Curated OER
Rocket Me into Space
Fourth graders study the concept of thrust and how it propels rockets into space. They discover why airplanes cannot travel into space while considering the engineering techniques use in designing rockets. They look at how space...
Curated OER
Physical Characteristics of the Troposphere
Students lexplore environmental trends in the troposphere- temperature, dew point, pressure and wind speed- by checking their hypotheses against data collected by weather balloons.
Curated OER
Hubble Space Telescope
High schoolers investigate the universe through the eyes of the Hubble space telescope. They conduct research from looking at the universe that is simulated with a digital projector. The images are projected onto the wall in a simulation...
Curated OER
Plants and Oxygen: Breathing
Second graders gain an understanding of how plants produce oxygen and that the oxygen we breathe comes from trees and plants. After a lecture/demo, 2nd graders discuss the ways plants produce oxygen and the detrimental effects of cutting...
Curated OER
Using Vegetation, Precipitation, and Surface Temperature to Study Climate Zones
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...
Curated OER
What Goes Around Comes Around!
Learners create an ecosystem in a jar to show a model of the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle. Working in small groups, they research and present orally the information they find on this cycle.
Curated OER
Cherishing the Water of Life
Learners work in small groups to brainstorm a list of all creatures, plants, natural, and artificial processes that use or depend on fresh water. The class views an aquarium filled with water representing all the water in the world. The...
Curated OER
Sky Show
Students participate in a discussion of the sky and colors. They watch a demonstration of how colors can change. They examine the issue of if weather should be a part of their coursework.
US Environmental Protection Agency
Mapping Greenhouse Gas Emissions Where You Live
After investigating the US Environmental Protection Agency's climate change website, your environmental studies learners discuss greenhouse gas emissions. They use an online interactive tool to look at data from power production...
Curated OER
Trends of Snow Cover and Temperature in Alaska
Students gather historical snow cover and temperature data from the MY NASA DATA Web site. They compare this data to data gathered using ground measurements from the ALISON Web site for Shageluk Lake. They graph both sets of data and...
Curated OER
Technology Integration Project Weather Unit Plan
Students use a variety of technology-assisted weather observation tools to observe and record local weather. They identify, measure and record weather conditions, summarize types of clouds and make graphs of their observations. Students...
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Amounts of Dissolved Oxygen in Various Bodies of Water
Students test water to determine the dissolved oxygen content while displaying the proper use of testing instruments while visiting water testing sites. They determine if the amount of dissolved oxygen is appropriate for the tested...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Personal Choices and the Planet
How big is your footprint? Activity three culminates the series by having groups complete carbon footprint audits with people in their schools and/or around the districts. Groups then gather their data, create a presentation including...
Curated OER
Climate Change in My City
Students investigate the climate changes occurring locally, regionally and globally over the last one hundred years. They brainstorm and predict whether the current year's weather was warmer or colder than last year then check the...
PHET
AM Radio Ionosphere Station
Tune in! Young scientists use an AM radio at home to monitor solar output. The long-term project would be ideal in a flipped classroom or as an out-of-class project.
Curated OER
It's So Sticky Outside That...
Students examine the phases of the water cycle and water's different forms it can have. They work in groups to create pantomimes to illustrate the water cycle to their classmates.
Curated OER
Snowball Fight
Young scholars examine the weather conditions throughout the globe. As a class, they discover the impact of snow on various types of crops. In groups, they participate in an experiment in which they form raindrops and calculate the...
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Action-Reaction! Rocket
Students construct a rocket from a balloon propelled along a guide string. They use this model to learn about Newton's three laws of motion, examining the effect of different forces on the motion of the rocket. They measure the distance...
Forest Foundation
Forest Watersheds
Where does the water we use come from? To understand the concept of a watershed, class members study the water cycle and then engage in an activity that simulates a watershed.
Curated OER
The Big Crush
Middle schoolers examine weather maps from their state from the past few days. They examine the Highs and Lows on the maps to determine what kind of weather they produce. They use that information to better prepare for their activities...
Curated OER
Physical Characteristics of the Troposphere
Learners examine troposphere graphs and mcompare their hypotheses with data collected by weather balloons launched from the NOAA ship, Ronald H. Brown. they write summaries about the physical properties of the troposphere.
Curated OER
Climate and Topography, What Is the Connection?
Fourth graders study Neumann's world continent map and explore topography and climate.
Curated OER
Oxygen: What a Gas!
Eighth graders explain how oxygen reacts to other elements. They also explain why oxygen is a reactive substance, how it has weight, and how it reacts with other substances. They construct an experiment to relate their findings.
Curated OER
Effects of Ozone in the Air
Fifth graders learn how ground-level ozone is an air pollution problem. Students measure ozone levels and graph the results.