Huygens spacecraft landed on Saturn's moon Titan in 2005, making it the farthest landing from Earth ever made by a spacecraft. In this hands-on activity, the 12th installment of 22, groups explore how density affects speed. To do this,...

Students explore how different materials (sand, gravel, lava rock) with different water contents on different slopes result in landslides of different severity. They measure the severity by how far the landslide debris extends into model...

Explore the world (our world) of melting ice caps. Why are these caps melting? What is the effect of melting ice caps? Dive into the ever-present issue of global warming with a resource that has learners looking at data and participating...

Discover how rocks are formed from volcanoes during a geology pre-lab activity. Third graders describe the volcanic rock samples and creating a model of Mt. Lassen, located in California. The lesson culminates in...

Begin by showing a six-minute video, Changing Planet: Rising Sea Level as an anticipatory set. Pupils draw a topographic map of a potato continent. Finally, they will visit NOAA's sea levels online map and NASA's carbon dioxide...

Resource links to a video, satellite images, data, and photographs of glaciers provide emerging earth scientists the opportunity to examine how the ice has been retreating over the years. A data table is included for pupils to record...

Bacteria outnumber all other forms of life on Earth. Scholars observe the growth of bacteria in petri dishes to understand their role in maintaining good health. Then, they observe the growth of bacteria after they introduce...

What's the difference between a rock and a mineral? And what properties are used to identify minerals? The first installment of a five-part series on earth materials and processes prompts young scientists to identify a set of...

Students design and build a model solar energy home. In this technology lesson plan, students test the efficiency of their model houses by measuring temperature at regular intervals. They analyze data and share results with the class.

Young scholars sequence the steps leading to the formation of rain, and design a model to represent these steps. This task assesses students' abilities to classify, generalize, infer, interpret and communicate data, and construct a...

Students explore earthquakes. For this natural disaster and engineer career education lesson, students identify features of the earth's surface that increase the likelihood of an earthquake. Students use visual aids to locate the earth's...

Students explore the structure of a typical and generalized grass plant. They visualize the structures of a grass plant by constructing a paper model. In addition, they identify the names and structural relationships of the parts of a...

Students build a model of their school playground. They view models from the classroom (such as a globe, doll house, or cars). Students share observations about the models. They use a paper mat to represent the playground and use...

Minerals on Mars are not that different than those on Earth. Using mineralogy concepts and satellite images, individuals use color to highlight the different surface minerals on Mars when creating a model of the planet. They enhance...

Fifth graders observe real bones and models to learn about the structure and function of the skeletal system. In this skeletal system lesson, 5th graders manipulate objects and models of bones. They handle real bones and determine the...

Have your class learn about turtles and adaptation using this lesson. Learners discuss turtles, the unique design of their shells, and the ways they have adapted to their surroundings. Then, they make a paper bag model to simulate a...

Students work in groups to interpret weather maps. They use latitude and longitude readings to complete a worksheet together and turn in the worksheet along with the maps and a rubric.

Students construct a volcano model. In this earth science lesson, students determine the structure and build of their volcano. They explain the danger of volcanic eruptions.

Students investigate the current model for the structure of the Earth. On a world map, they mark areas where they think earthquakes and volcanoes occur and compare those areas with earthquake and volcano location patterns.

Learners explore the water cycle. In this water cycle instructional activity, students examine water as a resource as they create a water cycle poster and create a water cycle model. Water cycle game instructions are included as well.

Middle schoolers design a model watershed. In this watershed lesson, students learn the needed parts of a watershed and how they work. Middle schoolers evaluate how watersheds effect communities.

Students understand the purpose of an aquifer. In this aquifer and groundwater lesson, students build a model aquifer find its relationship to water usage. Students record observations as they build the layers of the aquifer.

Fourth graders develop an understanding of how engineers use wind to generate electricity. They will build a model anemometer to better understand and measure wind speed. They discover that engineers design wind turbines that generate...

Students relate meteorites to the mantle and crust of asteroids.  In this planetary instructional activity students complete experiments to model the separation of light.