Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Glacier Slide

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students conduct an experiment.  In this glaciers lesson, students learn about glaciers and then perform an experiment to show how glaciers shape the landscape around them.  Students draw a picture in their journals to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Magic

For Teachers K - 4th
Learners conduct experiments with ice, water and steam to observe the water cycle. They discuss substances that water accumulates from the Earth as it moves through its cycle.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biomes: Extreme Climate

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers discuss the causes of global warming. In this earth science lesson, students examine how global warming is connected to the arctic and world climate. They write a paragraph about their interconnection.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

From Liquid to Gas

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners observe an experiment. In this water lesson, students observe as water is changed into vapor. They record their observations by completing a data sheet.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Currents

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars determine how water and wind affect ocean currents. In this science investigation lesson, students follow the provided steps to enable them to consider how explorers may have used ocean currents to their advantage.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chemistry: Changing Materials

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine physical change with different temperature and solvents. In this elements and compounds lesson, students conduct experiments to discover what happens to the mass of a substance when is undergoes a physical change.
Lesson Plan
Polar Trec

What Can We Learn from Sediments?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Varve: a deposit of cyclical sediments that help scientists determine historical climates. Individuals analyze the topography of a region and then study varve datasets from the same area. Using this information, they determine the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chills And Thrills

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students learn what happens when ice melts. They explore melting, and devise ways of speeding up and slowing down the melting process.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Is the Matter with Water?

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders observe matter in all 3 states : liquid, solid and gas, in an ice cream soda. In teams, they are given ice and teams compete to be the first to melt their ice. Winner gets the ice cream soda. They draw examples of 3 states...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solids and Liquids

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students complete activities to study the properties of solids and liquids. In this states of matter lesson, students investigate the melting and freezing of a range of materials in a virtual experiment. Students melt the substances and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Physical Changes and States of Matter

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study evaporation and condensation as parts of the water cycle. First they determine the similarities and differences between a cup of water and an ice cube before measuring the volume of ice before melting it, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Glacier Climbing

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students discover where glaciers exist and how they move. In this glacier lesson, students work in groups to create a glacier in a replica valley and observe its properties.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Cycle Stories

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students explore the water cycle. In this water cycle lesson plan, students simulate the water cycle by placing an ice cube in a Ziploc bag and observing the changes which occur over time. Students record the mass of the Ziploc bag and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water: Liquid or Solid?

For Teachers 1st
First graders investigate how water can be both a liquid and a solid. They weigh popsicles and observe them as they write in their science journals. They measure the liquid as the popsicle melts and refreeze them to change them back...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rain Formation

For Teachers 1st
First graders investigate the different water formations by conducting an experiment.  In this water properties lesson, 1st graders examine jars filled with ice, rain water, air and snow in their class.  Students predict what...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

King of the Mound

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students investigate water as an agent of change. They conduct an experiment involving a mound of soil, observe and record any changes that occur when ice melts on the mound of dirt, and create a drawing of the changes that take place...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Polygons, Pingos, and Themokarst! Oh MY!

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students complete activities to learn about the common land features in Alaska. In this land study lesson, students study an overhead for permafrost features. Students define ice wedge polygons, thermokarst, and pingos. Students also...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creative Expressions: Phase Changes

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students place themselves in the position of a water molecule, ice molecule, or steam molecule and then describe the process of changing phase.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Law of Conservation of Mass

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students work in small groups. They grab a handful of ice, and place the ice in an empty beaker of ice using a triple beam balance. Students heat up the beaker of ice over a hot plat until the ice has changed into water. They measure...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Go Glacier Go!

For Teachers K - 4th
Students create a model of a glacier and observe how it moves. In this landforms lesson plan, students learn what a glacier is, build a model glacier and observe how it moves in a manner that more closely resembles a liquid than a solid.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Permafrost: Permanently Frozen Ground

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students explore permafrost.  In this 3 states of matter lesson, students identify characteristics of solids and liquids.  Students observe water and soil melting and freezing at various temperatures.  Students make...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Vanishing Coast: Erosion

For Teachers K - 4th
Students explore the concept of erosion. In this erosion lesson plan, students discuss the effects of 2 classroom demonstrations that replicate coastal erosion.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biomes: Islands and Evolution

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners discover how islands form, how plant and animal species get there and what the term means.  In this biomes lesson students prepare a presentation that describes the life forms and geography of an island. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Weather: Comparing Climate from Voyageur Times to Today

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders compare climates. In this weather lesson, 5th graders observe and record weather observations and discuss the impact of weather on people. Students also discuss the concept of global warming and determine how weather...