Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Climate Change: Carbon Cycle

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students explore the carbon cycle. In this carbon cycle lesson plan, students discuss the four main reservoirs where carbon is stored and then discover the process through which each reservoir absorbs and releases CO2. This lesson plan...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Climate Change & Coral Activities

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students study how the ocean stabilizes our planet's climates and how global warming is becoming a threat to this fine balance.  In this climate change instructional activity, students identify that fossil fuel emissions are...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Let's Heat Things Up!

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students build and evaluate simple models to understand the greenhouse effect. They explore the role of increased greenhouse gas concentration in global warming, and the implications of global warming theory for engineers, themselves...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring the Water Cycle

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students investigate the water cycle. In this water cycle lesson, students create an ecosystem within a 2-liter bottle. Students record scientific observations as they observe the water cycle within their ecosystem.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Melt Away

For Teachers K - 4th
Students explore objects before and after heating using their senses.  In this matter and energy lesson, students experiment with a variety of objects and use their senses (except taste) to make predictions and record observations...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Spaced Out

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students are introduced to the space environment. This lesson covers the major differences between the environment on Earth and that of outer space and the engineering challenges that arise because of these discrepancies. In order to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Clouds

For Teachers K - 4th
Students recognize the three main types of clouds. In this clouds lesson, students create a cloud mobile to understand clouds.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's Rainin', It's Pouring

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Learners take a quick examine part of the water cycle, and the combined gas laws. The lesson plan lead them through the conditions necessary for cloud formation and allow them to create clouds in three different hands-on activities.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Storms and Extreme Weather

For Teachers K - 5th
Students explore hurricanes and tornadoes by conducting an experiment. In this weather pattern lesson, students define many extreme weather vocabulary terms and discuss the relationship with static electricity. Students utilize plastic...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing the Wind

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students make a windmill.  For this wind lesson, students learn background information about the windmill, complete an activity where they create a windmill, discuss using wind as a natural resource and brainstorm other inventions...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Clouds

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students explore clouds.  In this weather lesson, students identify the steps in the water cycle, define condensation and evaporation, and relate this information to cloud formation.  Students perform a cloud experiment,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Build a Psychrometer

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students understand that a psychrometer is a weather instrument used to detect humidity. In this psychrometer instructional activity, students build a psychrometer.  Students use their psychrometers to measure humidity activity.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Convection and Wind

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students use water, beakers, hot plates, paper dots, and goggles to participate in a hands on activity where they see how a convection current creates wind. In this convection current lesson plan, students participate in a hands on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hurricanes and Tornadoes (Grade 4-8)

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students investigate the concepts of hurricanes and violent weather conditions. For 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,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rain and Rainbows

For Teachers K - 5th
Students explore the weather system by analyzing water properties. In this precipitation lesson, students review weather related vocabulary terms and discuss how rainbows are created by light hitting droplets at the right time. Students...
Lesson Plan
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NOAA

Ocean Acidification

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
Activity
Wild BC

Greenhouse Gas Guzzlers

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Teams of six to eight players imagine that they are driving in a vehicle and collect balls that represent carbon dioxide emissions based on their different activities. "Greenhouse Gas Guzzler" cards tell teams how many balls to collect...
Lesson Plan
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1
California Academy of Science

What Kind of Geologist Am I?

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Transform your class into young geologists as they learn about six different branches of geology. Using the included geology career descriptions and picture cards, learners work in small groups deciding which tools and locations fit...
Lesson Plan
Polar Trec

Can Carbon Dioxide Act Like a Greenhouse Gas?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Ninety-seven percent of scientists who study climate agree that human activity is warming the planet. Learners explore carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, a gas causing this warming, through a hands-on experiment. Once complete, they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Radiation Budget

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students solve the mathematical word problems by looking at the Earth's Energy Budget Diagram. They will work in small groups and then develop their own unique math problems from the diagram and share with the class.
Lesson Plan
Wild BC

The Greenhouse Effect: The Role of CO2

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Though this is meant to be second in a two-part lesson, the two are not dependent on each other. Pupils play the roles of visible light rays, light or dark surfaces, and carbon dioxide molecules. They interact and react according to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cloud Observations using GLOBE Protocols

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Learners observe which of ten types of clouds are visible and how much of the sky is cloud covered. They see that by observing clouds, we can get information about temperature, moisture, and wind conditions in different places in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Greenhouse in a Bottle

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Young atmospheric scientists create models of an atmosphere with and without clouds to determine the effect of cloud cover on Earth's temperatures, as well as figuring out whether dark or light surfaces absorb more energy. You may wish...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Carbon Cycle Capers

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students examine the carbon dioxide cycle in the atmosphere. In this element lesson, students discuss the relationship between carbon dioxide on Earth and the plants that store it. Students play a game to ensure their understanding.