+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alternative Snowflakes

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students discover how snowflakes in nature are really formed, and recreate this process with paper and glue.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stardust Delivers Comet's Clues

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore the NASA test center and comet facts through an interactive program. They examine the idea if comets are predictable. They finally analyze the materials that combine to make a comet.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Particulate Matter: The Lorax

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd
Learners explore air pollution. In this ecology lesson plan, students participate in an experiment in which 5 numbered jar lids are placed outside. Learners bring one lid a day in until all jars are inside. Dirt specks are counted,...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Meteorite Mysteries: Building Blocks of Planets

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students simulate the formation of chondrites and asteroids. In this astronomy lesson, students demonstrate accretion using balloons and static electricity. They compare and contrast their models to the actual process of chondrites and...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Origins: Earth Is Born

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students develop a timeline of all the major events involved in the formation of the Earth and the emergence of humans. In groups, they focus on a specific topic by watching a PBS program and taking notes. After the video, they list...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Clouds

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students observe and record different types of clouds. They use a cloud chart to discuss the three cloud types to see if students can identify the clouds they drew.
+
Worksheet
Learning Station

Scan It

For Students 3rd - 4th
In this reading strategies worksheet, learners will learn how to scan for information. Then students will scan a non-fiction passage about weather and complete 4 short answer questions.
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Colors of the Universe Scavenger Hunt

For Students 4th - 6th
For this colors of the universe worksheet, students explore the Internet to access one specific website to answer five short answer questions about the colors of the universe.
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

What is Weather?

For Students 7th - 9th
In this weather worksheet, students are given 13 statements about temperature, condensation, saturation, water vapor, humidity and snow. Students find the terms in a word search and fill in the blanks of the sentences.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

P.O.V.'s Borders Picture Project: Lesson 1 - Air

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Take photos of human activities that impact air quality. Collaborative groups present one of the photographs, identifying how the activity contributes to air quality and what can be done to minimize the impact. As one in a series of...
+
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Atomic Bonding

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Explore the connection of surface area to bonding within atoms. Learners complete lab investigations to model changing surface area with different sizes and concentrations of atoms. A flour fireball demonstration follows the labs to...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Fast Fact-Finding

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
Ever wonder why the sky changes color so often? Readers examine an informational excerpt from John Farndon's How the Earth Works. They underline key points as they read and then answer five response questions. Prompts review main points,...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scale Model of the Solar System

For Teachers 6th
Young scientists gain a better understanding of space, the solar system and its vastness by creating a scale model. Students first need to calculate the distance between each of the nine planets according to the size of their scale. This...
+
PPT
Curated OER

Mutations

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
After studying DNA replication and the genetics of inheritance, this slide show is useful for explaining specific mutations that can happen and result in an illness. Sickle cell anemia, and cystic fibrosis are explained on a genetic...
+
PPT
Curated OER

Mutations

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
The basics of mutation types and some potential effects of those are described and diagrammed here. Each detail is very clear and includes the labels and translation change exhibited. A great slideshow to expand on DNA replication issues.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Winter Wonderland - Winter Olympics and the Water Cycle

For Teachers 5th - 7th
After a concise introduction to the water cycle, junior meteorologists access NOAA's average snowfall data. They choose a city to examine in terms of precipitation. Then they look at historical snowfall data and use it to predict snow...
+
PPT
Curated OER

Exploring the Solar System: All About Spacecraft/Spaceflight

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Rarely do you find resources that reach high school astronomy learners. Here is something at their level! The physics of flyby missions is explained via several examples. Landing, penetrating, and roving spacecraft are examined. Diagrams...
+
Worksheet
1
1
TLS Books

Jupiter

For Students 3rd - 5th Standards
Young astronomers read an informational text on the gas giant, Jupiter. Then they answer four multiple choice questions based on what they read.
+
Unit Plan
1
1
NASA

Collecting Electromagnetic Radiation

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Astronomy is literally over your head, but this lesson will explain how we study it. Young scientists make telescopes, calculate and compare the light gathering power of lenses, and simulate detection of infared radiation. Materials...
+
Activity
Weather Wiz Kids

Cloud in a Bottle

For Students 4th
This resource provides a short experiment for students to explore how clouds are formed.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alternative Snowflakes

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students discover how snowflakes in nature are really formed, and recreate this process with paper and glue. This art activity gets some scientific learning in as well.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Peek into the Lives of Stars!

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students create a model of the birth of a star and demonstrate the stages of the star's lifecycle.  In this star lifecycle lesson, students mix flour and water in a jar to model the birth of a star, then role-play the entire lifecycle in...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Dirt We Depend On; How Soil Was Formed Reading Comprehension Worksheet

For Students 4th - 6th
In this soil formation reading comprehension worksheet, students read a 2 page non-fiction article. They answer 19 questions including fill in the blank, multiple choice, and true or false about weathering of the Earth as soil is renewed.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Lorax

For Teachers K
Students read The Lorax and discuss how human actions can affect the environment. They conduct a simple experiment to see how much air pollution is in the air that they breathe.