet. In this earth science lesson, students graph the data they collected. They complete the worksheet after the activity.
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Dredging the Mississippi
Learners determine the amount of earth that needs to be removed from the Mississippi and the amount of time it takes the Army Corps of Engineers to complete a dredging project. Given specific dimensions of a channel, calculations are...
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A Geological Wonder: Niagara Falls
Students research the geological features of Niagara Falls. In this earth science lesson, students create a poster board proposing a new website for the tourist center. They share their project in class.
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Where's the Beach?
Students use beach profile data to analyze how erosion and sediment transport changed seashore slopes. In this geology lesson, students plot the data provided and analyze erosion patterns. They also assess coastal erosion management...
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How's the Weather?
Students explore earth science by researching the Internet. In this weather pattern activity, students utilize the website weather.com to analyze the weather in different geographic locations. Students view charts and graphs based on...
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Reasons for Seasons
Young scholars model the tilt of the Earth as it orbits the Sun. They explain the meaning and characteristics of solstices and equinoxes. They explain that sunlight hits the Earth at different angles at different locations over the...
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Recent Volcanoes And Earthquakes:
Students investigate the current model for the structure of the Earth. On a world map, they mark areas where they think earthquakes and volcanoes occur and compare those areas with earthquake and volcano location patterns.
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Water Cycle
Ninth graders explore ways water moves through various reservoirs on Earth, examine how human activities change water cycle, investigate substances present in water that indicate human activity, and discuss how understanding water cycle...
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The Good, The Bad, and the Arctic
Students investigate the social, economic and environmental consequences that might result from Arctic climate change. Students identify and discuss at least three consequences.
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Environmental Health Hazards and Children
Students are introduced to the environmental hazards their community is facing. In groups, they develop a list of the ways humans have changed the Earth and how these changes have lead to environmental hazards. They record their...
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THE WONDERFUL WATER CYCLE
Learners are introduced to the processes of evaporation and condensation as they observe physical changes in water. They observe how matter changes from a solid to a liquid state. Students are explained that steam is water in its gaseous...
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Cities and Seasons
Students explore how satellite images show seasonal changes in seven cities in North and South America. Through a sequence of images, they study the green-up and brown-down of the seasons and how seasons change over time. Afterwards,...
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Seasons
Students investigate the reason for seasons on Earth during three activities. They construct a model of the Earth and Sun to identify patterns in the changes of the angle of light on the Earth's surface. Then they conduct a heat...
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Weather and Climate
Learners explore all the facets about weather and analyze how weather and climate are connected through time. They consider how weather changes and the effects of weather on the present state of the Earth's climate. Alterations to our...
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Moon Phases
Sixth graders investigate the phases of the moon. In this moon phase lesson plan, 6th graders discover that the moon changes in a cycle as it orbits Earth. Students label pictures of moon phases and keep a moon phase journal. Students...
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Astronomy with a Stick
Students describe the movement of the Earth as it relates to the sun and
formulate a hypothesis for the movement and the changing length of the shadow. They express the relationship between the sun and the Earth and how that causes the...
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Evaporation Introductory Lesson
Fourth graders examine the concepts of evaporation and the water cycle. They describe the relationship between heat energy, evaporation and condensation of water on Earth and identify the sun as the source of energy that evaporates...
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Scientist Tracking Network
Students correlate surface radiation with mean surface temperature of several geographic regions. They observe how these parameters change with latitude and construct an understanding of the relationship of solar radiation to seasonal...
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Ocean Currents and Sea Surface Temperature
Students use satellite data to explore sea surface temperature. They explore the relationship between the rotation of the Earth, the path of ocean current and air pressure centers. After studying maps of sea surface temperature and ocean...
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Estuary and Watershed
High schoolers investigate the San Francisco Bay Estuarine Research Reserve and watershed. In this estuary and watershed lesson plan, students complete 4 activities to better understand estuarine systems. They include studying the San...
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Energy Eccentricity
Young scholars assess their own energy use to help develop an awareness of the different types of natural resources affected by consumers. Their calculations show them how much they are personally impacting the Earth. Very meaningful and...