Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Groundwater Basics

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Groundwater is an essential natural resource, not to mention a fascinating topic to study. Here is a series of twelve amazing lessons on the water source and how we use it in our daily lives. Concepts require higher math and physics...
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NASA

Solar System Scale & Size

For Teachers K - 8th Standards
Use a variety of whole fruits to represent the different planets in the solar system to introduce scale sizes to your math or space science class. They follow suit by creating a non-scaled model of the solar system using specific-colored...
Lesson Plan
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Making The Geologic Time Scale Real

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students are assigned significant geologic events in Earth's history. They convert the date of the events into distances and then space themselves (on an outside playing field) away from other groups, to represent time between various...
Lesson Plan
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Shake, Rattle and Roll

For Teachers K - 4th
Students compare the weathering of different-sized materials. Comparisons are made and data analyzed to reach conclusions about the process of weathering. Applications can be made for the higher grades.
Lesson Plan
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Shake, Rattle and Roll

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Young scholars compare the weathering of materials. in this weathering lesson, students experiment with the chemical and physical weathering of different materials. Young scholars use salt and water as an example of how weathering occurs.
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Latent Heat and Clouds

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students explore latent heat and how it relates to clouds in the atmosphere.  In this earth science lesson plan students investigate how clouds are formed. Students examine clouds and the water cycle.
Lesson Plan
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Earth's History

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders study the law of superposition by creating models of fossils in layers of rock. They examine how fossils are usually found in sedimentary rock which leads to the study of geologic history in those rocks.
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Studying Exothermic and Endothermic Reactions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the mesosphere and lower thermosphere globally and achieve a major improvement in our understanding of the fundamental processes governing the energetics, chemistry, dynamics, and transport of the atmospheric region....
Lesson Plan
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Our Ever Changing Earth

For Teachers 1st
First graders discover plate tectonics. They observe the forces of erosion. They observe the forces of weathering. They state three ways the earth changes. They record observations and make conclusions about their observations.
Lesson Plan
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Earthquake Epicenters and Magnitudes

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students work on a virtual earthquake to increase their understanding of seismograms, earthquake epicenters, Richter Magnitude and triangulation when finding the epicenter of an earthquake.
Lesson Plan
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Space Science: Constellations and the Sun

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students review the zodiac signs and illustrate their movement using constellations on the wall and themselves to represent earth. Individually or in groups, they stand in the center of the room while a shadeless lamp is placed between...
Lesson Plan
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Organisms and Their Environment

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars explore Earth's biosphere. For this biosphere lesson, students participate in group activities regarding biotic and abiotic factors, population density, and species' habitats.
Lesson Plan
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Trouble in the Troposphere

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers Use data sets from MY NASA DATA to produce graphs comparing monthly and yearly ozone averages of several U.S. cities. They analyze and evaluate the data and predict trends based on the data. In addition, they discuss and...
Lesson Plan
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Ecology And the Conservation of Natural Resources

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students study Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift and how the continents were connected in one large land mass called Pangaea. They examine plate tectonics and the theory that the earth's surface is composed of large moving...
Lesson Plan
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Water and Ice

For Teachers K - 2nd
Learners explore the physical properties of water.  In this water lesson, students observe, measure, and describe water as it changes state. There are 2 extensions for this lesson that one can access via the Internet links provided.
Lesson Plan
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Create a Cloud in a Bottle

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers investigate the conditions needed for cloud formation and explore how pressure and temperature effect cloud formation.  In this atmospheric pressure lesson students complete a lab on cloud formation. 
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Create a Cloud in a Jar (Hands-on Version)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the conditions necessary for cloud formation.  In this clouds lesson students complete an activity that shows them atmospheric pressure.
Lesson Plan
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Where in the World is Carbon Dixoide?

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students conduct experiments designed to detect the presence of CO2 by using a BTB that changes color (blue to yellow) in the presence of CO2. First, students experiment with the CO2 from combining vinegar and baking soda. In part two,...
Lesson Plan
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Warm and Toasty

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students are introduced to the concepts of specific heat and heat capacity. In groups, they design an experiment to test these two topics on various fabrics. They compare and contrast the amount of heat loss on the different materials...
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Oceanography (Rivers and Streams)

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders examine the characteristics of streams and rivers. They identify the types of resources lakes, ponds and oceans provide. They ask questions to complete the lesson plan.
Lesson Plan
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Clouds and the Weather

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders analyze the relationship of clouds and local weather. Students also observe and record cloud data and weather conditions daily as they research different cloud types. The data is analyzed looking for trends in daily...
Lesson Plan
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In Outer Space

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Students use the internet to gather information on the solar system. They identify the discoverer and unique characteristics of each planet. They compare and contrast each planet based on size, mass, and distance from the sun. They...
Lesson Plan
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Cold Fronts And Warm Fronts

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars simulate the movement of cold and warm fronts as they listen to a story about the weather and Mr. Sun. They brainstorm the characteristics of each type of front then write about which front they would prefer if they were...
Lesson Plan
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Heat and Light Come From Various Sources

For Teachers 1st
First graders study heat and light and how they come from various sources. They list sources of heat and light and identify the different energy sources as heat, light, or both heat and light.