Curated OER
Zoo Welcomes Baby Animals
Students engage in activities to gain a better understanding of endangered animals. In these animal lessons, students use vocabulary and comprehension skills to gain a better understanding of endangered animals. They also watch video...
Curated OER
Mapping Seamounts in the Gulf of Alaska
Students describe major topographic features on the Patton Seamount, and interpret two-dimensional topographic data. They create three-dimensional models of landforms from two-dimensional topographic data.
Curated OER
Science: Trouble in the Troposphere
Students research a NASA Website and record information about an assigned city's tropospheric ozone residual monthly climate. In groups, they graph the information for the past year. They form new groups and compare their city's...
Curated OER
MAPPING THE SCHOOL FOREST
Students measure distances and directions using paces and a compass. They determine their own pace, explore how to read a compass bearing, and how to take bearings on given sites.
Curated OER
RIDING THE WIND
Students locate the Trade Winds, Westerlies and Polar Easterlies on a map, explain the impact of the rotation of the Earth, and plot a route for a round trip voyage from New York to London.
Curated OER
A "Sweet" Lesson in Economics
Students discover how to determine the flavor of a jellybean using different key documents. In this economics lesson, students discuss Virginia economics and begin an activity in which they will help decide on the what jellybean...
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 lesson plan encourages pupils to track his travels around the region. They connect with...
Curated OER
Plate Tectonics Day 3 Sea Floor Spreading: Evidence for Continental Drift
Students are introduced to Sea Floor Spreading and how it provides evidence for Hess's and Deitz's theory of Continental Drift. They use paleomagnetic data to calculate the rate of Sea Floor Spreading.
Science Matters
Spaghetti Fault Model
Does increasing the pressure between two moving plates provide a stabilizing force or create more destruction? The hands-on lesson plan encourages exploration of strike-split fault models. The sixth lesson plan in a 20-part series...
National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
Alphas, Betas and Gammas Oh, My!
Referring to the periodic table of elements, nuclear physics learners determine the resulting elements of alpha and beta decay. Answers are given in atomic notation, showing the atomic symbol, mass, atomic number, and emission particles....
Curated OER
Using Waves on the Job!
A colorful and comprehensive PowerPoint highlights this lesson on waves. Junior geophysicists pretend that they are hired to analyze seismic waves. A worksheet is provided to go along with an online article about how compact discs work...
Curated OER
The East Fork Project
Learners identify possible sources of health risks, types of exposures, routes of exposure, and populations that could be affected after discussing water pollution and environmental health hazards. After discussion, students conduct a...
Curated OER
Arkansas: A Natural State
Here is a wonderful lesson plan on natural resources found in Arkansas which is designed for kindergartners. The lesson plan could be easily adapted for any state. Some clever in-class activities, games, and a song are included in this...
Curated OER
Soils
Young scholars apply knowledge of soil, environmental impacts, economics, multiple human demands, and use given data for a proposed scenario in making land use decisions. They debate land use issues and/or scenarios and discuss a case...
Polar Trec
Global Snow Cover Changes
Snow is actually translucent, reflecting light off its surface which creates its white appearance. Pairs or individuals access the given website and answer questions about snow cover. They analyze graphs and charts, examine data, and...
Curated OER
Salmon Stories
Work on author's purpose with this lesson plan, which focuses on sequence of events and audience as well. Middle and high schoolers describe the 50 State Quarters Program for background information. After discussing the images on...
University of Wisconsin
What’s a Square Foot Anyway? Laying Out the Design Plan
Clever! Participants don square-foot cardboard shoes to mark out the rain garden plot that they have spent the last few weeks designing. In this way, they are practicing scale modeling as well! Note that this lesson is part of a unit,...
Curated OER
Trends of Snow Cover and Temperature in Alaska
Students gather historical snow cover and temperature data from the MY NASA DATA Web site. They compare this data to data gathered using ground measurements from the ALISON Web site for Shageluk Lake. They graph both sets of data and...
Curated OER
Changing Planet: Melting Glaciers
Resource links to a video, satellite images, data, and photographs of glaciers provide emerging earth scientists the opportunity to examine how the ice has been retreating over the years. A data table is included for pupils to record...
Curated OER
Perceived Risks
Young scholars rank a list of everyday risks to compare with classmates. They rate each risk on both its ability to be controlled and its observability in the environment. Results are graphed.
Curated OER
Student Tracking
Here is an interesting lesson plan on satellite tracking. Learners use various tracking techniques to find out where they go on a daily basis, what the environmental conditions are, and what they are doing during their "migrations." A...
Curated OER
The Case of Vanishing Farmland
High schoolers consider decisions about how to use resources that are in short supply. Students role-play different perspectives in a land-use simulation, and examine land use issues around the world. This interesting lesson sheds light...
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El Nino
Explore the properties of water and the affects of El Nino. Middle schoolers will learn about the devastation an El Nino can cause as well as the definition of El Nino. Additionally, they will discover the cause of El Nino along with the...
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Weather or Not!
Seventh graders discuss weather. In this meteorology lesson, 7th graders view a movie on weather and take a quiz. They work in groups to make weather tools for a class weather station.