Lesson Plan
American Geosciences Institute

American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Mapping the Atmosphere

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learners explore weather maps to study the atmosphere.
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Distorted Disturbances

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students pass around and distort messages written on index cards to learn how we use signals from GPS occultations to study the atmosphere. The cards represent information sent from GPS satellites being distorted as they pass through...
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: The Sun Earth Connection: Sunspots and Climate

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Through graphing data and interpretation, students learn about sunspots and their effect on the climate of our planet.
Interactive
Scholastic

Scholastic: Diagramando a La Ciencia

For Students 3rd - 5th
Fun interactive Spanish site where students will be able to review science vocabulary related with the earth, atmosphere, respiratory system, flower parts and fish anatomy. It provides the English version and different levels of difficulty.
Activity
Science Museum of Minnesota

Science Museum of Minnesota: Air Cluster

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Interesting site with links to activities about wind and air in many forms. Browse the different activities and investigations on the properties of air on the toolbar to the left of the page.
Handout
University of California

Ucmp: Creating an Earth System: Interactions in the Earth System

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief description of the four spheres of the Earth, with an activity where students brainstorm interactions among them.
Primary
John Wiley & Sons

Wiley: Environment: Chapter 21: The Atmosphere, Climate and Global Warming

For Students 9th - 10th
A companion site to the textbook, Earth as a Living Planet. This chapter discusses global warming and how to deal with it.
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Tracking Geomagnetic Storms in the Ionosphere

For Students 9th - 10th
The Sun is the ultimate source of the energy that powers weather systems on Earth. Geomagnetic storms are sun-powered storms in the upper atmosphere, arising from energized particles that are periodically ejected by the Sun. Among other...
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Field Projects: Science in Action

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this activity, students gather information about atmospheric scientific field projects in order to understand how a research question about the Earth system can be answered by collecting data using many different research platforms...
Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: Sources, Sinks, and Feedbacks

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students will learn about how the Earth's carbon cycle works, as they examine the relationship between levels of carbon dioxide and water vapor in the atmosphere and the temperature of the ocean's surface. Includes online student...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Dinosaur Breath

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Through discussion and hands-on experimentation, students learn about the geological (ancient) carbon cycle. They investigate the role of dinosaurs in the carbon cycle and the eventual storage of carbon in the form of chalk. Students...
Interactive
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: The Systems Game

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Systems thinking is an important concept across the Earth sciences. In this game, students either are a part of a system or serve as scientists tasked with observing and making sense of the system moving in front of them.
Unit Plan
NASA

Nasa: Mars Exploration Rover Mission

For Students 9th - 10th
Both historic and up-to-the-minute news regarding the Mars Rover mission. There are activities for children, student projects and other classroom resources. From the "more videos" link you can find a series of animations will take you...
Lesson Plan
Other

Antarctic Geological Drilling: Environmental Literacy Framework Activities

For Teachers 9th - 10th
An impressive collection of lessons on climate science and climate change. The entire book can be downloaded. As well, each lesson has its own page with some combination of background information, PowerPoints, images, maps, glossaries,...
Unit Plan
Geographypods

Geographypods: Patterns in Environmental Quality and Sustainability

For Students 11th - 12th
This collection of five learning modules looks at issues related to environmental change and sustainability. Topics addressed include changes in the atmosphere, soil, water, and biodiversity, and what can be done to counteract this and...
Website
NOAA

Noaa: Education Resources

For Students 9th - 10th
Links to earth science sites, including safety tips, fun activities, general earth science information, and daily weather reports and more.
Website
Enchanted Learning

Enchanted Learning: The Planets

For Students 3rd - 5th
This survey of the planets includes all the basics, size, mass, atmosphere, length of day, and the like. It features interactive activities and learning exercises and compares all of the planets in colorful tables.
Graphic
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Sun and Space Weather Image Gallery

For Students 9th - 10th
Images and diagrams of the Sun, solar phenomena such as sunspots and flares, space weather, Earth's magnetosphere and upper atmosphere, the aurora, and more.
Unit Plan
Other

Lehigh University: Climate Change

For Teachers 6th - 8th
An inquiry-based science unit for middle school students centered on weather and climate. The lessons integrate technology and lab activities while teaching about Earth system energy balance, greenhouse gases, paleoclimatology, and how...
Interactive
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Hhmi: Biointeractive: The Anthropocene: Human Impact on the Environment

For Students 9th - 10th
Use this interactive to explore key human impacts on the environment and how they have affected Earth's landscape, ocean, atmosphere, and biodiversity. The column on the left-hand side of the screen lists different human impacts on the...
Graphic
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Global Warming: Graphs Tell the Story

For Students 9th - 10th
Examine these graphs from the NOVA/ FRONTLINE Web site to see dramatic increases in the temperature of Earth's surface and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Website
NASA

Nasa: Heliophysics: New Science of the Sun Solar System Connection

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from NASA lists common and uncommon misconceptions about Sun-Earth Science. Site also provides links to activities and lesson plans as well as background reading.
Interactive
Scholastic

Scholastic: Science Labelling Game

For Students Pre-K - 1st
In a series of five interactive science games, students first study labeled diagrams to learn the names of the Earth's layers, of a flower's parts, of a fish's anatomy, of the human respiratory system, and of layers of the atmosphere....
Activity
The Franklin Institute

The Franklin Institute Online: Greenhouse Effect in a Jar

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students can investigate the greenhouse effect on the atmosphere with this simple lesson. The steps are easy and the materials needed are basic.