Curated OER
Climate Systems - Which Location Is Best For Me?
Students study the difference between weather and climate. In this climate systems lesson plan students search the Internet for the parts of the Earth's system, gather climate data and complete a challenge scenario.
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Tropical Atlantic Aerosols
Students analyze NASA data from the Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer. In this NASA data lesson, students access an assigned website to examine information from the MISR on the Terra Satellite. They determine how desert dust travels...
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Blooming Thermometers
Students study phenology, or the study of climate change. They research the Japanese springtime festival of Hanami and plot and interpret average cherry blossom bloom date data from the past 1100 years.
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Using a Thermometer
First graders use their senses to formulate questions and make predictions to determine what is in the "Wonder Bag". They hold pieces of ice and examine while listing descriptors on a chart and then take their own temperature using an...
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Velocity and Acceleration
Twelfth graders look at local speed limits and traffic controls and see if they are reasonable. They plot the displacement and time to represent velocity, develop a plan for improving the current system, and organize experimental...
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To Spread or Not to Spread
Students explore the difference between the three types of contrails. In this contrails instructional activity, students make observations of contrails and record them. Students identify the three types of contrails and complete an...
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Ocean Botttom Profile
Students interpret a graph of ocean depths and topographic features. This task assesses students' abilities to interpret figures, organize and represent data, apply knowledge of scale to a profile, and apply theoretical knowledge.
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Creeping
Learners observe, measure, and graph a model of slow down slope movement representing soil creep. This task assesses students' abilities to collect, record, and organize data, set up graph axes, plot data points, draw line graphs, apply...
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Acid and Rain and Its Effects
Young scholars work in groups for up to three weeks to investigate the possibility of acid rain in your area and to investigate the damage that acid rain can do to buildings, monuments, and plants. Each group prepares a report to local...
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Butterfly Round-Up
Students classify the characteristics of butterflies and moths moths. In this life cycle lesson, students identify butterflies and moths common in the state of Iowa as well as their characteristics. Students then learn the proper...
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Probing Under the Surface
Eighth graders use a measuring stick to determine the shape of the inside of the bottom of a box, then apply their knowledge to an additional situation. This task assesses students' abilities to make simple observations, collect and...
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The Blizzard of 1993
Students read and interpret the information from a barograph from a major winter storm. This task assesses students' abilities to interpret and analyze graphs, construct data tables and graphs, generalize, infer, apply knowledge of...
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Formation of Rain
Students sequence the steps leading to the formation of rain, and design a model to represent these steps. This task assesses students' abilities to classify, generalize, infer, interpret and communicate data, and construct a pictorial...
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Formation of Wind
Learners correctly sequence the steps leading to the formation of wind, and describe the cause and effect relationships involved in the formation of wind. This task assesses students' abilities to classify, generalize, infer, interpret...
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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.
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Identifying Wyoming Trees
Learners identify trees based from their leaves. In this leaf lesson plan, students use The Rocky Mountain Tree Finder by Tom Watts in order to identify tree leaves. They look for leaf shapes, veins, and structure.
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Rain, Rain, Go Away
Students conduct a number of experiments involving evaporation and condensation. They view and discuss a video about the water cycle and then design posters about the rain based on the book "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs".
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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...
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River Planning
Learners use a model to conduct an experiment involving dam construction. Based on their observations, they draw conclusions about social, economic, and and environmental issues and make a decision concerning dam location. As a group,...
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Water-Holding Capacity
Students design and conduct an experiment to compare the water-holding capacity of sand, soil, and moss. They measure the change in weight for each material after adding the same amount of water to each material.
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Air and Water in the Environment
Second graders participate in a three part lesson in which they identify and describe forms of moisture in the environment. Part one of the lesson involves the three stages of the water cycle, part two focuses on creating humidity by...
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Long Term Temperature Changes Essay
Students interview Elders in their community about how temperature changes have affected their lives. In this temperature change lesson plan, students interview the Elders about the societal and environmental changes that have occurred...
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The Sky Show
Students use lecture and research to answer the question: Why is the sky blue? students research a variety of other sky phenomena, chart their observations and participate in experiments.
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Changes Close To Home
Students interview the senior citizens in their community. While interviewing them, they identify perceptions they have about the local climate. Using the internet, the compare the results of the interview to those of public thirty...