Unit Plan
Curated OER

Cave Men to Cave Painting

For Teachers 1st
Students explore the Ice Age. In this geology and social studies lesson, students read the book Eyewitness Books Early Humans and create a KWL chart about the Ice Age. Students locate Asia and North America on the World Map and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Down on the Ocean Floor

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Young scholars build a map of the Atlantic Ocean floor and mark the different depths.  In this ocean floor lesson students identify parts of the ocean floor that they created and discuss patterns that they see.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring our Community

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students research Los Angeles and its surrounding communities. They create digital presentations of the information they have gathered by answering the question included in the lesson.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Model of Earth's Tectonic Plates

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers build a model of the Earth showing tectonic plate boundaries. The pattern for the model is provided in the lesson. This is a very useful hands-on component for a lesson about geology or earthquakes.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trouble in the Troposphere

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars create graphs using NASA data, compare ozone levels of several U.S. cities, analyze and evaluate the data and predict trends based on the data, and discuss and describe how human activities have modified Earth's air quality.
Lesson Plan
Project SMART

Rocks and Minerals: Touch the Earth

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students complete a unit of lessons on rocks and minerals. They conduct research, write e-mail questions to geologists, write daily journal entries, label maps demonstrating types of rocks/minerals found, and create a web page that...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Is My Water Safe?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners discuss what makes their drinking water safe and unsafe. They locate and visit a local tributary and test the water's pH, hardness, dissolved oxygen, and total alkalinity. They compose a summary paragraph about the tests and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Linkages Between Surface Temperature And Tropospheric Ozone

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students collect and interpret data to make predictions about the levels of ozone in the atmosphere. Using the internet to collect data students use their collected data to create a line graph for analysis. Students make mathematical...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Let's Roam Together

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students collect information about buffalo and transform their classroom into a wildlife park. In this conservation instructional activity, students work in groups to research a question pertaining to buffalo populations and habitat...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Continents Adrift

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners examine how tectonic plates change the Earth's land. In this geology lesson, students are divided into small groups to construct a continent puzzle. Learners use transparency pieces to demonstrate how Africa and South America...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Find the Rocks

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Students gain appreciation about the geology around them. They navigate the schoolyard using a map. They create a list of what people use rocks for. They mark location of rocks on their maps.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stratigraphy -- Layers of Time in the Earth

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students are introduced to the process of stratification. Using the internet, they read about the Richard Beene archeological site near San Antonio. Using a map, they color code the different layers present at this site and answer...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gold Mine

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students view and discuss a demonstration of how gold is mined and panned. They design and create a tunnel that has reinforcements to withstand collapse.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plate Tectonics: Recycling the Seafloor

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students classify earth's layers and plates using Ocean Seismicity data. In this plate tectonics lesson, students outline where the plate boundaries are on the world map. They then compare these predicted boundaries with USGS map of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Glaciers Leave Their Imprint

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Pupils study various types of glaciers and the landforms they create. Working in pairs, they research a type of glacial landform and construct a calendar page illustrating and describing it. The pages be compiled to create a class calendar.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Nebraska Brochure

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers research the physical attributes of Nebraska. They work together to create a brochure highlighting the topic of their choice. They share their brochure to the class.
Lesson Plan
Polar Trec

What Can We Learn from Sediments?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Varve: a deposit of cyclical sediments that help scientists determine historical climates. Individuals analyze the topography of a region and then study varve datasets from the same area. Using this information, they determine the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Comparison of Cloud Coverage Over Africa

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students use a NASA satellite data to contrast amounts of cloud coverage over different climate regions in Africa. They explore how Earth's major air circulations affect global weather patterns, and relate to local weather patterns.
Lesson Plan
NASA

Hurricanes and Hot Towers with TRMM

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Take cover because a wild presentation on hurricanes is about to make landfall in your classroom! An outstanding PowerPoint presentation is the centerpiece of this lesson. Not only does it provide information and photographs, but several...
Activity
It's About Time

Effects of Plate Tectonics

For Teachers 7th - 12th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Crater Lakes and the Volcanoes of the Cascade Mountains

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Learners study volcanoes. In this Earth science lesson plan, students read, discuss and take notes on the volcanoes of the Cascade Mountains. This lesson also includes an art project.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seven Natural Wonders of Africa

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students draw a picture and write a few sentences telling about their favorite natural wonder of Africa. They discuss the importance of the Nile River, Mount Kilimanjaro, the Great Rift Valley, the Serengeti Plains, and the Sahara Desert.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

environment: Fresh and Saltwater Habitats

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Students compare and contrast fresh and salt water coastal environments. After describing how sea animals adapt to their habitats, they design a variety of sea creatures and explain how the adaptations aid in the animals' survival. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Different Kind of Rock Star: Part 2

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students examine our society's fascination with Mars.  In this journalism lesson plan students read an article that outlines the various ways Mars has captured our imagination and are given topics for discussion and a...