Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geometry in the Heavens

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders access a star worksheet and determine properties of polygons.  In this investigative lesson students complete a worksheet and discuss myths. 
Lesson Plan
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Mapping Seamounts in the Gulf of Alaska

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students describe major topographic features on the Patton Seamount, and interpret two-dimensional topographic data. They create three-dimensional models of landforms from two-dimensional topographic data.
Lesson Plan
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MAPPING THE SCHOOL FOREST

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students measure distances and directions using paces and a compass. They determine their own pace, explore how to read a compass bearing, and how to take bearings on given sites.
Lesson Plan
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John Muir - Around the World in 76 Years

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders create timelines of John Muir's life while playing a game based on John Muir's travels. They discover that John Muir traveled around the world to compare and contrast natural phenomena and to speak out about preserving...
Lesson Plan
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RIDING THE WIND

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students locate the Trade Winds, Westerlies and Polar Easterlies on a map, explain the impact of the rotation of the Earth, and plot a route for a round trip voyage from New York to London.
Lesson Plan
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Plate Tectonics Day 3 Sea Floor Spreading: Evidence for Continental Drift

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners are introduced to Sea Floor Spreading and how it provides evidence for Hess's and Deitz's theory of Continental Drift. They use paleomagnetic data to calculate the rate of Sea Floor Spreading.
Lesson Plan
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Using Waves on the Job!

For Teachers 7th - 12th
A colorful and comprehensive PowerPoint highlights this lesson on waves. Junior geophysicists pretend that they are hired to analyze seismic waves. A worksheet is provided to go along with an online article about how compact discs work...
Lesson Plan
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The East Fork Project

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Students identify possible sources of health risks, types of exposures, routes of exposure, and populations that could be affected after discussing water pollution and environmental health hazards. After discussion, students conduct a...
Lesson Plan
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Changing Planet: Melting Glaciers

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Resource links to a video, satellite images, data, and photographs of glaciers provide emerging earth scientists the opportunity to examine how the ice has been retreating over the years. A data table is included for pupils to record...
Lesson Plan
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El Nino

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Explore the properties of water and the affects of El Nino. Middle schoolers will learn about the devastation an El Nino can cause as well as the definition of El Nino. Additionally, they will discover the cause of El Nino along with the...
Lesson Plan
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Force of Habitat

For Teachers 2nd
Plants and animals of the desert are the subject of this lesson. While the activities involve an exploration involving Nevada, this resource could be altered for use with any area. This detailed lesson includes a list of books that could...
Lesson Plan
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Why Does the Cocoa Tree Need a Tropical Rainforest to Grow?

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore the requirements a cocoa plant needs to survive. They research where chocolate comes from and how humans can affect the growth of cocoa trees. Students create a 3-D model of a cocoa tree and compare and contrast...
Lesson Plan
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Weather Watchers

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students are introduced to an Underground Weather Stations. In groups, they use the internet to research the weather in different parts of the United States locating each city. To end the lesson, they summarize the information they...
Lesson Plan
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Westward Expansion

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students locate California and New York on a map and explore available means of travel in the 19th century. Students explore the role of trade in pioneer America and simulate various barter transactions.
Lesson Plan
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Northwest Hawaiian Islands

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students compare and contrast places around the world. Students analyze the effects of human activity on the physical environment and devise plans to address the consequences. Students also focus on geographical topics such as formation...
Lesson Plan
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Weather Patterns

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research to determine weather patterns and natural hazards most likely to affect their region.
Lesson Plan
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Informed Drawing Through Observation

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students practice observation techniques to improve their drawing skills. In this drawing technique lesson, students assess drawing as an art media and discuss realism. Students view examples of animal drawings and practice drawing using...
PPT
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Hellenistic Greece 324-100 BCE

For Teachers 5th
Although it is visually appealing, this presentation on Ancient Greece does not provide a lot of information. But,it could be used to spur a discussion. There are maps and diagrams that would be helpful when covering this topic. Adding...
Lesson Plan
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Snow Cover By Latitude

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students create graphs comparing the amount of snow cover along selected latitudes using data sets from a NASA website. They create a spreadsheet and a bar graph on the computer, and analyze the data.
Lesson Plan
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Cartography

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students research about cartography and how to be a cartographer. In this math lesson, students draw a map of their classroom. They use a robot to explore navigation using a compass rose.
Lesson Plan
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A Lion's Lair

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Young scholars evaluate the likelihood that a particular animal lived in a particular habitat. They research and illustrate lion habitats to determine whether lions were likely to have lived in ancient Greece.
Lesson Plan
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Ocean Floor

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students identify ocean floor features. In this earth science instructional activity, students predict the object inside a close box to make them realize the difficulties scientists faced then. They label the different zones of the ocean...
Lesson Plan
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BEWARE OF POISONS

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research and explore all the safety conditions to being exposed to poisons in real-world situations. They review/discuss/investigate about types, sources, effects and responses of poisons by creating general questions to pose to...
Lesson Plan
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What Are The Characteristics of Your Neighborhood?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students make a mental map of their neighborhood. Using a software program, they make an aerial and digital map of their school and locate their school on given maps. In groups, they calculate the distances to various locations and...