Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Oil and Natural Gas Formation

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students complete a narrative paper and a drawing depicting how the formation of oil and natural gas taken from the Earth's crust were once plants and animals millions of years ago. In this oil and natural gas lesson plan, students read,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Candy Quakes

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders, using a candy bar, gum, and Twizzlers, demonstrate the effects of deformational forces on the earth's crust. They examine the processes of rock and fossil formation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Big is Your Footprint?

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students create awareness for ways in which the "Western" lifestyle negatively impacts the Earth. They create awareness for alternatives to our current ways of living, eating and traveling. Students are challenged to talk with their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sun's habitable Zone

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore the average surface temperature of planets. They use the Planet Temperature Calculator to find the average temperature. Students explore how the distance from the sun affects the Earth's average surface...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stratospheric Ozone

For Teachers 12th - Higher Ed
Students explore about the structure of Earth's atmosphere and about the stratospheric ozone. They discuss how it is produced and destroyed, where it is located, why it is important, and how it is changing. Students investigate about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Now We Teach Six Rs

For Teachers K - 4th
Pupils explore recycling.  In this ecology instructional activity, students sort classroom garbage into items that can be reused, reduced, or recycled.  Pupils brainstorm ideas for reusing items and discuss ways to celebrate...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Circular Motion

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research physical science by completing worksheets. In this gravity lesson, students read assigned text regarding the rotation of Earth and the gravitational force caused by the speed of which it rotates. Students complete a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Paper Mache Globes

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders create a paper mache model of the earth. At the conclusion of a discussion about the earth, they are given paper mache materials, they create their globe and appropriately draw and label landforms, bodies of water and the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alien Pen Pals

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars write a friendly letter to an Alien Pen Pal including details about the planet Earth.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Individual Sundial (Cloud/Rain Activity)

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students make a simple sundial to examine the changes in shadows over time. In this sundial and shadow instructional activity, students make a simple sundial out of a manila folder and pencil. They observe how shadows change over time,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Expanding the Mission: Historical Parks

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explore U.S. geography by viewing a documentary in class. In this national parks lesson, students view video clips of individual national parks and locate them using Google Earth software. Students create a persuasive...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Are You Balanced With Your Environment?

For Teachers K - 4th
Students discuss the impact of not keeping the environment in balance for future generations. As a class, they are introduced to the concept of "Balance of Nature" and what it means. In groups, they research the role of trees and how to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Historical Geography Scavenger Hunt

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers are told that Geography is the science that deals with the differentiation of the surface of the earth due to the influence of things like population, vegetation, geology, and land use. They explore the Geography Basics...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Create a Cloud in a Bottle

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students examine the earth's atmosphere. In this hands-on science lesson, students follow the outlined steps to create clouds in 2-liter bottles.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sedimentary Size and Structures

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students interpret the Earth's history from models.  In this investigative lesson students create sedimentary deposit models. 
Lesson Plan
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"Water is Life" Global Water Awareness

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students examine and calculate the percentage of potable water remaining on the earth. In this ecology and geography lesson, students brainstorm the main factors affecting water distribution. Students use mathematical problem solving to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

2.0 "Water Is Life" Global Water Awareness Mini-Unit (Grades3-5)

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students study the amount of potable water on the Earth. In this water lesson, students examine the amount of potable water as compared to all the water on the Earth. They discuss why many parts of the world do not have access to good...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water in the Geosphere

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Through a PowerPoint presentation and the embedded animation and video, earth science enthusiasts find out about the moisture in the soil beneath our feet. In the animation, follow a water molecule on its path through the water cycle. As...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Planet: Black Carbon - a Dusty Situation

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Introduce your young meteorologists to black carbon produced by the burning of fossil fuels by showing the video, "Changing Planet: Black Carbon." Viewers discover that deposition of this carbon on polar ice impacts the absorption of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Planet: Rising Ocean Temperatures - Rising Sea Levels

For Teachers 5th - 9th
As an anticipatory set, young environmental technicians watch a video about how ocean temperatures seem to be changing along with the global climate. They perform a laboratory demonstration with the purpose of observing what happens to...
Interactive
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NOAA

Plate Tectonics Interactive

For Students 6th - 12th
Here is a plate tectonics interactive that will really move your class! The first of a 13-part series introduces young geologists to the fundamental concepts and vocabulary they need to understand the interactions between...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Floods and Flash Floods

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Junior geologists, hydrologists, or meteorologists simulate what happens during the flooding of a river and demonstrate factors that contribute to flash flooding. This outstanding resource provides a vocabulary list, online resources,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sandscapes to Landscapes

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore landscapes and create their own in a creative project.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding the Compass

For Teachers 4th
Young geographers view an excellent description of how compasses work, then work in partners to make a compass of their own. There is a heavy religious component in this activity; for example, as closure, the teacher reads a verse from...

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