Lesson Plan
Rainforest Alliance

Forests of Guatemala

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
With 90 percent of its land area covered in forests, Suriname, a country in South America, contains the largest percentage of forests throughout the world. Here is an activity that brings classmates together to learn about the...
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

NIGHT AND DAY: DAILY CYCLES IN SOLAR RADIATION

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine how Earth's rotation causes daily cycles in solar energy using a microset of satellite data to investigate the Earth's daily radiation budget and locating map locations using latitude and longitude coordinates.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Radiation Comparison Before and After 9-11

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Using the NASA website, class members try to determine if changes could be detected in cloud cover, temperature, and/or radiation measurements due to the lack of contrails that resulted from the halt in air traffic after the attacks...
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 in Earth's Hydrosphere

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Environmentalists test stream water for temperature, pH, and turbidity. Each group shares their information and then the class makes an overall evaluation of the water quality. A slide show sets the backdrop for the teaching portion and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's So Sticky Outside That...

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the phases of the water cycle and water's different forms it can have. They work in groups to create pantomimes to illustrate the water cycle to their classmates.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Flood Cycles 30/100 or Somewhere In Between

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars examine traditional flood cycles. They research floods that have occured between 30 and 100 years. They use a tool known as Climprob to study precipitation patterns that might cause floods.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Am I Hot or Am I Cold?

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students practice using a thermometer to determine how the air around the earth gets heated and cooled by the sun. Students chart the daily inside and outside temperature for two weeks.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Defining Drought

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the hydrologic impacts of drought. Humans can change the course of the water cycle, to some extent, to meet their needs, but can they do so without imposing risks on the plants and animals?
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Comparison of Land and Water Temperature

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine NASA satellite observations of surface temperature and investigate the seasonal changes of land and water temperature.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Does the Earth's Energy Budget Relate to Polar Ice?

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students use satellite data to see how radiation budget relates to the ice that is present in the North.  In this energy lesson students correlate data to see a relationship. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seasons and Cloud Cover, Are They Related?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students use NASA satellite data to see cloud cover over Africa.  In this seasons lesson students access data and import it into Excel. 
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Hurricanes: An Environmental Concern

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Hurricanes, typhoons, and tropical cyclones are the same type of storm, but their names change based on where they happen. Scholars use a computer simulation to learn about hurricanes. Then they hypothesize ideas to prevent hurricanes...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hurricane Frequency and Intensity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine hurricanes. In this web-based meteorology instructional activity, students study the relationship between ocean temperature and hurricane intensity. They differentiate between intensity and frequency of hurricanes.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Does Cloud Type Affect Rainfall?

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Student uses MY NASA DATA to obtain precipitation and cloud type data. They create graphs of data within MY NASA DATA. They compare different cloud types as well as precipitation types. They describe graphs of the precipitation and cloud...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Three Clouds Activity

For Teachers K - 4th
Students understand how clouds are formed. In this cloud activity, students participate in three experiments to make clouds. Students complete activity sheets for each experiment.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seasonal Cloud Cover Variations

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars, in groups, access data from the NASA website Live Access Server regarding seasonal cloud coverage and the type of clouds that make up the coverage. They graph the data and make correlations between types, seasons and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Guetemala's Changing Forest

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders compare their local ecological zone to the tropical rainforest. In this natural ecology lesson, 8th graders complete an activity about the differences in ecological zones. They compare their biome to the Guatemalan...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar Cycle

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the solar cycle through a series of experiments. In this space science lesson, students construct and evaluate solar cycle graphs. They explain how this phenomenon affects the Earth.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sea and Ice Salinity

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students conduct an experiment.  In this salinity lesson, students learn about sea ice, why it is important and how changing amounts can affect the sea.  Students conduct an experiment to find out the effects of salinity on the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

AFRICAN-AMERICAN HOMESTEADERS

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students analyze the factors that inhibited and fostered African American attempts to improve their lives during Reconstruction, the role of class, race, gender, and religion in western communities, and the challenges diverse people...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scientist Tracking Network

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Young scholars 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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Awful 8: The Play

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students perform a play based on pollution. In this pollution science lesson, students perform a play about different pollutants and how it effects our daily lives.