Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biomes: Extreme Climate

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners create a web connecting global warming, the Arctic, and wold climate. They write a paragraph explaining the role of the Arctic in world climate.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Landforms in a Tub

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders use common household items to build landforms and simulate weathering and erosion.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's Under There?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students determine ways to make "observations" about unknowns, such as the land beneath an ice sheet or the interior of the Earth, using tools other than sight. They build "mystery boxes" and exchange them with other groups to "map"...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Regolith Formation

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students study what regolith is and how it contrasts with weathering on Earth.  In this weathering instructional activity students divide into groups, hypothesize and confirm their guesses. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Disappearing Rocks

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore the causes of erosion and observe how different surfaces erode differently. They recognize erosion and predict what type of erosion caused it. In addition, they predict the outcomes of erosion on different materials.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

When Land Ice Melts

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students investigate what happens when land ice melts. They discuss how the melting of land ice is different than the melting of icebergs. Students observe what happens as the ice melts.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pressure Versus Force: Landing On Ice!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils experiment with the relationship between pressure, force, and area. They determine the force and pressure exerted by a LC-130, which is commonly used for cargo and personnel transport in Antarctica.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Tsunamis

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discover the causes of tsunamis in oceans and fjords. They perform an experiment to discover how calving icebergs can create different wave patterns in the ocean and in a fjord. In addition, they draw a diagram to illustrate the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to Restoration Lesson

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore how pollution and invasive plants disrupt the ecosystem.  In this restoration lesson students list materials that pollute wetlands, how people can keep them clean and ways in which invasive plants establish. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

River System

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore the parts of a river system and understand the importance of each part.  In this river system lesson, 5th graders diagram a river system and write a paragraph explaining its parts.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's Eating Titanic?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners, in groups, research the bio deterioration of the Titanic. They write a report focusing on the rusting of the Titanic and estimate the amount of time it will take for the Titanic's bow section to completely dissolve.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Wind & Sun: Powerful Alternatives

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students examine the power that is possible from the sun through an interactive program. They also analyze how energy turns into different forms in different parts of the human body. They finally explore how wind is created and how wind...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weathering Landforms

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders brainstorm a list of ways the Earth's surface can change. As a class, they are introduced to the concepts of erosion and weathering and discover how wind and water cause changes to the surface of the Earth. To end the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Go Glacier Go!

For Teachers K - 4th
Learners create a model of a glacier and observe how it moves. In this landforms lesson, 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

Investigating Fresh Water Ecosystems

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders examine the fresh water ecosystems. For this environmental lesson, 6th graders work in groups to collect information about a fresh water ecosystem and report their findings to the class in the form of a brochure.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Walking on Frozen Ground

For Teachers K - 4th
Students listen to an Elder speak about permafrost structures in their area. In this permafrost lesson plan, students listen to the guest speaker, take a tour outside to view permafrost structures, and draw them.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Observing Sea Ice

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students study and observe types of sea ice found in Alaska. In this sea ice lesson, students use the student network for observing weather to study the different types of sea ice. Students study sea ice depicted in Alaskan art.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plop! Plop! Fizz! Fizz!

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study physical and chemical weathering. They explain how the processes of weathering and erosion change and move materials that become soil. They create a K-W-L chart to show what they know and list what else they would...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Regolith Formation

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students compare and contrast the process of regolith formations. In groups, students define regolith and discover how regolith is formed on the Earth and on the Moon. They participate in experimental activities to simulate regolith.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seasons

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Young scholars name the 4 seasons, discussing the weather, plant life, animal life and and activities of each. Students read the book titled, "Hello Arctic," and and discuss changes in seasons that accompany the story. Young scholars...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Coral Mania

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students examine deep-sea coral. In this coral lesson, students identify the structure and function of a coral polyp. Students then create a model of a coral polyp.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fenwick Island, Maryland And Beyond: Who Owns the Sand?

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine beach processes and complex beach systems. They study the human efforts to stabilize an unstable environment can lead to complex problems.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alaska's Physical Systems and History

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers read about Alaska's physical systems and determine how Alaska's physical makeup has impacted its history. They create timelines of their particular physical system.
Lesson Plan
National Park Service

Rock Ranking

For Teachers 1st - 3rd Standards
Junior geologists sort rocks and soil. They separate a sample of river gravel by size, shape, color, and other characteristics. To include Common Core standards, you could have little ones graph the number of particles in each sample.