Curriculum Corner
Earth Day Book
This Earth Day, celebrate our beautiful planet with an activity book that challenges scholars to show off their map skills, complete a crossword puzzle, write acrostic poems, alphabetize, and reflect on their personal Earth-friendly habits.
Curated OER
Modeling the Seasons
Students explore the seasons and their attributes. In this geography lesson plan, students create a 3-D model of the Earth that showcases the elliptical travel of the Earth that causes seasons.
Curated OER
Earth Day - Grow A Seed Garden
Students discover how things grow and how they can take better care of the environment in this Earth Day lesson for the elementary classroom. The activity can be accomplished in one day and left in the sun until the "beans" begin growing.
Curated OER
Earth Day - Bursting Beans
Students fill jars with dried beans and water, cover the jars, and wait to see what happens in this excellent Science experiment ideal for Earth Day (April 22nd). Emphasis is placed on discovering the reactions of seeds to water.
Curated OER
Seasonal cycles
Learners understand that the rotation of the Earth is responsible for the seasons. In this seasonal cycles lesson, students learn how the rotation of the Earth affects the seasons. Learners answer questions about the rotation, the...
Space Awareness
The Sun Compass of the Vikings
Evidence shows the Vikings likely navigated by using a simple sundial to find their course. Videos, a short story, and discussion help bring this time period to life as they study European history with a hands-on experiment. Scholars...
Curated OER
Adapting to Seasonal Changes in the Environment
Fourth graders discuss how plants and animals, including humans, adapt to climate and seasonal changes. They research the Colville people, and create dioramas that represent life during different seasons for Colville people.
North American Montessori Center
Sun and Moon Autumnal Equinox Activities
Two hands-on activities celebrate the sun and moon autumnal equinox. First, scholars create a cairn using a shoebox, flashlight, and drawing tools to view the sun's progression. Second, learners take to the kitchen to bake mooncakes...
Curated OER
How Much Water is Available in the Atmosphere for Precipitation?
Students explore the relationship between the amount of water in the atmosphere available for precipitation and the actual precipitation observed by satellite. They examine seasonal changes in precipitation. They practice using Internet...
Curated OER
I Can See and Feel the Change in the Seasons
Students use their senses to investigate the changes in the seasons. They discuss how the Earth moves around the sun and its tilt. They practice using new vocabulary and examining the different seasons.
Curated OER
Weather and Seasons
Young scholars look through pictures to examine the seasons and seasonal activities which include the Salish months and traditional activities for each month. They also discover why certain activities are done at the same time each year...
Curated OER
Exploring Seasons
Students study the four seasons. They determine changes that occur in our environment. They demonstrate an understanding of the basic features of Canada's landscape and climate and identify the basic weather and climate patterns of...
Curated OER
Weather and Water in Ghana
Students research the rainy and dry season to investigate Africa's weather. For this African weather lesson, students use the given websites to research the rainy and dry seasons of Ghana in Africa. Students then read stories about life...
Curated OER
A Map as a Tool
Students study the concept of using a map as a tool with the usage of a balloon designed to mimic the features of the Earth with the major features marked and shown on the balloon.
Curated OER
Earth's Energy Balance Performance Standard
Students examine how Earth-Sun relationships affect Earth's energy balance and the pattern of world temperatures. Students study a Surface Temperature Regions map and write a paragraph describing the temperature pattern from the Equator...
Curated OER
The Climate Change Skeptic's Argument: Natural Solar Cycles or Human Activity?
Teachers explore patterns in sunspots and total solar irradiance to understand the counterpoint to the human effect of global warming. In this professional development tool, teachers work through a lesson plan on the sun's natural...
Curated OER
The Earth's Rain Forests
Students study the importance of the world's rain forests. In this rain forest lesson, students read about the role of the rain forests in the world's environment. Students then write a formal letter to a member of Congress or Senate...
Curated OER
Celebrating the Solstice and Equinox
Fourth graders graph the number of daylight hors throughout the year and examine why day length varies. They discover that seasonal changes and latitude on Earth affect the number of hours of daylight in each day. Students listen to...
Curated OER
Apple: Bare to Pick
Students investigate the seasons of the apple tree. In tree seasons lesson, students use a sun model and a globe to study the tilt of the Earth to create the seasons. Students discuss the tilt and the seasons. Students discuss...
Curated OER
Climate Control
Students explore the locations, characteristics, and natural and human dangers to the Earth's biomes to better explain the relationship between daily life and the environment.
Curated OER
How Many Days Are in a Year?
Students create a calendar for an imaginary planet. In this earth science lesson, students analyze the errors on the different calendars used on Earth. They present their work in class.
Curated OER
Working on the Moon
Students take a mission to the moon. In this space science lesson plan, students visit selected websites to discover information about Earth's moon and the solar system. Students may take virtual missions to the moon and share...
Curated OER
Barrels and Buckets: Access to Water - What Would It Be Like to Live in Africa?
Students compare water access in the United States with that of Africa. In this water access lesson, students located Ghana and Kenya on a globe before reading Peace Corps Volunteer accounts of the difficulty of accessing clean water....
Curated OER
Splish-Splash: Daily Use of Water
Students explore the daily use of water in Kenya and Ghana. In this Peace Corps lesson, students compare similarities and differences between water use by people in Kenya and Ghana and their own communities as...