Students examine the greenhouse gases affecting the atmosphere. In groups, they participate in activities in which they examine the effects of heat on the atmosphere and phytoplankton. They research how the phytoplankton differ in warm...

Students investigate the angle of light and how it faces the earth. They conduct a series of investigations with the following two objectives. Students determine if the angle of light is a factor in the absorption of heat. They correlate...

Students measure the temperatures over time of different colored envelopes in order to explore the different rates at which each color absorbs energy from a heat lamp. They record their data and graph their results.

How do greenhouse gases affect the climate on Earth?  Pupils explore the concept by first building their own apparatuses to model the greenhouse effect. Then, they record data to measure temperature change and determine...

Forest fires can be a necessary step in keeping a forest healthy, but what happens when they get out of control? Learners investigate the causes and effects of forest fires in two specific areas, culminating in a report about the ways...

What is biogas and how is it made? After examining background information about the sources of biogas and biogas generators, class members follow the provided information and build a biogas generator that can be used in the...

Organic waste is a hot topic. The second of three installments in the Bioreactor Water Heating unit challenges pupils to create bioreactors that collect energy released from compost. After watching videos on the properties of water and...

With global temperatures on the rise faster than ever recorded, the effects of a heating planet could be devastating. Allow learners to discover just what the world is in store for if the warming continues through a series of videos, a...

Investigate a heated topic in environmental science. Scholars team up to play the parts of gas molecules in the atmosphere. As the teacher moves about, acting as the electromagnetic wave, learners react as their molecules would to the...

Focus on inquiry-based learning in your science class with a series of activities designed for middle schoolers. A helpful packet samples four different texts, which include activities about predator-prey relationships, Earth's axis...

Would you like milk with that? Young scientists consider thermal energy transfer to create the perfect cup of coffee. They calculate the amount of milk needed to reach a specified temperature and then test their calculations using a...

Students wear goggles and collect materials and then set up computer program to use the temperature probes. They insert the probe into the milk recording temperature every 30 seconds and then record the data on the table.

Young scholars complete a solar radiation activity. In this solar radiation instructional activity, students complete an experiment to learn about solar radiation. Young scholars make solar tea by using the energy of the Sun to brew tea.

Students explain how to desalinate water using solar energy.  In this solar lesson students complete a lab activity and explain capillary water. 

Students conduct Internet research to track the path of Hurricane Rita. They record the sea surface temperature of the Gulf of Mexico during and after the hurricane and draw conclusions about how hurricanes extract heat energy from the...

Students simulate newspaper critics in the topics of heat and temperature. They write a scientific critique of evidence and claims used in a newspaper article and research using KIE software. They write notes on the letter to the editor...

Learners experiment with heat transfer in a countercurrent system and describe the importance of conduction in heat-energy transfer.

In this science experiment learning exercise, students gather materials and perform an investigation using thermometers and prisms. Students are asked if red is hotter than blue. They answer 6 questions.

Eighth graders measure temperature changes and make drawings of the interactions between matter and energy. By measuring the temperature students can conclude if there are changes in levels of energy. .

In this calorimetry worksheet, students determine the change in enthalpy, sketch the heating curve, and determine the specific heat and heat of fusion for a given compound. This worksheet has 4 problems to solve.

Learners investigate solar energy. In this solar energy lesson plan, students compare how heat is absorbed in light-colored objects and dark-colored objects by making S'mores.

Students cook with the power of the sun. In this solar energy lesson, students explore solar cooking as they apply scientific principles to cook s'mores.

Students investigate the concepts of shadows and how they are projected with objects different positions in relation to the sun. They conduct an experiment by observing objects in different positions. Then students record the observations.

The instructions for demonstrating ocean turnover are provided in this resource. You could set this up for your earth science class as part of a lecture on convection currents or as an explanation of how ocean currents form. An animation...