Teach Engineering
Cosmic Rhythm
Young engineers turn poets with a hands-on activity that challenges them to apply the concept of rhythm to crafting a poem.
NASA
Hurricanes as Heat Engines
Hurricanes are a destructive yet fascinating phenomenon. Individuals examine evidence that hurricanes use thermal energy from the ocean as they approach land. Learners use images, charts, and graphs to collect data and then draw...
NASA
Earth’s Energy Budget
Take the time and energy learn about Earth's energy budget. An engaging unit of four lessons focuses on the components that make up Earth's energy budget. Future scientists come up with a formula for the energy budget, then use software...
It's About Time
Center of Mass
Lead your class on an exploration as they locate the center of mass in several oddly shaped two-dimensional objects they create from their imaginations. Pupils also determine the location of the center of mass in three-dimensional...
University of Texas
Heat Transfer and Energy Balance
Learn about conduction, convection, and radiation with an illustrative presentation. It includes slides about atmospheric movement and how it affects the climate, solar radiation, and how latent heat can form storms.
Carnegie Mellon University
Introduction to Climate
Begin a full instructional activity on climate change by demonstrating how carbon dioxide gas contributes to increased temperatures. Be aware that pressure inside the antacid-containing bottle in Activity 2 may cause the lid to fly off;...
Curated OER
Energy Balance In Your Life
It's easy enough to put energy in, but not so easy to use it up! Look at food labels with your young learners and help them understand the concept of calories in and calories out. Food eaten means calories in and exercise means calories...
Curated OER
Your Energy Balance Goal!
This is the culminating activity for a unit on energy balance for 3rd-5th graders created by Together Counts. Young learners make a plan to balance their energy in and their energy out for one month. They use the SMART steps in creating...
Curated OER
How Balanced Are You?
Young learners take a look at what they eat in one day and compare it to how much physical activity they do on that same day. Point out that this is only a one-day glimpse at balancing the energy going in and what energy being used. They...
Curated OER
Energy Balance in Your Life
How do young learners figure out how to balance their energy in and their energy out? The main thing to understand is calories. How many calories are in foods and beverages consumed and how many calories are burned off by physical...
Curated OER
Why Be Active?
Are there benefits to being physically active? Yes! There are both short-term and long-term benefits! Being physically active doesn't just have strengthen you physically, but also emotionally and socially. Learners find out how to...
Curated OER
Energy Balance 101 - Setting a Smart Goal
Help your pupils learn how to set realistic attainable goals. This activity helps them practice how to write a specific goal that is measurable. Of course, the topic here is energy in and energy out. We all need help setting goals in a...
Curated OER
Your Energy Balance Goal!
This is the last lesson in the series put out by Together Counts on health. This activity has youngsters setting goals to keep their energy balanced by making excellent eating and activity choices. They may need a little help making...
Curated OER
How Balanced Are You?
Help young learners look at energy in and energy out. Discuss how different activities may require different amounts of energy in. Use the included worksheet to have them write or draw pictures of what they ate in one day and what...
Curated OER
Your Energy Out
What kinds of physical activity should youngsters do more of? What kind of activities should they do enough of? What kind of activities should they do less of? Studies say that children should be doing about an hour of vigorous activity...
Curated OER
Munching Mice
Students examine different variables and their effects on weight gain in mice. They consider the validity of relating the results in mice to humans.Finally, they discuss the ethics of using animals in experiments.
National Institutes of Health
Nih Curriculum Supplement Series: The Science of Energy Balance
A great resource for teachers to help explain the balance between calorie intake and physical activity. There are many student activities that reinforce the need for physical activity in a healthy life style. Included are a teacher's...
King's Centre for Visualization in Science
Explaining Climate Change: Lesson 8: Climate Change and the Oceans
This is the eighth lesson in a series of learning modules on the topic of climate change. It explores the role that oceans play in global climate change. Includes comprehension questions and interactive tools for understanding the...
Climate Literacy
Clean: Climate Change and the Oceans
Students discover the role that the oceans play in climate change, and how climate change affects the oceans. It is lesson eight in a nine-lesson module "Visualizing and Understanding the Science of Climate Change."
Climate Literacy
Clean: Earth's Albedo
This engaging activity introduces young scholars to the concept of albedo and how it relates to Earth's energy balance. They measure the albedo using maps, data tables, and a shaker filled with popcorn kernels. Then, they estimate the...
National Weather Service
National Weather Service: Jet Stream: The Atmosphere
Learn about the atmosphere, it's make-up, the layers, the hydrologic cycle and more. The National Weather Service presents this site, including learning lessons and review questions.
University of Oregon
University of Oregon: Global Climate Animations
Check out this site for global climate animations. "Get a feel for why we have seasonal weather changes or why other regions have different weather than you do."