Curated OER
Places in My World
Second graders explore where they are located on the globe. For this maps and globes lesson, 2nd graders use a map to show where they live and show the cardinal directions. Students identify characteristics of mountains, flat land,...
Curated OER
Island Survival
Students participate in a simulation of life on a deserted island. They apply their critical thinking skills and knowledge of oceans and islands to "survive" and ultimately return to safety. Lesson contains adaptations for all levels.
Curated OER
Studying Snow and Ice Changes
Students compare the change in snow and ice over a 10 year period. In this environmental science activity, students use the live data on the NASA site to study and compare the monthly snow and ice amounts on a map of the entire Earth. ...
Curated OER
Ocean Influences on Climate Lesson Plan
Students brainstorm about the geographical factors that contribute to climate. They examine the impact of ocean currents on coastal temperatures.
Curated OER
Climate and Topography, What Is the Connection?
Fourth graders study Neumann's world continent map and explore topography and climate.
Curated OER
Exploring Climate Change with GIS
Young scholars investigate climatological changes that are occurring to the Earth. For this climate change lesson, students access an assigned web site to view maps and lessons that show how climate change makes a difference to life on...
Curated OER
What Factors Impact a Greenhouse?
Students analyze the Greenhouse Effect and the science of greenhouses. In this global climate lesson, students read background information about the 'greenhouse effect' and define 'albedo.' Students examine pictures of clouds, read about...
American Museum of Natural History
What is Marine Biology?
A marine environment covers the majority of the earth but is arguably the least understood. Teach young scientists about the characteristics of oceans and ocean species using an interactive online lesson. The in-person or remote learning...
NOAA
Technology I
Isn't technology great? The 12th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program introduces technology that marine scientists use. Pupils take part in an activity using conductivity,...
Curated OER
Frozen Seas
Students research animal life in the frozen seas. In this researched based lesson, students use the Internet to create a poster about an animal that lives in an Arctic or Antarctic environment. Students will focus on the behavioral and...
Curated OER
Dissolved Gases in Water
Using different types of water, earth science explorers set out to prove the ocean's ability to absorb greenhouse gases. They shake, heat, and freeze the water samples to examine gas content. This lesson is useful during a unit...
Polar Trec
Where is the World's Water?
Scholars discover the amount of the Earth's water in various locations such as the ocean, ice, the atmosphere, etc. They then make a model of the how much water those percentages represent. Finally, analysis questions bring the concepts...
Curated OER
Thermal Expansion and Sea Level Rise
Placing a thermometer and a glass tube into a flask of cold water and sealing it, you can expose it to heat and very visually demonstrate thermal expansion to your earth science class. Follow it with a discussion about how the increasing...
PBS
Breaking it Down
After challenging themselves to correctly choose the form of erosion and length of time required for a given landform to develop, earth science class members model mechanical and chemical weathering with various lab demonstrations over...
PBS
Sea Surface Temperature, Salinity, and Density
Earth's vast ocean is full of mysteries! Science scholars discover the big-picture properties that influence its characteristics at different latitudes using a lesson from PBS's Weather and Climate series. After completing a background...
Curated OER
The Search for El Nino
Sixth graders complete an El Nino scavenger hunt. In this earth science lesson, 6th graders describe the conditions that create El Nino and compare it to normal condition. They discuss how this phenomenon affects marine ecosystem.
Curated OER
Breaking the Ice: Who Controls the Northwest Passage?
Students consider the global climate issue. In this Northwest Passage lesson, students examine who has sovereignty of the passage and discuss the importance of the Law of the Seas and its impact on the global climate issue. Students...
Curated OER
Latent Heat and Clouds
Students explore latent heat and how it relates to clouds in the atmosphere. In this earth science lesson students investigate how clouds are formed. Students examine clouds and the water cycle.
Curated OER
Global Warming
Students read information about global warming and make their own greenhouse. In this global warming lesson, students read several pages of global warming and climate information. Students then make their own greenhouse and answer...
Curated OER
Rising Air
Students investigate the concept of rising air in the formation of clouds and precipitation. In this rising air instructional activity, students conduct an experiment with hot and cold water that shows how warm water rises due to thermal...
Curated OER
Factors Affecting Ocean Currents
Students design and conduct an experiment to determine the effect of salinity and temperature changes in the movement of ocean currents. In this earth science lesson, students record observations and collect data. They share their...
Curated OER
Oceanic Absorption- Oceanic Sequestration
Students examine the different techniques that may be used to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In this ocean pollution lesson students divide into groups and complete a lab to see how the ocean holds carbon dioxide.
Space Awareness
The Big Meltdown
Explore the world (our world) of melting ice caps. Why are these caps melting? What is the effect of melting ice caps? Dive into the ever-present issue of global warming with a resource that has learners looking at data and participating...
NOAA
History's Thermometers
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...