Lesson Plan
NOAA

A Laboratory Simulation of Ocean Surface Currents

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Stimulate interest in ocean currents with a simulation. The first installment of a five-part middle school series teaches future oceanographers about the forces that interact to cause ocean currents. A simulation shows how wind and...
Lesson Plan3:32
Orange County Water Atlas

Location, Location, Location…

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Young geographers discover not only how to read and recognize coordinates on a map, but also gain a deeper understanding of latitude and longitude and how climate changes can vary significantly across latitudes.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ozone Layer

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars read a CNNfyi.com article in order to identify causes of ozone depletion. They compare and contrast the effects of chlorofluorocarbons and bromine on the ozone. They develop a plan to prevent future destruction of the ozone.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weathering and Erosion

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students examine the similarities and differences between weathering and erosion. They participate in a lab in which they test the effects of different materials when exposed to weathering and erosion. They record their observations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weather Dance

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students study weather and focus on specific dance concepts. They are introduced to different ty es of clouds and how they are formed. Next, they study wind and why it occurs.
Lesson Plan
Florida International University

Pipeline to the Coral Reefs

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Discover firsthand the effects of internal waves on coral reefs. Through a series of experiments, learners simulate internal waves and upwelling events as they make observations on the movement of water and other debris. They then...
Lesson Plan
Florida International University

Design Your Own

For Students 9th - 12th
Apply scientific principles to designing an experiment to study organisms living on the coral reef in our oceans. Through reading, individuals learn about the coral reef ecosystem and important factors that affect its function....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weather

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students recognize that carbon dioxide's role in the greenhouse effect. They research the greenhouse effect to design and create a greenhouse structure to measure the changing temperatures over a 24-hour period. In addition, they write a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fallout!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers 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....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seasons and Cloud Cover, Are They Related?

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Young scholars use NASA satellite data to correlate cloud cover over Africa to the solar declination.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Comparison of Land and Water Temperature

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine NASA satellite observations of surface temperature and investigate the seasonal changes of land and water temperature.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Mountains Shape Climate

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students use raw data to make a climatograph; they explain the process of orographic precipitation and the concept of a rain shadow.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating Climographs

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students chart statistical information on graphs, interpret the information and use it to explain spatial relationships, and identify the relationship between climate and vegetation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Industrial Revolution & Climate Change

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine the Industrial Revolution and write an essay about the problems it brought to cities. They also examine the environmental impact of the Industrial Revolution. They take a quiz to test for comprehension.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Go To The Head of the Cloud

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students pretend they are water droplets traveling through the water cycle. Using their text, they discover the steps in the cycle and the different paths water can take. They write a report about their journey through the water cycle...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Home-Made Clouds

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders witness cloud formation in a jar during a teacher lead simulation. They research, draw and predict weather using information they gather about clouds.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Environmental Puzzle: The Carbon Cycle

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle school science stars examine fuels and energy with a variety of activities. They begin with a KWL chart, read an informative passage, and then complete a puzzle. The puzzle itself is included. Cleverly, each piece corresponds to a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Why Is the Sky Blue?"

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers investigate why the sky is blue and the sunset is red. They are asked why do you think that we see the sky as blue? Students write a hypothesis on their "Blue Sky Lab Sheet". They explain why they think that the sky...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ecosystems and Climate

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students examine climatic effects on ecosystems. They plant tomatoes and observe the differences in plant growth with differences in light. They create picture collages of plants, animals, and insects found in each climate of the U.S.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Do We Know...?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify and explain how various inventions and astronomers have improved our appreciation of the universe. Students identify at least two constellations in the sky and discuss how they were used in ancient times to tell time...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plants and Oxygen: Breathing Easy

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders explore how plants produce oxygen.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biogeochemical Cycles

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners demonstrate comprehension of the energy sources of various cycles by completing mini stories. They demonstrate analysis of words by defining individual word parts and combining them to form definitions. Students demonstrate...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Endangered Species !: Why Are Species Endangered?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars explore the various issues and problems faced by endangered species globally. They research the plight of endangered species, create a poster of a selected animal, and present their poster and research to the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Does the Loss of Ozone Affect Our Climate

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore the greenhouse effect and what it does to the environment. They discuss if and how human behavior contributes to global warming and test natural materials for carbon content.