American Museum of Natural History
Keeping a Field Journal
Young scientists begin a field journal by following four steps. A real-world example of an entry showcases the different parts, including location, date, drawings, and more.
E Reading Worksheets
Making Predictions #2
What happens next? Learn to make predictions with five short passages. As kids finish reading each passage, they jot down what they think will happen next, as well as the evidence from the text that supports their prediction.
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The View From Here
Study the beauty of the landscape around you with an innovative art instructional activity. After discussing the foreground, background, and middle ground of landscape art, kids work on making their own piece of landscape art. The...
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Layers of the Atmosphere Foldable
Aspiring meteorologists make themselves a tool for reviewing the characteristics of each layer of the atmosphere. The procedure for this little project divides the paper into five sections, but many earth science teachers opt for the...
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How to Host a Metric Field Day
Celebrate National Metric Week with a fun-filled field day where learners actively apply the metric system.
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Feeling the Heat
Pupils record temperatures at different locations around campus. They examine the results and draw conclusions about how materials and colors affect the amount of heat produced. They also analyze Los Angeles' temperature records over a...
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Understanding Lava Layers
Seventh graders view "Volcano" by National Geographic Video. They experiment with baking soda and study lava flow. They describe volcano and earthquake patterns. They analyze weather and climate changes and how they relate to the natural...
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Explore: 4th Grade Beaufort Wind Speed
Fourth graders measure wind speed, air pressure, humidity, temperature, and wind direction. They compare their observations with those of actual weather forecasts.
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Decision Making
Students study weather patterns and learn to make decisions based on the weather. In this weather lesson, students plan a potluck based on the weather. Students use a decision tree to brainstorm about the activity. Students complete a...
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Our Poetic Planet : Writing Poems about the Earth
Students share their thoughts regarding nature. For this poetry lesson, students compose poems in different formats that feature weather and clouds.
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Introducing Temperature Measurement
Students read a thermometer, associate weather conditions and seasons with temperature changes and keep a record of daily temperature.
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Fronts
Fourth graders define cold and warm fronts, explain how they are formed and they ways that they affect the weather.
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Pendulum Clocks
Students use string, wire, weights, and a stopwatch to build pendulum clocks. In this pendulum clocks lesson plan, students use the pendulum clocks to investigate weather, climate, force, and motion.
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Identifying Clouds
Students work in groups to research and prepare a report on cloud types. They present their findings to the class and take a group quiz competing for points. Students go outside and determine which type of clouds are visible on that day.
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Chucky Chickadee's Bird and Breakfast: Sing in Please
Students observe bird feeding and complete a tally and graphing activity for their observations. In this bird graphing instructional activity, students work in teams to observe bird feedings. Students complete a bird reporting sheet and...
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Make a Snowflake
Students study the design of snowflakes. In this snow lesson, students discover the different shapes of a snowflake, and their similarities. Students study snowflakes outside, then create their own with popsicle sticks...
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Where Will You Go?
Fifth graders research and plan an imaginary vacation. In this travel planning lesson, 5th graders work in pairs to use an atlas, calendar, review airplane schedules, encyclopedias, magazines, and the Internet to research information...
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To Spread or Not to Spread
Students explore the difference between the three types of contrails. In this contrails instructional activity, students make observations of contrails and record them. Students identify the three types of contrails and complete an...
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LEAF (Learning Exercises and Activities in the Forest
Students observe populations and determine the functions (e.g., decomposers, producers, consumers) they serve in an ecosystem. They investigate the energy flow ecosystems. Students investigate factors (.g., Resources, light, water) that...
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TRB 5:2 - Activity 3: Earthquakes
Young scholars watch a classroom demonstration, and experiment to discover the five ways that Earth's crust shifts along a fault.
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Checking Weather Forecasts
Students record a four or five day weather forecast. They check the actual weather and compare it with the forecast.
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Weather Journal
Sixth graders write in a journal using weather observations as the focus, they develop writing techniques in addition to scientific observation skills.
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Poetry in Weather
Students identify various types of clouds and write poetry about the weather.
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Weather Instrument Use and Application
Eighth graders measure temperature, wind speed and pressure using Skymaster SM-28. In this earth science instructional activity, 8th graders collect data and record observations taken from outdoors. They explain why numerical values are...