Did you know scientists can tell the age of an asteroid by looking closely at its craters? This final lesson of a six-part series focuses on two asteroids, Gaspra and Ida, in order to demonstrate the concept of dating asteroids. Scholars...

How is sea coral like a thermometer? Part three of a six-part series from NOAA describes how oceanographers can use coral growth to estimate water temperature over time. Life science pupils manipulate data to determine the age of corals...

Mammals are some of the newest organisms to appear on Earth. Young scholars complete an activity that results in a timeline showing the appearance of different types of living organisms. Provided with a list that spans from prokaryotes...

Students create their own fossils in an activity using plaster of paris and a variety of objects which can be fossils, e.g. chicken bones, twigs, shells, etc. After making their fossils, they allow them to dry and discuss time and its...

Students conduct a hands-on activity to investigate salt concentrations in water and how salt remain after water evaporates. They can also do a Saltwater Painting to once again observe the evaporation. process.

Young scholars calculate the stride length of a walking or running animal. They use scale models of dinosaurs to calculate the leg and stride length of the animals.

Learners investigate a fossil site and diagram a site map. They role play as paleontologists.

Young scholars conduct an experiment using sand, a jar, and a paper clip to analyze the effects of different kinds of sand vis a vis its sediment. They graph their findings and analyze for factors of size, shape, and density.

Learners visit the Hydrology Study Site, conduct a visual survey to discover info about local land use and water quality, and document their findings by mapping the water body. They use this investigation to raise questions for further...

Students follow the appropriate sampling protocol and take two measurements of a local water source. These measurements are Transparency and Temperature. This info about local land use and/or water chemistry issues may require further...

Students investigate rocks and how they are formed and the uses man has for rocks. The topic is narrowed, researched, and documented by three sources. The results are presented to classmates for evaluation.

Learners investigate how to draw topographic contours and read topographic maps.They examine the topography of San Francisco and contrast the elevation of different points within San Francisco.

Young scholars explore the information depicted on topographic maps. They construct a 3-D topographic map of a local area. They go on a field trip to the depicted area and compare the 'real world' with their models.

Students identify a variety of topographic map symbols. They make generalizations about an unidentified community by reading and interpreting map symbols.

Students, in pairs, use observation skills to identify objects from the past and present in our environment made of rocks and minerals of Illinois.

Sixth graders measure distances on a map using string and a ruler. They complete mathematical word problems about measurement.

Students identify marine animals that could become stranded due to coastal features and currents. They plot data on worksheets for locations of sea turtles actually beached or stranded. After plotting their points, they hypothesize...

Students compare and constrast a wide variety of minerals and rocks. They test them for streak, luster, color and other characteristics. They view an exhibit and compare their answers to them.

Students examine the carbon cycle and how carbon atoms travel through it.  In this energy cycles lesson plan students describe how human activities affect the carbon cycle. 

Fourth graders discuss the different interactions of plates and the ways mountains are created.  In this plate tectonics lesson students complete an activity in groups.

Practice reading comprehension by approaching oceanography through 2 pages of informational text. The text compares the ocean floor to the Grand Canyon to gives students perspective, and gives a brief coverage of the earth's crust and...

Most of this lesson plan 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...

Who knew Snickers® could be used to teach science? Give your budding earth scientists a chance to explore the Law of Superposition, in addition to a well-earned snack.

Students investigate many of the factors that affect water quality. They take measurements and water samples at a local stream and evaluate the health of their community's watershed. They write a report detailing their findings.