What is reflectivity, and what does it have to do with the Earth's climate? As reflectivity is measured by albedo, scientists can gather information on Earth's energy balances that relate to global warming or climate change. Budding...

Students explore map and plotting skills by tracing the movement s of hurricanes through the Earth's systems. a hurricane map is developed from daily media reports.

After viewing a short video about a climb up Mount Everest, high schoolers read about triangulation for measuring distant elevations. Have your class work in groups to construct an inclinometer and then use it to measure the height of...

Explore our world from within as you lead young scientists on a thrilling adventure. Pupils examine the location of plate boundaries to determine earthquake and volcano distribution around the globe and explore the cause of hot spots in...

Find out if your class agrees with Ice Age: Continental Drift ... or if it's just a fun family movie! Class members research the theory of continental drift, examine evidence of plate tectonics, connect...

This is an integrated lesson that incorporates Social Studies, Science, and Mathematics. In Social Studies, 7th graders complete an online interview and complete an online worksheet about latitude of sites on the Anza trail. In Science...

Clever! Earth science learners construct a model of a planet containing a magnetic core. The planet, Terrabagga, is made out of a paper grocery bag, magnets, a dead D battery, and rubber bands. Pictures of each step of the construction...

Students begin their examination of the climate zones found around the world. Using a software program, they identify the relationship between the vegetation, climate and temperatures of the different zones. They also plot coordinates...

Young scholars examine the characteristics of a South American tropical rainforest. They analyze maps, develop graphs, listen to the book, The Great Kapok Tree, and create a rainforest mural.

What are the effects of an air quality alert? Expert groups receive one component of air quality information resources to study. Pupils then jigsaw into new groups and share their knowledge. Finally, they draft a statement of what they...

Students discuss the importance and function of nautical maps for sailors. They, in groups, take soundings of a simulated bay in a shoebox and develop a nautical chart that enable them to navigate the shoebox safely.

A little engineering design is mixed into this lesson on precipitation measurement. Groups plan and construct a rain gauge, and use it to collect precipitation. As part of the PowerPoint presentation, learners view a satellite map of...

First graders identify monarch butterflies and study their life cycles. They order the stages of the life cycle and create a monarch butterfly of construction paper. This well-designed instructional activity should be easy to implement...

Pupils use the Live Access Server (LAS) to form maps and a numerical text file of snow cover for each continent on a particular date. They analyze the data for each map and corresponding text file to determine an estimate of snow cover...

Collaborative earth science groups create a working model of a watershed. Once it has been developed, you come along and introduce a change in land use, impacting the quality of water throughout their watershed. Model making is an...

Young animal lovers engage in a lesson that's all about elephants. They access an elephant sanctuary website and read a story about Shirley the elephant. They perform a series of activities based upon that story, and also study about the...

After a whole-class discussion of water reservoirs, ten liters of water are given to each lab group to represent Earth's total amount of water. They divide the water into smaller containers, each representing one of those reservoirs. The...

Young scholars create and analyze graphs using archived atmospheric data to compare the ozone levels of selected regions around the world.

Students locate and map ten volcanoes in United States, create chart comparing volcanoes by last eruption, type of volcano, location, and interesting fact, and create Powerpoint slide show describing basic information about volcanoes and...

The anticipatory set is clever: give groups five minutes to work on the puzzle and then discuss what strategies they used to match the few that connected. This introduces middle schoolers to the concept of continental drift. A portion of...

Students complete a variety of activities in preparation for a unit on oceans. They discuss their own proximity to the ocean, identify and name the oceans on a globe, and in small groups identify facts about a selected ocean. Students...

Students identify ocean features and draw a profile using data points on a map. Through discussion and research, they discover the importance of oceanography and plot a profile of the ocean floor in search for a vessel full of precious...

Middle schoolers devise a plan to prepare a city for an earthquake. In this lesson on earthquakes, students differentiate between the different types of earthquakes, examine the impact they can have on a city, and write a proposal on how...

First graders listen to books about butterflies and look at pictures of butterflies. Students review the stages of butterflies and learn the migratory path the monarch takes in its adult stage.