Chicago Botanic Garden
Climate Change Impacts on Ecosystem Services
The fourth activity in a series of five has classes participate in a jigsaw to learn about global impacts of climate change and then share their new information with a home group. Groups then research impacts of climate change (droughts,...
Curated OER
Boom and Bust in the Ozark Forests
Here is a hard-hitting, cross-curricular lesson on the effects that the deforestation of the Ozark forests in the 19th century had on the people, animals, and ecosystems of the area. The Dr. Seuss book The Lorax is used as a way of...
Teach Engineering
Pointing at Maximum Power for PV
Following detailed directions, teams collect the voltage and current outputs of a photovoltaic cell by adjusting the resistance. Using the collected data, they determine the highest power output. Implications for weather and a large...
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Cloud Sculpting
Dance is a fantastic way to communicate thoughts, feelings, and even science concepts. Make this activity a part of your next unit on weather and clouds. Kids will discuss types of clouds, how they look, and what they do. Then, they will...
Primary Resources
Warm Ups & Cool Downs for Children
What makes an effective warm-up and cool-down activity? as well as tips for leading stretches. Find detailed activity plans, as well as tips for leading stretches, for elementary school, tag-based games (including one game called "Toilet...
Wasatch County School District
Context Clues
Using context clues is an effective way to define unfamiliar words. Encourage elementary learners to look at the sentences around the word in question, with a short informative slideshow presentation.
Rainforest Alliance
Forests of Guatemala
With 90 percent of its land area covered in forests, Suriname, a country in South America, contains the largest percentage of forests throughout the world. Here is an activity that brings classmates together to learn about the...
Curated OER
Letter of Complaint
Learners analyze this letter of complaint to the city council by answering nine short-answer questions. They examine author's purpose, word choice, claims, rhetorical questions, and general observations. There is a focus on constructive...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Making Sense of Sensors
Have small groups in your class construct working hygrometers as an example of the benefits of using sensors in engineering. This activity can be used during a weather unit when covering humidity or in a STEM activity as a preparation...
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Introduction to Conditional Probability
Here is a turnkey lesson that walks young statisticians through the development and uses of conditional probability. From dice games to surveys, Venn diagrams to frequency tables, the class learns how a given can effect the overall...
Curated OER
The Thermite Reaction
Searching for a way to take your chemistry class to the next level? Provide pupils with an exciting and educational experiment demonstrating the thermite reaction! The mixture of aluminum powder and iron oxide allows young chemists to...
NOAA
Currents
Learn how ocean currents are vital to humans and marine life. The eighth installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program, focuses on ocean currents and how they affect global climate. The...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Climate Change Around the World
You know climate change is happening when you see a bee take off its yellow jacket. Part four in a series of five lessons explores all factors affecting climate change: temperature, cloud cover, precipitation, and carbon dioxide. By...
National Park Service
Aspect, Treeline, and Climate
Head to the treeline and beyond to examine how this feature of the landscape affects weather and climate, which gives scientists clues about its health. Class members' observations of photographs provide the data...
Curated OER
Weather and its Effect on the Environment and Settlement
Students, after choosing two diverse cities, collect data on weather for a month and construct a graph on temperature and precipitation. After collecting population data of said cities, and graphing it, they plot population on a large...
Curated OER
Cemetery Geology
Students examine the chemical and physical weathering process of different rocks in a cemetery based on dates on the stones. Students discover the susceptibility of different rock types to weathering.
Curated OER
Mayonnaise Jar Greenhouse
Third graders examine the Greenhouse Effect, how it operates and finally allows the student to experiment using a model created in the classroom. They explain how the greenhouse effect affects the Earth.
Curated OER
What is Climate?
Students explore the differences between climate and weather. For this introductory lesson of a climate unit, students discuss the vocabulary and concepts associated with weather and climate. They build their information base for the...
Curated OER
Structure of the Earth
Seventh graders study the cause of climate change, and how clouds form and affect weather. They define condensation and precipitation, the greenhouse effect and the water cycle.
Curated OER
Acid Rain
Students use real-time weather maps to determine the likelihood of acid rainfall in a region. Students apply their understanding of interaction between weather systems, land and air pollution, to address acid rain and the effects on...
Curated OER
Meteorology
Fourth graders study how atmospheric conditions change while naming the things that make the weather change. They investigate the affects of air masses, weather fronts and high/low pressure by looking at weather maps from newspapers.
Curated OER
Rocks and Minerals
Students identify how weathering and erosion effect the Earth's surface. In this weathering and rocks lesson plan, students study various types of rocks in water and brainstorm ways the Earth's surface changes. Students view an...
Curated OER
Predicting Temperature: An Internet/Excel Learning Experience
Third graders use the Internet (www.weather.com) to find the high temperature for our locale and the high temperature for another city around the world. They keep track of the temperature in these two locations for 10 days.
Curated OER
Gone With The Wind
Students review the different types of natural disasters. As a class, they examine how people and communities deal with weather disasters. They compare and contrast how two communities respond to a tornado or hurricane. They present...