NASA
Geographical Influences
"If global warming is real, why is it so cold?" Distinguishing the difference between weather and climate is important when it comes to understanding our planet. In these activities, young scientists look at the climate patterns in a...
Polar Trec
Where in the World Is Our Teacher?
Kirk Beckendorf, a middle school teacher, joined researchers at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica to help maintain automatic weather stations. The activity encourages pupils to track his travels around the region. They connect with the...
Polar Trec
Sea Ice Impact
The arctic seas contain currents that are both warm (with high salinity) and cold (relatively fresh water) that circulate throughout the year. Through discussion, a lab, and a web quest, participants explore the impacts of melting and...
Curated OER
Climate Change in My City
Students investigate the climate changes occurring locally, regionally and globally over the last one hundred years. They brainstorm and predict whether the current year's weather was warmer or colder than last year then check the...
Curated OER
Regolith Formation
Middle schoolers explain the difference between regolith formation on Earth and the Moon. In this space science instructional activity, students model the different factors affecting regolith formation on Earth. They identify the...
Curated OER
History's Thermometers
Ancient coral beds give scientists clues to past ocean temperatures in much the same way that tree rings indicate historical weather conditions. High school scientists examine coral oxygen isotope ratios and plot the data as a function...
Curated OER
Worksheet 3: Earth's Climate System II
A diagram of a mountain range and the prevailing winds is shown at the top of the page. Meteorology pupils describe the weather conditions at different points on the diagram. They explain the El Nino effect and why evaporation and...
Science Geek
Earth's Atmosphere
Ozone gas absorbs the harmful UV-B rays and helps protect humans. An informative presentation begins with the layers of the earth's atmosphere, the pressure and temperature in each of the layers, the ozone layer, the ozone cycle, and 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...
Curated OER
Understanding Salinity
Students discuss why the ocean is salty. They discuss what salinity is. Students are told that is they want to know how much salt is in a body or water, they would use a special scientific tool. They complete an Estuarine Layers science...
Curated OER
Secrets in a Grain of Sand
Students working in small groups examine beach sand to discover signs of erosion, weathering, ocean currents and waves. They present their findings to the class.
Curated OER
CURRENT AND CLIMATE
Students study currents and how they have been used to plot courses for travel. They examine the ocean currents in both the Atlantic and Pacific and discuss their effect on local weather.
Curated OER
Keep Your Eye on the Sky
Young scholars examine the different types of satellites, cloud formations and weather patterns. In this weather lesson plan students use the Internet to research weather satellites, then write an article and create graphs.
Curated OER
Tracking El Nino Conditions
Students identify major changes in ocean temperatures during an El Nino season. In this climate lesson students complete an Internet assignment using datasets to determine periods of El Nino.
Curated OER
Wind Circulation, Surface Currents and Climate
Students describe connections between wind patterns, surface currents, and ocean climate zones. In small groups, they color the ocean climate zones in four different shades of blue. Students then answer questions like what four...
Curated OER
Countdown to Disaster
Students discover the potential dangers of weather in their hometown. In this environmental lesson, students research Hurricane Hugo and the devastation it caused South Carolina in 1989. Students record weather data from their city and...
Curated OER
What is Climate?
Students explore the differences between climate and weather. In this introductory instructional activity of a climate unit, students discuss the vocabulary and concepts associated with weather and climate. They build their information...
Curated OER
Winter and Summer Storms Scenarios
Fourth graders analyze how summer and winter storms are different. In this weather lesson, 4th graders construct a winter storm simulation box and a summer storm bottle and record the temperature and barometer readings. The directions to...
Curated OER
Sports Challenge! Mr. D's Team
This PowerPoint provides a game board similar to Jeopardy filled with questions and answers related to science. The categories from which the teams choose are weather, water cycle, clouds, and space.
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
Life In the Flood Zone
Pupils discover how floods occur by visiting the Weather Channel's website. They examine the areas of the United States which are more vulnerable for flooding. They research the history of previous floods and how to protect themselves.
Curated OER
United States Air Masses
For this science worksheet, students participate in an activity using the sheet that increases the knowledge of weather and is based on achieving the academic standard of identifying air masses.
Curated OER
The Science of Weather: Humidity makes air feel even hotter.
Students examine the effects of heat and humidity. For this weather lesson, students read a chart to determine the effects heat and humidity can have on the human body. This lesson includes an optional extension activity using a newspaper.
Curated OER
Under The Sea
Second graders study how a tsunami is formed by underwater events such as earthquakes, volcanoes or landslides. They discuss what they knew about living and non-living things in the ocean.