This is the introductory activity in a series about air quality. Why is it so important that we breathe clean air? How can we make sure we're keeping our air clean? A discussion is the central idea of the activity, and example questions...

Learners determine areas that are the most likely to produce solar energy by using NASA data.  In this solar energy lesson students analyze plots and determine solar panel use. 

Learners conduct an experiment to discover what happens to air when it is heated or cooled, discover that wind moves from a high-pressure area (an area of sinking air) to a low pressure area (an area of rising air).

First graders explore natural resources and search outdoors to find materials to create a bird's nest. In this bird's natural resources lesson, 1st graders listen to a book about birds and reflect on the various things birds use to...

After a concise introduction to the water cycle, junior meteorologists access NOAA's average snowfall data. They choose a city to examine in terms of precipitation. Then they look at historical snowfall data and use it to predict snow...

After a basic introduction to the rock cycle and the three main types of rocks, young geologists can deepen their understanding of how rocks change through a fun learning game. Based on the characteristics and events shared by a reader,...

Although the lesson is specifically about the San Francisco Bay area, it's good enough to be adapted to any local region. Children research what the landscape in San Francisco was like prior to settlement, they consider the types of...

Students read OGBO: Sharing Life in an African Village by Ifcoma Onyefulu. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the study of Nigerian culture. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing, social...

Students investigate the different seasons that occur and how the weather is characterized according to the regions of The United States. They conduct research using the internet and then conduct classroom discussion while considering...

Students study hurricanes and their patterns. In this hurricane lesson, students watch a video clip tracing Hurricane's Ivan's path in Alabama. Students discuss hurricanes and watch a 3-D video of Hurricane Ivan. Students visit a website...

Students investigate how hurricanes impact a stream flow.  In this floods lesson students predict the impact of storms on animals and interpret data.

Second graders explore erosion and find the factors effecting erosion of hillsides.   In this erosion activity, 2nd graders experiment by creating a hillside and simulating rain.  Students discuss and record their results...

Students experiment using soil and water. In this forest as a filter lesson, students identify the role of forest cover, vegetation, and foliage impacts erosion and evaporation. Students conduct a simple experiment, form a hypothesis,...

Students make an anemometer, barometer, and wind catcher to see how wind and air pressure are related. In this wind lesson plan, students use these tools to measure the wind speed.

Students make a barometer and write a paragraph describing how they did it.

Students explore climate change and the idea that it brings a number of uncertainties about how regions are affected, particularly in the north. Students discuss the advantages and disadvantages that climate change may have for them....

Students play the role of migrating birds. As a class, they simulate a migration of birds to one place and back again. They relate their habitat size and changes to their current population numbers. They discover the many dangers of...

Students identify heartwood, sapwood, and a tree's annual rings, infer from a tree's rings what damage or stress might have occurred in its life, and make a time-line of human history that coincides with a tree's rings.

Students discover how to locate books on meadow and pond animals and research them. Students discover how to locate fiction/story books about the animals mentioned in the counting book read. Students discover how to locate by author,...

Hold a discussion in your class about the increase in mercury being found in fish that are caught commercially as food for humans. Given a worksheet, learners then calculate how much fish a person can safely eat each month to remain...

Students investigate the concept of weather and how it is created. They review relevant vocabulary related to weather. Students predict weather given slight background knowledge. The lesson includes background information for the...

Fourth graders explore the earth's revolution around the sun and the changes in weather that follow this motion.

Students, in groups, investigage and demonstrate the science behind the development and characteristics of extreme heat.

Students create a slideshow that pictorially depicts a variety of cloud types. They research clouds, develop and present the slideshow and then evaluate their efforts based on a rubric for self-evaluation.