American Chemical Society
Investigating the Line
Note that this lesson is best paired with the preceding lesson in the unit. In that lesson, elementary physical scientists observed that the color coating of M&Ms® candies do not mix when dissolved off of the chocolate surface. Now...
NOAA
Please Pass the Salt
Salinity is the focus of two experimenters that work to answer the question, How does salt change the physical properties of water? Super scientists compare the freezing rate of salt and fresh water, combine the two waters to observe how...
Curated OER
Temperature and Daily Life: Mexico City and Indianapolis
Students compare the effect of temperature on daily life of a citizen in Mexico City, Mexico with that of a citizen of Indianapolis, Indiana.
Curated OER
Understanding the Layers of the Earth
Fourth graders explore the three layers of the Earth describing the composition, thickness, and temperature of each layer. Layers are compared and contrasted and data unearthed placed into graphic organizers.
Curated OER
Weather and its Effect on the Environment and Settlement
Young scholars, after choosing two diverse cities, collect data on weather for a month and construct a graph on temperature and precipitation. After collecting population data of said cities, and graphing it, they plot population on a...
Curated OER
Great Lakes Snow Analysis Collaborative Network
Students interpret data on snow cover and analyze trend patterns. In this snow lesson students compare data and locate their school's GPS coordinates.
Curated OER
It's All In The Surface: The Effects Of Color & Texture On The Ability Of A Surface To Absorb Solar Energy
Ninth graders examine how dark surfaces absorb more light than light surfaces. They perform an experiment that compares various surfaces abilities to absorb heat, then record and analyze the results.
Curated OER
Deep Ocean Currents
Students observe the interactions of different temperatures of water using colored ice and a thermometer and then compare the results with global ocean current solar heating. They identify where floating ice would be found in the ocean,...
Centers for Ocean Sciences
Ocean and Great Lakes Literacy: Principle 1
Is your current lesson plan for salt and freshwater literacy leaving you high and dry? If so, dive into part one of a seven-part series that explores the physical features of Earth's salt and freshwater sources. Junior hydrologists...
Curated OER
Graphing the Facts
Students investigate the correlation between our planet's weather and solar activity. They analyze and discuss data regarding the solar activity cycle, graph annual precipitation and temperature averages over a period of 100 years, and...
Wild BC
The Greenhouse Effect: The Role of CO2
Though this is meant to be second in a two-part activity, the two are not dependent on each other. Pupils play the roles of visible light rays, light or dark surfaces, and carbon dioxide molecules. They interact and react according to...
Curated OER
Mars Landing Site
Students, through the use of candy bars at room temperature, explore the problems selecting a landing site on Mars.
Curated OER
Rain Forests: A Disappearing Act?
Students examine and locate rainforests on maps, and research the patterns of their destruction. They develop a bar graph of rainfall and temperature data, write a journal entry, and research the people, animals, and plants/products of...
Curated OER
Seashore Explorers
There are three separate lessons within this resource that can be used together, or that can each stand alone. In the first, five simple activities allow junior scientists to examine the amazing properties of water. In the second, they...
Curated OER
Perimeter All Around
Students explore perimeter and area of regular and irregular polygons. They experiment with color squares and create different arrangements using the same number squares. Then they compare the area and perimeter measurements of each.
Curated OER
Lesson 4 Lesson 2(cont.) Its a Small World (Day 4)
Students watch and discuss observations of condensation on the plastic "sky" of the container. They draw a sketch of what they see and record their observations on the Its a Small World mini booklet. Sudents investigate evaporation...
Curated OER
Introduction to Remote Sensing
Students view, discuss, and compare different types of maps produced from remote sensing data. They use image processing software to analyze and enhance sea surface temperature maps.
Curated OER
The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
In this astronomy worksheet, students use a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram to examine the relationship between the average temperatures of stars and their absolute magnitude. After viewing the diagram, they complete 10 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Storm That Drowned a City
Students use a map to locate New Orleans and watch a video on the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. As a class, they watch a demonstration on how a wetland can reduce the impact of a hurricane. In groups, they perform their own...
Montana State University
Ice in Action
Make your own bite-size glacier! A resource teaches about the formation and melting of ice. Activities include videos, a hands-on activity where your pupils build glaciers, and a photographic analysis to teach individuals the chilling...
Curated OER
Prints and Outlines
Students determine the area of two objects by superimposing one on the other. They compare and order the area of different shapes by covering a larger shape with similar smaller ones. They complete these activities as different stations.
Curated OER
A Cosmic Cafeteria
Students indentify and differentiate between transit and surface food systems. Students measure energy that is released by various foods. Students compare and contrast cooking with solar energy on earth and what they might have learned...
Curated OER
Is There Water on Mars?
Young scholars decide whether or not there is or has even been water on Mars. They analyze temperature and pressure data from the Pathfinder mission to Mars, and then they analyze images of Mars, interpreting the landforms they see and...
Curated OER
Animal Skin
Students investigate the skin surface to body area ratios for different animals. In this seventh/eighth grade mathematics/science lesson, students explore heat transfer between an animal’s body and the environment. Using technology,...