Curated OER
Using the Synoptic Code for the Prediction of Water
Students construct a thermoscreen for the experiment. For this earth science lesson, students make observations and interpret them using synoptic codes. They predict the weather based on gathered information.
Curated OER
Hurricanes
Students perform various experiments to explore hurricanes. In this earth science lesson, students explain how they form. They identify the structure of a hurricane.
Curated OER
Severe Weather
Fifth graders identify the causes and effects of several different kinds of
severe weather phenomenon. They read an excerpt from John Muir's book The Mountains of California and research one of the following severe
weather phenomena...
Curated OER
Naming the Clouds
Fourth graders examine how water condenses into clouds and identify the different types of clouds using the same system devised over 200 years ago. They listen to a book about clouds, and create a Cloud Key. Next, they record their...
Curated OER
Water Cycle
Students identify the different stages in the water cycle. In this earth science lesson, students calculate the residence time of water in oceans using a mathematical formula. They explain how this cycle regulates the Earth's climate.
Curated OER
Glaciers As Indicators of Global Climate Change
Students research about glacial ice melting on the four major spheres of the Earth. In this earth science lesson, students explain how this process relates to global warming. They create a presentation and share their findings with the...
Curated OER
Earth Science
High schoolers analyze the mechanisms for generating ocean currents, temperature, and deep ocean circulation. They are able to assess the formation and breaking of waves and their effect on shorelines, particularly the North Carolina...
Curated OER
Slip Slidin' Away
Students investigate mechanical weathering as a form of erosion. In this erosion lesson, students, define weathering and erosion before determining how the Earth's surface is in a constant state of change. They watch a video, access...
Space Awareness
The Climate in Numbers and Graphs
Weather versus climate: weather relates to short time periods while climate averages the weather of a period of many years. Scholars learn about average temperature and precipitation in various climate zones and then apply statistics...
Texas State University
Earth: Deposition and Lithification
Geology geniuses analyze sediment samples with a hand lens and sort according to physical characteristics. They also learn about the processes of cementation, compaction, and lithification within the rock cycle. The lesson plan is...
Science Friday
How Boulders Are Born
Want your class to rock? Then try this boulder activity. Pupils learn about a specific boulder field and use edible materials to demonstrate the geological processes that formed this unique feature. Weathering, erosion, and mass...
Space Awareness
Climate Zones
The climate at the equator is hotter than the climate at the poles, but why? The lesson goes in depth, explaining how the angles of illumination relate to the heating rate at different latitudes and seasons. Scholars use a strong lamp,...
Kenan Fellows
Sustainability: Learning for a Lifetime – The Importance of Water
Water is essential for life—and understanding the importance of clean drinking water is essential in understanding sustainability! Show your environmental science class the basics of water testing and treatment through a week-long...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Historical Climate Cycles
Scientists use ice core samples to obtain temperatures of the earth from 400,000 years ago! The third of five lessons instructs pupils to interpret historical climate data to see changes over time. In part I, participants interpret...
Towson University
Looking Backwards, Looking Forward
How do scientists know what Earth's climate was like millions of years ago? Young environmental scholars discover how researchers used proxy data to determine the conditions present before written record. Grouped pupils gain experience...
Kenan Fellows
Terrarium in a Bottle: Modeling the Atmosphere, Greenhouse Effect, and Water Cycle
You've heard of farm to table ... but what about farm in classroom? Junior agriculturalists embark upon a two-week journey into the science of growing things. Based upon the classic terrarium in a two-liter experiment, the lesson plan...
NASA
How Does a Hurricane Form?
Young meteorologists examine the formation of a hurricane in a resource focused on severe weather conditions. Once they learn that a hurricane is also a tropical cyclone, and detail the different levels associated...
California Mathematics Project
Meteorology
See how estimation is essential to making temperature weather maps. Scholars use ratios and rates of change to estimate temperatures at locations where temperature readings have not been made. They connect this idea to linear functions.
Curated OER
Weather v. Climate
Ninth graders discuss the differences between climate and weather as a class. Using data they collected, they create a graph of the data to share with the class over a specific time period. They compare and contrast this data with...
Curated OER
Graphing Changes in Weather
Students graph current temperature and weather conditions for three days. In this weather lesson, students go to the Weather Channel's website and look up weather for their zip code then graph the conditions and record the current...
Curated OER
Science Trail
Learners explore the solar system by conducting Earth science experiments. In this Sun instructional activity, students identify the different seasons on Earth and discuss their purpose and cause. Learners create a sundial and observe...
Curated OER
How Does the Earth's Energy Budget Relate to Polar Ice?
Students use satellite data to see how radiation budget relates to the ice that is present in the North. In this energy instructional activity students correlate data to see a relationship.
Curated OER
Meet the Weather Scientist
Fourth graders collect, record and analyze data using simple weather instruments or use weather resources to comprehend weather. They comprehend that scientists are very important people in today's world. Pupils look at cloud types to...
Curated OER
You're as Cold as Ice!
Students study the movement of glaciers and how they have affected the Earth. In this geology lesson students simulate the effects glaciers have on landscape and watch video segments.