Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Micro-Climate

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Atmosphere aces investigate the microclimates that exist within a larger area. They use a thermometer to record the varying temperatures and identify the microclimates on a map that they have drawn. This exercise helps them to understand...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sun

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students study how the sun is at the center of the solar system.  In this solar lesson students measure the altitude of the sun and its size.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weather and Wind

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students study wind and its effect on weather.  In this investigative activity students write a report on wind and weather and create a movement sequence. 
Worksheet
Curated OER

Solar Isolation Changes and the Sunspot Cycle

For Students 8th - 10th
In this sunspot cycle and solar irradiation worksheet, students use 2 graphs of daily total solar irradiance and sunspot activity to solve 3 problems. They find the average solar irradiance during a given time, they determine the...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Greenhouse Effect- Online Interactive

For Students 5th - 6th
In this greenhouse effect worksheet, students learn about Earth's climate change by reading a 7 paragraph text. Students then answer 10 questions. This is an online interactive worksheet.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Create a Cloud in a Bottle

For Teachers K - 5th
Students look at how clouds form. In this cloud lesson, students make a cloud using water,  2 liter bottles and a match. They watch how the pressure and temperature changes the atmosphere in the bottle to create a cloud. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biomes: Extreme Climate

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers discuss the causes of global warming. In this earth science lesson, students examine how global warming is connected to the arctic and world climate. They write a paragraph about their interconnection.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Global Warming – More or Less

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders identify the factors that contribute to global warming. In this earth science activity, 8th graders evaluate the impact of global warming on the planet. They discuss their views within the group.
Website
American Museum of Natural History

Climate Change

For Students 6th - 12th
It actually is possible to have too much of a good thing when it comes to climate change. A slide show lesson describes how burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change. Individuals read about the scientific process and the...
Lesson Plan
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University of Colorado

Great Red Spot Pinwheel

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The great red spot on Jupiter is 12,400 miles long and 7,500 miles wide. In this sixth part of a 22-part series, individuals model the rotation of the Great Red Spot on Jupiter. To round out the activity, they discuss their findings as a...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Rising CO2! What Can We Do?

For Students 6th - 12th
It is colorless and scentless, but it makes a large impact on the environment. Learners explore carbon dioxide emissions and what they mean for the environment using an interactive graph. They review changes over time and how they impact...
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...
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

What Is a "Convection Cell"?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Round and round in circles it goes! A hands-on activity has learners recreate a model of a convection cell. They watch as the difference in density of their materials creates a current.
Lesson Plan
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PHET

Planet Designer: Kelvin Climb

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
It's time to get those creative juices flowing! This second lesson in a series of five continues allowing pupils to design their own planets. It the same format as the first, but, this time, allows students to alter greenhouse gases...
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Conceptualizing Module II - Putting It All Together

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
"Creativity is just connecting things." - Steve Jobs. After weeks of researching climate change, the ninth instructional activity in a series of 21 combines the data and analysis to address essential questions. It covers natural...
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

It's A Bird...It's A Plane...It's...CARBON!

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
An interesting lesson takes pupils on a trip through the carbon cycle. A reading passage allows scholars to take notes and make choices about what happens to the carbon on its journey. This third lesson in a series of 21 discusses...
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Is It Getting Hot in Here, or Is It Just Me?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Currently, only 2.1% of global warming is felt on continents, while over 93% is felt in the oceans. The fourth lesson in the series of 21 on global warming is composed of three activities that build off one another. In the first...
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

When It Rains It Pours More Drought and More Heavy Rainfall

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Which is worse — drought or flooding? Neither is helpful to the environment, and both are increasing due to climate change. The 16th lesson plan in a series of 21 covers the average precipitation trends for two different climates within...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geographic Effects on Precipitation, Water Vapor and Temperature

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers investigate the factors affecting climate using Live Access Server. In this geography lesson, students graph atmospheric data using Excel spreadsheet. They compare and contrast temperature, precipitation and water vapor of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Power, Pollution, Pros and Cons

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students review what they know about non-renewable energy, compare and contrast advantages and drawbacks of each type, such as cost of energy sources, feasibility, air pollution, water pollution, and other risks, and create table listing...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Evaporation Introductory Lesson

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine the concepts of evaporation and the water cycle. They describe the relationship between heat energy, evaporation and condensation of water on Earth and identify the sun as the source of energy that evaporates...
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

Create a Cloud In a Jar

For Teachers K - 6th
Young scholars investigate cloud formation. In this weather lesson, students examine how clouds are formed. Young scholars participate in experiments that model how water vapor in the air works.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Clouds

For Students 4th - 8th
Test your learners' science and/or reading comprehension skills with this activity, which provides a page of information about clouds and cloud classification. Both an earth science teacher and a language arts teacher could use this...