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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plate Tectonics Day 4 Earth's Interior Structure and Convection Currents

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students introduced to the interior structure of the Earth. They explore how the Earth's interior is broken down according to both it's physical properties and it's chemical composition. Students explore how convection currents within...
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Lesson Plan
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Baylor College

Moving Air

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
In lab groups, young scientists place aluminum cans with a bubble-solution cap into different temperatures of water to see what size of bubble dome forms. As part of an atmosphere unit in preparation for learning about convection...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

A Laboratory Simulation of Ocean Surface Currents

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Stimulate interest in ocean currents with a simulation. The first installment of a five-part middle school series teaches future oceanographers about the forces that interact to cause ocean currents. A simulation shows how wind and the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Density and Convection Currents

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students listen as the teacher explains convection currents in the ocean. They experiment with finding a smoking match in the classroom with their eyes closed. Students discuss what might effect their ability to pinpoint the smoke...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Secrets of the Ocean Realm - In the School "Mountain in the Sea"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students learn how cold and warm water behave in the marine environment due to convection currents. Students also conduct an experiment to demonstrate the formation of a convection current.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plate Tectonics

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students reinforce their knowledge of plate tectonics from what they have already learned on the subject. In this science lesson, students watch a small clip from the movie "Ice Age" which engages the students to participate throughout...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Convection in a Pan

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students explore convection. In this lesson on heat and energy, students investigate how heat moves in convection currents. They use their finding to better understand how convection currents effect the movement of tectonic plates.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Just How DO Those Plates Move?

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students experiment with water, temperature and paper to explore how convection currents occur and how they are used to explain the movement of the Earth's plates.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weather Watchers

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students study basic meteorology concepts. They build a simple barometer to measure air pressure. They explore the concepts of relative humidity, air convection currents and temperature inversions and to discover their connection to...
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Lesson Plan
Teach Engineering

How Hot is Hot?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Elementary schoolers identify the three methods of heat transfer: conduction, convection, and radiation. The lesson is mostly lecture-based. When the teacher has finished the presentation, groups of pupils get into teams and they must...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Heating and Convection Contributes to Natural Disasters

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students study the basics of heating and cooling and how it pertains to the earth.  In this global lesson students read the Magic Tree House book then create a chart of their findings.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Atmospheric Processes -- Convection

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students work together to discover how temperature changes can affect the density of water and air. They make predictions on what they believe is going to occur. They answer questions to complete the lesson.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's the Connection Between Convection and Inversion?

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders observe a simulation demonstrating the difference between convection and inversion. They explain where and when convection and inversion layers occur and how each impacts air quality, and by connection, human health.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tides and Currents

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research and describe how currents are formed. In groups, they relate specific terms to the formation of currents and locate different currents on a world map. They also examine tides, how they are formed and how they are...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Magma Also Rises

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Convection is thoroughly demonstrated using a model of Earth's mantle. Detailed background information is provided for the teacher, as well as a list of materials. Although a colorful and detailed worksheet is available for the class,...
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Lesson Plan
Science Matters

Energy and Winds

For Teachers 6th Standards
In the study of wind energy, scholars build a small windmill and observe how it transfers wind into mechanical energy. Learners will make connections to the previous lesson with concepts such as the creation of wind through convection.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Drifting Continents

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners, through teacher-led demonstration, explore the idea of continental drift. They complete a worksheet involving the calculation of continental drift over time.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Envelope System: A Partial Solution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Studnet identify examples of conduction, convection and radiation. They develop an example of a building envelope. They also describe how heat transfer mechanisms can affect home energy costs.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Global Winds

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers extend their understanding of convection to consider global winds and the effect of the earth's rotation on the creation of patterns of prevailing wind direction.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Convection

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Learners experiment with the cyclic process of convection and apply the principal to everyday events.
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Lesson Plan
Ocean Explorer

Living with the Heat

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Young oceanographers study the Submarine Ring of Fire, which is a series of deep-water volcanic vents that come up from the ocean floor. Learners take a close look at the unique ecosystems that are associated with these areas, how these...
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Lesson Plan
NASA

Earth's Global Energy Budget

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Introduce your earth science enthusiasts to the earth's energy budget. Teach them using an informative set of slides that include illuminating lecturer's notes, relevant vocabulary, embedded animations, colorful satellite maps, and a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hydrothermal Vent Challenge

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Give our ocean voyagers the "Hydrothermal Vent Challenge!" It is a worksheet that guides them through an exploration of hydrothermal vents and the chemical reactions that occur when lava meets seawater. Using a collection of websites,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Perpetual Motion

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discuss movement of air currents and then experiment to create visible models of air currents. Students connect the model to weather patterns.