Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar Sweet Tea

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd
Students study the sun. In this heat energy lesson, students use the sun's warmth to make tea. They place a few jars with tea bags and water in the sun and discuss what the sun is doing to the water while they wait for the tea to brew....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Coal Derivatives by Destructive Distillation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Chemists use the destructive distillation technique to produce three derivatives from a sample of bituminous coal. You will find background information, a materials list, procedures, and sample follow-up questions that you can use in...
Interactive
US Geological Survey

The Water Cycle for Schools: Beginner Ages

For Students K - 3rd
Explore a day in the life of a water droplet. An interactive infographic helps scholars learn how water cycles work from precipitation all the way around to condensation. Learners hover over each step of the cycle to read more as they...
Lesson Plan
Pennsylvania Department of Education

Wind and Water Wheels

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students identify wind and water as natural resources that create energy. In this natural resources and energy use lesson, students work in groups to construct a pinwheel, then explore the effects of wind and water on the pinwheel....
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Stifling, Oppressive, Sweltering, Oh My!

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Looking for a hot date? Pick any day in August, statistically the hottest month in the United States. The 15th lesson in the series of 21 instructs pupils to investigate the August 2007 heat wave through NASA data, daily temperature...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Much Energy Does the Earth Receive from the Sun?

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students explore energy. In this science lesson, students conduct an experiment in which they measure how much energy is produced by the sun. Students build a calorimeter to measure the amount of energy.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Take the Energy Action Challenge

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students take an energy challenge and implement it in their lives.  In this energy conservation activity students read a handout and complete an energy activity. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Invisible Energy in Light

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students investigate radiant energy. In this earth science lesson, students use solar beads and clear sunscreen to observe radiant solar energy. Students note observations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Earth's Rotation

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students see a model of a globe to watch the Earth rotate. In this Earth lesson plan, students rotate the globe and shine a flashlight to see where the sun shines and how it rises and sets. They create a diagram and explain day and night...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water in Earth's Hydrosphere

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Environmentalists test stream water for temperature, pH, and turbidity. Each group shares their information and then the class makes an overall evaluation of the water quality. A slide show sets the backdrop for the teaching portion and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Connect the Spheres: Earth Systems Interactions

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Is everything really connected? Take your class on a walk outside, where they will make observations and write them down on a worksheet. Once they are back in the classroom, learners will work to determine if and how things like birds,...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Teach Engineering

Air Under Pressure

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Introduce your class to air masses and how they affect the weather with a activity that focuses on the differences between high and low air pressure systems. The class explores actual weather data using archived weather data.
Interactive
US Geological Survey

The Water Cycle for Schools: Intermediate Ages

For Students 3rd - 5th
Water can travel from the highest mountain tops to the largest oceans. Using an interactive, young scientists trace the movement using an interactive online resource. They follow the water cycle by reading pop-up explanations on a...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Baylor College

Pre-Assessment: Earth's Energy Sources

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
A ten-question, multiple-choice quiz assesses what your elementary earth scientists know about the atmosphere both before and after a unique unit on global atmospheric change. Make sure to check out the activities and lesson plans...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Day And Night: Interdisciplinary Study of Cyclic Change

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders conduct a "Length of Day Symposium." They complete a variety of activities and explorations regarding the earth's rotation, its revolution around the sun and the cyclic changes in climate and energy distribution on the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Green Buildings Virtual Tour

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Young scholars fill out a worksheet after researching green buildings by taking a virtual tour. In this green buildings lesson plan, students use Google Earth to research green buildings.
Lesson Plan
1
1
Teach Engineering

Weather Basics

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Weather — there's more to it than meets the eye of the storm. With this resource young meteorologists learn about the basics of weather, including information about the factors that influence the weather, common weather vocabulary,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Thinking about Energy

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine their understandings about energy concepts by completing an online survey. Students participate in a class discussion about their uses of resources and the differences between perpetual, renewable, and nonrenewable...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is electrical energy?

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students distinguish between items with and without energy. In this energy lesson, students understand that natural resources power electrical apparatus and that energy needs to be saved.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Robot Earth

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students construct a simple robotic energy transformer. In this space science lesson, students explain how energy is transformed from one form to another. They identify the different uses of robotic devices.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Geothermal Energy Crossword Puzzle

For Students 6th - 8th
In this geothermal energy crossword puzzle worksheet, students use the 17 clues to help them correctly complete the crossword puzzle.    
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar Energy - Dehydration

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore process of drying food using solar energy. They cook and/or dry food such as pumpkins, watermelon, corn, and deer meat, explain how solar energy changes foods, and compare and contrast solar energy with other forms...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy Production

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the role of energy in our daily lives, and how energy is produced. Students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each energy resource, and the controversy surrounding the use of nuclear energy.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy Production

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars examine the role of energy in our daily lives, and how energy is produced. Students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each energy resource, and the controversy surrounding the use of nuclear energy.