Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding: Flight

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars review the principles of flight before performing a series of simple experiments. Working in small groups, they complete hands-on activities that demonstrate the principles that make it possible for an airplane to lift...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weather

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students explore the earth's atmosphere, weather, and climate. They begin class with a discussion about weather patterns, atmosphere, and the layers of the earth. After the class discussion, students rotate through four stations to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Balloons: Math with the Montgolfier Balloon

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars discover the history of hot air balloons by watching one ascent.  In this physics lesson, students utilize a Montgolfier Hot Air Balloon from an earlier lesson and record the temperature, rate of ascent and the...
Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Causes and Effects of Climate Change

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
It's time for your class to literally show what they know! Pupils illustrate what they learned about the causes and effects of climate change by filling out a graphic organizer to complete the 5-part series of lessons. They discuss them...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wind

For Teachers K - 5th
Students complete activities to study wind intensity. In this wind study lesson plan, students discuss wind speed and direction. Students then build a kite and windsock to help them study wind intensity. Students learn to use a wind...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's Up With Updrafts?

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Young scholars demonstrate how hail and rain are suspended in the air during a storm. In this lesson on storms and weather, students use a hair dryer and ping pong ball to demonstrate how hail and rain can be suspended in the air during...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Refrigeration Part 2 - How they work

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders investigate insulators and how refrigerators actually work to keep things cold through evaporation and pressure changes in the coolant. They create a box to keep an ice cube from melting, and observe a variety of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Pollution Disrupts Our Natural Environment

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students conduct experiments to illustrate global warming. For this air pollution lesson, students first examine how a layer of greenhouse gasses might impact the earth's atmospheric temperature, then evaluate how the layer of gasses...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's Clean, Fresh and only Three Billion Years Old - Water!

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students engage in a lesson plan which explores the wate cycle. They get to see some very entertaining video, do fun hands-on activities and gain a better understanding of evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Goldilocks Principle: A Model of Atmospheric Gases

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students 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.
Lesson Plan
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Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi

Find the Most Spectacular Volcanoes in the World!

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Heat things up in your earth science class with this collaborative lesson on volcanoes. After first being introduced to the different types of volcanoes and how they are formed, young geologists work in small groups to...
Lesson Plan
NASA

Making Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Some like it hot! Scholars observe both exothermic and endothermic reactions as part of the carbon dioxide oxygen cycle. First, scientists demonstrate (or watch) a chemical reaction to create pure oxygen using fire for...
Lesson Plan
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Council for Economic Education

GDP Data: Is the Economy Healthy?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Does the economy needs a check-up? Scholars analyze the gross domestic product (GDP) to determine the overall health of the current economy. They use a short video clip as well as economic data to determine the current growth of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Things Fly

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explain basic principles of aeronautics such as gravity and lift. In this How Things Fly activity, students visit the interactive, hands-on How Things Fly gallery at the Smithsonian. Students perform three experiments that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Review For Weather Quiz 2

For Teachers 6th - 12th
In this science worksheet, students look at the information carefully in preparation for a formal assessment. The focus is upon defining different aspects of air masses.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alice World:Tornado

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders use the Alice program and complete a world that is damaged after a tornado.  In this atmospheric conditions lesson students complete an activity using the Alice program. 
Lesson Plan
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Disappearing Water

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students explore the water cycle. In this earth science lesson, students observe and measure water in a closed container and in an open container. Students record their observations and compare their sets of data to draw conclusions...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rock Sorting Activity

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students organize rock samples according to their properties. In this earth science lesson, students predict whether they are igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary. They compare their prediction with the actual type.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weather Art in Space Settlements

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students demonstrate a cloud formation and the relation between pressure and temperature in gases. They explain how clouds could be created in space settlements and see the relation between pressure and temperature in gases.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Respiratory System

For Teachers Pre-K - 6th
The student will calculate the vital capacity of the air in the lungs and trace the pathway of air into and out of the lungs. They describe the pressure changes that occur within the chest cavity when you breathe. They compare air that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Name that Wind

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Pupils study wind and the direction terms related to wind. In this meteorology lesson, students learn about the wind directions by completing a wind direction activity where kids locate cones marked with the specific wind...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Motion in Fluids

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore physical science by participating in a science activity. In this liquids activity, students discuss how fluids can be affected by motion unlike solids. Students define other scientific vocabulary terms and conduct a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cold Fronts And Warm Fronts

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students simulate the movement of cold and warm fronts as they listen to a story about the weather and Mr. Sun. They brainstorm the characteristics of each type of front then write about which front they would prefer if they were a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Now, Take a Deep Breath

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers define several laws of pressure and see how they relate to scuba diving.  For this ocean explorer lesson students answer questions and complete an activity.