Curated OER
World Wide Winds
Students recognize that global winds move in specific directions in specific latitudes and describe that in a written form. They relate the motion of the wind belts to historical navigation.
Curated OER
Winds Go Spinning Around
Young scholars simulate the Coriolis Effect to comprehend why winds in the Westerlies are prone to cyclonic and anti-cyclonic motion. They arrive at an explanation of processes that drive world wind patterns
Curated OER
Tanker Spills
Young scholars predict the flow of an oil spill and depict it on a map. They explain the predicted route of the oil spill using knowledge of ocean currents in a short presentation to their peers.
Curated OER
Rain Shadows and Sea Breezes
Learners plot the average rainfall for a variety of cities in the United States. Using the map, they work together to determine patterns on which toxicants are transported through the air. They determine the impacts of various weather...
Curated OER
Earthquake Epicenters and Magnitudes
Students work on a virtual earthquake to increase their understanding of seismograms, earthquake epicenters, Richter Magnitude and triangulation when finding the epicenter of an earthquake.
Curated OER
Volcano!-Thar She Blows!
Students describe how volcanoes are formed. They name the types of boundaries where volcanoes occur. They utilize models to illustrate the occurence of volcanoes and earthquakes along plate boundaries. They compare and constrast the...
Curated OER
Air Masses
Middle schoolers examine the physical characteristics of several types of air masses to discover how air masses can be identified and defined by their temperature and moisture content.
Curated OER
Current Interactions
High schoolers design an experiment to see how wind, temperature, and salinity work together to influence ocean currents and present it in a report format. They explain to their classmates how experiment findings relate to ocean currents.
Curated OER
Fallout!
Pupils plot the locations of fallout from two disasters that polluted much of the world's air. They plot the ash fallout from the 1980 Mt. St. Helen's eruption to see what the wind patterns in the United States look like overall. Next...
Curated OER
Air Pollution Over Where?
Pupils predict the movement of an air borne pollutant using their understanding of air currents. They determine which governments and/or communities should be contacted to be forewarned. They also explore the properties of their assigned...
Curated OER
A Message in a Bottle
Students investigate the motion of water currents by mapping the possible movement of messages cast into the ocean in bottles.They accurately plot the appearance of bottles on a world map and illustrate the flow of an ocean current...
Curated OER
Drifting Continents, Dynamic Results
Learners plot earthquake and volcano data using a Compass Rose Plotting. They explain the relationship between plate movement and connection. They draw conclusions that earthquakes and volcanoes occur in predictable locations.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Heat Transfer: No Magic About It
Heat transfer is an important concept that is a part of everyday life yet often misunderstood by students. For this lesson, students learn the scientific concepts of temperature, heat, and the transfer of heat through conduction,...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Heat Transfer
Students explore heat transfer and energy efficiency using the context of energy efficient houses. They gain a solid understanding of the three types of heat transfer: radiation, convection and conduction, which are explained in detail...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: What Is Heat?
Students learn about the definition of heat as a form of energy and how it exists in everyday life. They also learn about the three types of heat transfer as well as the connection between heat and insulation.
Education Development Center
Center for Children and Technology: No Way: Heat Transfer
In this heat transfer activity, students become editors for a website that publishes amazing-but-true stories. Two stories being considered for publication include claims about heat energy. Students must evaluate the validity of the...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Using Heat From the Sun
In this lesson, learners will first discuss where energy comes from, including sources such as fossil fuels, nuclear, and such renewable technologies as solar. After this initial exploration, students will investigate the three main...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: The Three Bears Heat Investigation It's Just Right
This activity uses the story of the three bears as a way to investigate conduction, convection, radiation, and insulation properties. It also could be used to describe the laws of thermodynamics and conservation of energy.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Popping Hot
In this lesson students will discover the different forms of heat transfer such as conduction, convection, and radiation and that these forms can be demonstrated by popping popcorn. Students will learn the health benefits of popcorn, one...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: What's Hot and What's Not?
With the help of simple, teacher-led demonstration activities, students learn the basic physics of heat transfer by means of conduction, convection, and radiation. They also learn about examples of heating and cooling devices, from stove...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: What Makes Thunderstorms? See Convection
Using water, food coloring, and an ice cube, students observe the movement of convection currents in a container, and illustrate what they see happening. This activity develops their understanding of how thunderstorms form.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Ecology at Work
Young scholars learn how rooftop gardens help the environment and the lives of people, especially in urban areas. They gain an understanding of how plants reduce the urban heat island effect, improve air quality, provide agriculture...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: How Hot Is It?
Students learn about the nature of thermal energy, temperature and how materials store thermal energy. They discuss the difference between conduction, convection and radiation of thermal energy, and complete activities in which they...
Climate Literacy
Clean: What Happens to Ice in Water?
Students investigate the properties of water in the ice and liquid phase as it relates to convection in the ocean and density driven circulation, and ultimately the climate.