Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sky Watching

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners complete night-sky observations to understand how our knowledge of the sky has been enhanced by telescopes. Students complete a timeline worksheet giving the history of telescopes. Learners then then make their own observations...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science: Daily and Seasonal Cycles

For Teachers 1st
First graders use their observations to describe daily and seasonal cycles. through a demonstration using a suspended ball and flashlight, they determine the time of day in various locations. Next, 1st graders participate in a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

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...
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Earth-Moon System

For Students 3rd - 8th
In this Earth and moon worksheet, students will review the different phases of the moon, how eclipses are created, and how the moon influences tidal patterns. This worksheet has 13 fill in the blank, 8 true or false, and 2 short answer...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sun's Impact On Earth's Temperature

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students view NASA images and movies of Venus, Earth, and Mars to deduce weather patterns and manipulate computer models to test competing hypotheses. They manipulate computer models to investigate the influence of solar distance and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

MAP GRIDS, CLIMATES AND HEMISPHERES

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students compare/contrast the grid and latitude/longitude system used on a globe. They describe the areas which are considered to be a tropical, temperate, and polar, based on knowledge of climates.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Faces: A Study of Solar and Planetary Rotation Rates

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students determine rotation rates of a variety of solar system objects using images and the Internet.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Personality and Posts

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Learners examine the personality type needed to become a diplomat in the US Foreign Service. They look at the results of the Myers-Briggs Personality Test that each diplomat in training must take. They study their own personality type to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ecology and the Conservation of Natural Resources

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Learners examine the habits of various organism and evaluate the need for conserving natural resources. They role-play as migrating birds traveling between habitats encountering hazards along the way. They observe animals in a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Physical Geography of Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students access information from the United States Geological Survey's Web site This Dynamic Earth to research the Ring of Fire. They answer four questions and then apply what they have learned to create a bulletin board display.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What on Earth is Greater Than?

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students compare things that are greater than, less than, or equal to, compare the Earth to other planets, and list planets from greatest size to smallest size.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Best of the Solar System (Grades 4-7)

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students explore planetary research and become familiar with the planets and their characteristics. They compare and contrasts planets and moons.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weather and Climate

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students identify the words plain and climate and discuss what would happen if it never rained. Students identify and interpret the weather in Poland and create a web illustrating various weather patterns. Students write a 4-line poem...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and Tsunamis

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students work in groups to research a tsunami, earthquake, or volcano. They use the internet to find information, and create a presentation. Each presentation should include a definition of their phenomenon, an illustration, three or...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Birth of a Rocky Mountain City and Railroad: Georgetown and the Loop Railroad

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore the evolution of a town. In this social studies lesson, students discuss why Georgetown and the Georgetown Loop Railroad were developed and discuss life as a prospector. Students write a letter explaining what life is...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Afghanistan and The Breadwinner

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students examine the use of the Hindu Kush mountains by explorers and traders. Using Afghanistan as an example, they research how different events can effect human settlerment patterns. They discuss how the physical characteristics of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica Today

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students explore the importance of research in Antarctica, then explain how snow becomes part of the Antarctic ice cap. They explore Antarctica's harsh environment and discover how scientists drill ice cores and what information ice...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solid Waste and Our Natural Resources: Utilizing the Story THE LORAX

For Teachers K - 12th
Students gain an introduction to our planet's solid waste problem and our personal responsibility in curbing and solving said problem through the use of Dr. Seuss' book, The Lorax. After hearing the book, class discussion follows.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Human Activity and the Environment

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students review and analyze graphs and tables as a group. They develop their graph and data analysis skills by converting data tables from Human Activity and the Environment into graphs.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Facts, Fictions and Perceptions of Regions

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students examine the different characteristics of the regions of the United States. They discuss places they have visited in the U.S., and in small groups conduct research on a selected region of the U.S. Each group labels a map of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth's Energy Balance Performance Standard

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students examine how Earth-Sun relationships affect Earth's energy balance and the pattern of world temperatures. Students study a Surface Temperature Regions map and write a paragraph describing the temperature pattern from the Equator...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Librarian Who Measured the Circumference of the Earth

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore angles, triangles, and investigate the circumference of the earth. They participate in a Webquest, access data bases, and communicate with other students through an on-line project site involving the circumference...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy Content Of Foods And Fuels

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners engage in a study of food and how it used as fuel for the human body. They research how biological systems require energy and compare them to the physical science systems like machines. They compare and contrast what they have...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

A Laboratory Simulation of Ocean Surface Currents

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Stimulate interest in ocean currents with a simulation. The first installment of a five-part middle school series teaches future oceanographers about the forces that interact to cause ocean currents. A simulation shows how wind and...