Curated OER
Natural Hazards
Learners evaluate the hazards of naturally occurring events. After watching a video concerning safety hazards, students work in groups to discuss the safety issues involved in taking a trip to a mountainous region. Recommendations are...
Curated OER
Aurora Borealis
Students discuss what causes the northern lights and the folklore attached to them. They discuss magnetic fields, and use various common materials to discover if ions conduct electricity.
Curated OER
St. Andrew Bay Story
Fourth graders produce a front page newspaper story about St. Andrew Bay (Fl) after completing a field trip to St. Andrew State Park (Fl) and viewing two videos about the bay system. They use a word processing computer program to...
Curated OER
Ocean Color
Students examine NASA's SeaWiFS Project Web site to explore how the SeaWiFS Project monitors environmental and climatic changes in the oceans and atmosphere. They answer questions and write a summary in support of continued funding for...
Curated OER
Super Scientists Bingo
In this science worksheet, middle schoolers select twenty-five scientists from the list to fill in their bingo card. Then they match each of the scientists listed to their correct description strip.
Curated OER
Meteorology Word Search Puzzle
In this science instructional activity, students look for the words that are related to the theme of the instructional activity. They also work on the skills of spelling and word recognition.
Curated OER
Cloud Forecast
Pupils record weather observations and research online weather data. In this weather observations lesson, students study the cloud cover for several days and record their observations in a chart. Pupils identify the cloud types and...
Curated OER
Persistence Forecasting
Learners study weather forecasting. In this weather instructional activity, students explore forecasting weather methods and do a forecast. Learners study weather reports and discuss the elements of a forecast. Students study the method...
Other
Massachusetts Department of Education: Sunlight Warms Earth's Surface
This unit contains a series of lessons that allow learners to explore the effect of sunlight on Earth's natural surfaces of sand, soil, rock, and water. In addition, students explore how the color and material of a surface affects how...
Encyclopedia of Earth
Encyclopedia of Earth: Energy: Solar Power
Explains what solar power is, how it is produced, its limitations as an alternative energy source, environmental issues, the importance of analyzing solar power systems on an ongoing basis, and geographical considerations. (Published:...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Solar Power
Students learn about solar energy and how to calculate the amount of solar energy available at a given location and time of day on Earth. The importance of determining incoming solar energy for solar devices is discussed.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Earth Science: Solar Energy on Earth
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Describes characteristics of solar energy including the electromagnetic spectrum and movement.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Earth Science: Solar Power
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] How solar energy can be used and its consequences.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Earth Science: Solar Power
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] How solar energy can be collected and used, and the consequences of it.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Earth Science: Solar Energy and Latitude
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Discusses the relationship between solar energy and latitude.
Encyclopedia of Earth
Encyclopedia of Earth: Solar Radiation
Almost all of the energy that drives the various systems (climate systems, ecosystems, hydrologic systems, etc.) found on the Earth originates from the sun. Solar energy is created at the core of the sun when hydrogen atoms are fused...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Link Between Arctic Sea Ice and Solar Radiation Absorbed
The Arctic plays an important role in regulating Earth's climate. The region reflects much of the Sun's energy and helps keep the planet cool. Data collected by NASA have revealed that sea ice in the Arctic has steadily declined over the...
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Earth Science: Solar Energy on Earth
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] A breakdown of the types of energy that Earth receives from the sun.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Energy
Seven hands-on lessons module where students learn about energy. These inquiry-based explorations investigate where energy resources come from and how they are converted into electricity, how fossil fuels form, the importance of...
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Ucar: Cycles of the Earth System: Earth's Energy Cycle: Albedo
Students experiment and observe how the color of materials that cover the Earth affects the amounts of sunlight our planet absorbs.
Encyclopedia of Earth
Encyclopedia of Earth: Photovoltaics
Article explaining what photovoltaic cells are, their role in solar energy, how they work, how electricity is produced, and applications of this technology. (Published: April 24, 2010)
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Earth Science: Solar Power Study Guide
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] This study guide summarizes key points about solar energy, how it is harnessed, and its benefits and disadvantages. Includes a few questions to check for understanding.
FT Exploring
Ft Exploring: Insolation and Solar Availability
Learn about insolation, or how much sunlight or solar radiation any given place on Earth receives based on many factors.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Sunlight Is Way Older Than You Think
It takes light a zippy eight minutes to reach Earth from the surface of the Sun. But how long does it take that same light to travel from the Sun's core to its surface? Oddly enough, the answer is many thousands of years. Sten Odenwald...