Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Applied Science - Science and Math Lab

For Teachers 4th - 11th
Students investigate topology. In this Applied Science lesson students explore higher, more abstract mathematics using tangles. Students make topologically related shapes.
Interactive
PBS

Earthquakes and Volcanoes

For Students 6th - 8th
Earth's surface constantly changes thanks to a variety of geological forces; in fact, Australia currently moves faster than GPS technology. Scholars connect the idea of continental drift to earthquakes and volcanoes with the help of an...
Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

The Intertropical Convergence Zone

For Teachers 3rd - 11th Standards
Young scientists know it is hotter along the equator, but why is it also rainier? Through the process of completing two experiments and a worksheet, scholars discover the answer is the intertropical convergence zone. First, they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earthquake Formation

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students explore earthquakes. In 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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cloudy vs. Clear

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students analyze line plots. For this weather lesson using real NASA data, students discuss how weather affects the way the Earth is heated by comparing different line plots.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping Ancient Coastlines

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Most of this lesson is spent working on the "Bathymetry Worksheet." It includes a graph of the changes in sea level over the past 150,000 years and a bathymetric map of changes in an imaginary coastline over time. Participants answer...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Fossils

For Students 7th - 9th
For this earth science worksheet, students use the clues given at the bottom of the sheet to solve the crossword puzzle on fossils. They identify specific names of fossils and how to make a mold of one.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Rock Cycle: The Story of a Rock

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Pupils describe the changes undergone by rocks during the rock cycle and develop an understanding of the interconnectedness of the rock cycle.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ozone Tag

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders explain the role of stratospheric ozone and predict at least three ways in which depleted ozone would change her/his lifestyle. They then describe the process by which chlorine or bromine compounds can break down ozone...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Earth: The Water Planet

For Teachers 6th
Students elicit data on the water cycle, ocean topography, and island formation in this six lesson unit. The ocean floor and the properties of water are examined through a variety of discussions and hands-on experiments.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Great Blobs of Jelly!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explain how zoo-plankton have an impact on the global process.  In this ocean zoo-plankton lesson students calculate carbon flux and plankton densities. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rock Sorting Activity

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Learners organize rock samples according to their properties. In this earth science lesson, students predict whether they are igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary. They compare their prediction with the actual type.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stream Ecology In Wisconsin and Puerto Rico

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify the different types of water and explain in what proportions they exist on Earth. They identify and correctly label the parts of the water cycle and how these parts interact with each other. Students identify the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cities and Seasons

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore how satellite images show seasonal changes in seven cities in North and South America. Through a sequence of images, they study the green-up and brown-down of the seasons and how seasons change over time. Afterwards,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seasons

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Learners investigate the reason for seasons on Earth during three activities. They construct a model of the Earth and Sun to identify patterns in the changes of the angle of light on the Earth's surface. Then they conduct a heat...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Effects of Meteor Impacts

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students investigate meteor impacts on the Earth's surface by using different size balls and charting their impacts, given their diameter and mass.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

TRB 5:2 - Activity 3: Earthquakes

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students watch a classroom demonstration, and experiment to discover the five ways that Earth's crust shifts along a fault.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weathering and Erosion

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students perform experiments to simulate weathering and erosion. In this earth science lesson, students view a PowerPoint presentation that includes weathering, erosion, and the Dust Bowl. Students conduct a series of experiments to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Coldest Place at the Bottom of the World

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students research and trace Shackleton's actual and intended route on an area map. They analyze the altitude changes involved in a trek across Antarctica and complete a worksheet comparing Antarctica to their own state.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Warm is the Water?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars research how surface sea temperature changes throughout the year. They draw a time series of sea surface temperatures for each month of the year and a depth profile for a summer and winter month using an OceanExplorer...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Earth's Moon

For Students 9th - 12th
In this moon worksheet, students review the different phases of the moon and differences between a lunar and solar eclipse. This worksheet has 13 fill in the blank and 5 true or false questions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Structure of the Earth

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explain the difference between igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. They identify the stages in the rock cycle. They discover the origin of rocks as well.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Structure of the Earth

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders investigate earthquakes and volcanoes. They demonstrate fault lines with a folded piece of paper, conduct an erosion experiment, and construct a volcano using clay, baking soda and vinegar.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plate Tectonics: Surface and Subsurface Processes

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore the geological process of plate tectonics. In this plate tectonic lesson, 8th graders design, construct and present a working model of a plate tectonics concept. This lesson includes a rubric, worksheets, and 2...