NOAA
Ocean Acidification
If tap water is more acidic than ocean water, why are we so concerned about ocean acidification? The third installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program focuses on carbon dioxide levels in...
Teach Engineering
Dress for Success
Dressing for success is not always about looking sharp. Sometimes it is about staying warm and dry. Present your class with an activity that challenges groups of pupils to design a layered material for blizzard conditions. The teams test...
Discovery Education
Smoke on the Water
How do clouds form? Learners demonstrate the formation of clouds and the water cycle by testing four different setups in a plastic bottle. They identify the key components of a cloud to help them understand the process of cloud...
Teach Engineering
Life Cycles
Breathe some life into product design. Pupils learn about the stages of product creation, use, and disposal—sometimes called a cradle-to-grave assessment. They see how this cycle relates to the life cycle of organisms.
Baylor College
Water in Your Body
Do you know how much water you have had in the last 24 hours? Do you know how much your body needs? In this hands-on activity, your class members will estimate how much water our bodies lose each day by filling and emptying one-liter...
Curated OER
Earth's Energy Cycle: Albedo
Students complete all of the steps in the scientific inquiry process to study Earth's energy cycle; most specifically temperature and the effects of albedo (energy reflected back from Earth's surface) on temperature.
Curated OER
Smooth It Out
Fourth graders describe how weather events such as hard rains and floods cause weathering of the Earth's surface and rocks. They distinguish between erosion and weathering, and comprehend that water and friction show similar results in...
Curated OER
The Earth's Landscape#156
Students define a word from the natural disaster list, find a location in the world where this type of disaster has occurred and discuss what they have identified. They design a crossword puzzle of natural disaster words or check a...
Curated OER
Freezing Cracks
Fourth graders examine how weather events cause weathering of the Earth's surface and how freezing water creates cracks and broken rocks over time. They observe what happens when a jar full of water is frozen overnight, and record their...
Curated OER
The Sun and Moon
Students understand basic concepts about Earth, the Sun and the Moon,
such as relative movement and the phases of the moon. Through discussion, looking at pictures, listening to Native American stories, observing, and building models,...
Curated OER
2004 Asian Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Project
Students are employees of a unit of the United Nations, they are responsible for coordinating disaster relief after a major disaster (the 2004 Asian Earthquake and Tsunami) occurs. The agency needs to understand the situation in each...
Curated OER
Global Change- Earth as Home
Students create their own environment. In this environmental protection lesson, students pretend they are the owners of a tropical island. They create jobs for the citizens and develop the island as a model environment.
Curated OER
How Life on Earth Began
Seventh graders investigate the concept of evolution and how it was a mechanism for the foundation of life on Earth. They conduct research and attempt to make cognitive connections with the evidence to agree with the presupposition of...
Curated OER
Weathering and Erosion
Students conduct two experiments. In this weathering and erosion lesson, students identify the different ways that weathering occurs, name the natural elements of weather and explain the process of erosion. Students watch a PowerPoint on...
Curated OER
The Water Cycle
Fifth graders identify organisms and processes involved in three cycles: the water cycle, the carbon cycle, and the nitrogen cycle. They produce a pictorial or abstract water cycle, and appropriately place life forms onto an existing...
Curated OER
Earth: The Food We Eat, The Seeds We Sow
Students explore the importance of seed diversity for cultural and ecological stability/health. They discover what an heirloom seed is and why they are important to conserve.
Curated OER
Water Layering and Circulation
Students examine relationships and interactions between different types of water. They experiment with colored water of different temperature and salinity and discuss how the results relate to real ocean currents.
Curated OER
Hurricanes and Tornadoes (Grade 4-8)
Students investigate the concepts of hurricanes and violent weather conditions. In this violent weather lesson, students access an Internet site and watch a video about how air masses behave, how a tornado forms, how hurricanes form, and...
Curated OER
Plants And Pollination
Students describe sexual reproduction in plants, including the process of pollination, how insects assist in pollination, and how pollination differs from fertilization. They also explore the importance of honey bees to Arizona agriculture.
Curated OER
Mountains "Fold, Fault, Erupt, and Erode"
Fifth graders conduct an experiment to demonstrate the folding and rippling of rock to form a mountain. They identify mountain chains on a map, participate in the demonstrations, and define folding fault block, igneous eruptions, igneous...
Curated OER
Earth, the Universe, and Culture
Middle schoolers view segment of documentary, Swift: Eyes Through Time, explore famous scientists, their theories, places of origin, and culture, document scientific viewpoints of famous scientists throughout history, and discuss...
Curated OER
Math in Science-Radioactive Decay and Half-Life
In this radioactive decay and half-life worksheet, students use given half-lifes to calculate the amount of time it will take for certain amounts of elements to decay. They also find the age of samples and determine how many grams of...
Curated OER
Rocks and Soil
Middle schoolers explore the physical properties of rocks. They explore the three different types of rocks and are able to compare and contrast their different properties. Students simulate the creation of sedimentary rock, they also...
Curated OER
The Environment and You
First graders examine the human environmental impact and discover ways to lessen effects. They create a pollution damage flow chart and write down what they think Mother Earth might say. They create inventions from recyclable materials.