Curated OER
Stella the Swan
Students analyze the telling of a story with props. They study similarities and differences between ducks, geese and swans, how wildfowl are adapted to life in water, how wildfowl move and feed, and wildfowl family life, how they nest,...
Curated OER
Soil pH Effect on Germination of Specific Weeds
Students collect weed seeds from three varieties of weeds (knapweed, thistle, or toadflax, for example they may choose others in addition to the spotted knapweed.) They sterilize soil for thirty containers, plant seeds in sterile soil,...
Curated OER
Acid Rain
Learners understand the dynamics of acid rain and its impact on the living and non-living environment. They hypothesize how acid rain affects water pH levels in two lake systems with differing watershed features.
Curated OER
Blue Planet: Seas of Life - Tidal Seas
After viewing the video Blue Planet: Seas of Life, students review oceanic concepts. In this earth science lesson, students reflect on the effect tides have on living things and conduct research to create a "tidal trivia" game....
Curated OER
How Warm is the Water?
Students research how surface sea temperature changes throughout the year. They draw a time series of sea surface temperatures for each month of the year and a depth profile for a summer and winter month using an OceanExplorer Profiler...
Curated OER
Science: Hurricanes As Heat Engines
Students conduct Internet research to track the path of Hurricane Rita. They record the sea surface temperature of the Gulf of Mexico during and after the hurricane and draw conclusions about how hurricanes extract heat energy from the...
Curated OER
Sea Surface Temperature Trends of the Gulf Stream
Students use authentic satellite data to produce plots and graphs of sea surface temperature as they explore the seasonal changes of the Gulf Stream.
Curated OER
Sea Surface Temperature Trends of the Gulf Stream
Students explore the importance of the Gulf Stream. Using a NASA satellite images, they examine the sea surface temperature. Students collect the temperature at various locations and times. Using spreadsheet technology, they graph the...
Curated OER
Science: Dissolved Oxygen and Water Quality Sampling
Students perform tests to determine the level of oxygen dissolved in water. After examining a table displaying the temperature and solubility of water, they examine the three stages involved in the test. Upon completion, students explain...
Curated OER
Kansas River: Where Do They Come From? Where Do They Flow? Which Ones Make the Kansas River Grow?
Students identify major rivers in Kansas, identify the direction which they flow and identify tributaries of the Kansas River. Students examine what occurrences upstream influence water quality downstream.
National Academy of Sciences
Global Warming: Facts and Our Future
According to the United Nations, climate change affects every country on the planet. This research project encourages scholars to explore the factors that affect climate change from different perspectives: climate scientist, policy...
Curated OER
Mooring Mobiles Lab
Oceanography experts use candy to construct a model of a bio-physical mooring that would test a variety of factors. Each piece of equipment to be included on the mooring is described within the write-up. As pupils gather the candies for...
Illustrative Mathematics
Use Cavalieri’s Principle to Compare Aquarium Volumes
Learners are designing a stunning new water feature for an aquarium, but they soon discover that more than just a pretty home for their fishy friends is required. From calculating the volume of a composite shape through the...
Curated OER
Build a Model Watershed
Students build a model land surface. In this building lesson plan, students use the land surface to explore concepts such as water flow, ridges, pools of water, and water quality. They build rivers, streams, land, waterways, and surfaces.
Curated OER
Making a Water Filter
Fifth graders draw a plan that they think will clean the sludge in a jar. Students construct the treatment system they designed, take a bottle of sludge to the system and try it out, writing down what happened.
Curated OER
Water Currents
Students demonstrate how ocean currents are influenced by changes in density. They discover that temperature and salintiy affect density as well. They participate in a short experiment to end the lesson plan.
Curated OER
Water in the Texas Coastal Basins
Students, after researching a Texas coastal basin, map and graph the information they collect and then translate it into a short report to be presented to their classmates. They brainstorm unique ways to maintain Texas estuaries as well...
Curated OER
Circle the Earth - Explore Surface Types on a Journey around Earth
Learners use CERES percent coverage surface data with a world map in locating landmasses and bodies of water at Earth's Equator.
Curated OER
It's All In The Surface: The Effects Of Color & Texture On The Ability Of A Surface To Absorb Solar Energy
Ninth graders examine how dark surfaces absorb more light than light surfaces. They perform an experiment that compares various surfaces abilities to absorb heat, then record and analyze the results.
Curated OER
Science: Discovering Earth's Air Prressure
Fourth graders discover earth's air pressure through observation of several experiments. In the "Experiment of the Leaky Bottle," they observe how air pressure forces water out of the lowest hole farther than the holes above it. In...
Curated OER
Determining Momentum and Energy Loss of Balls Colliding Against Different Surfaces
Students experiment with the bounce of balls on various surfaces. In this physics lesson, students use various surfaces to bounce balls to study the momentum. This hands-on activity with the concepts of elasticity of surfaces which is...
Curated OER
Water Density
Students identify and analyze the concept of density using the formula, density equals mass divided by volume. They review the differences in salinity levels of the ocean and note that the changes in density are caused by wind and...
Curated OER
Frozen Water Before? I'm Sure You Have; But I Bed You've Never Frozen Salt Water! Water!!
High schoolers examine what happens to salt water when it freezes. In groups, they measure density and salt concentrations in different samples of water and record its freezing time. They discuss the relationship between water density...
Curated OER
Evaporation of Alcohol and Water
Students investigate the process that occurs when liquids evaporaate. They test water and alcohol to determine which substance evaporates more quickly and relate the rate to energy changes.