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Lab Resource
Colorado State University

How Does the Earth Cool Itself Off?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Where does all the heat go when the sun goes down? An interesting lesson has learners explore this question by monitoring the infrared radiation emitted over time. They learn that hot spots cool more quickly that cooler spots.
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Activity
Colorado State University

How Do Long and Short EM Waves Interact with the Earth's Atmosphere?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Things are about to heat up in your classroom! A kinesthetic lesson asks learners to play the part of the gases in the earth's atmosphere and interact with the sun's radiation. The focus is to learn the impact of the increasing...
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Lab Resource
Colorado State University

How Can I Turn a Solar Oven into a Refrigerator?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Whether you want to heat things up in science class or cool things down a bit, an intriguing lab's got you covered! Science scholars explore the principles of thermodynamics using a solar oven, then change the conditions to turn their...
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Water is a Heat Sink

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
One of the key objectives of Europe's Copernicus Earth program is to monitor the temperatures of the oceans and seas on Earth. Young scholars learn the effects of different heat capacities through two experiments. These experiments...
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

The Engine of Life

For Teachers 5th - 11th Standards
There is a specific zone, or distance from a star, that a planet must be in order to have water in a liquid form. The activity demonstrates how flux density depends on its distance from the source. A photovoltaic cell gets power to drive...
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Climate Zones

For Teachers 5th - 11th Standards
The climate at the equator is hotter than the climate at the poles, but why? The lesson goes in depth, explaining how the angles of illumination relate to the heating rate at different latitudes and seasons. Scholars use a strong lamp,...
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Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

Biome Basics with a Disastrous Twist

For Teachers 7th Standards
Bored with your current biome bag of tricks? This bundle is a bountiful bag of biome fun! Travel the globe with seventh graders and explore the biotic and abiotic factors that define our world's biomes. Then, introduce a little chaos to...
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Oceans as a Heat Reservoir

For Teachers 7th - 11th Standards
Oceans absorb half of the carbon dioxide and 80 percent of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. Scholars learn how and why the oceans store heat more effectively than land and how they help mitigate global warming. Pupils...
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Lesson Plan
Discovery Education

It's Getting Hot in Here

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Class members engage in a STEM experiment and investigate how materials affect heating in a house by creating models of houses and using different top surface materials. They record the temperature inside the models and consider what the...
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Lesson Plan
Messenger Education

Star Power! Discovering the Power of Sunlight

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
It takes less than 10 minutes for energy from the sun to travel 90 million miles to Earth! In the first installment in a series of four, groups measure the amount of solar radiation that reaches Earth. They then discuss how this is...
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Lesson Plan
Messenger Education

Snow Goggles and Limiting Sunlight

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Why would someone need contact lenses that offer UV protection? With a 28-page packet full of instruction and worksheets, learners discuss solar radiation and its potential harm to eyes. They make snow goggles similar to ones hunters...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Greenhouse Gas Modeling Activity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Why are greenhouse gases called greenhouse gases? Young Earth scientists learn about greenhouse gases though experimentation in the second installment of a 3-part series. They use lamps to model radiant energy as well as warming through...
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Activity
It's About Time

The Sun and Its Effects on Your Community

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Why is the sun round? Examine this question, and others, with your pupils while teaching them how to live in a more earth-friendly environment. Pupils explore Sun composition and discuss how solar wind, sunspots, and solar energy affects...
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Lesson Plan
Teach Engineering

Solar Power

For Teachers 9th - 11th
How much solar energy is available at my location? An engaging resource provides a presentation along with script to give the class background information on determining solar radiation. Pupils then work through a worksheet to estimate...
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Climate Change

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The young scientists in your class will appreciate a resource about different elements of climate change. The packet includes factual materials, informational text, and clear visuals, perfect for sharing with your environmental science...
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Workbook
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University of California

Seasons Lab Book

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
Unlock the mystery behind seasonal change with a collection of worksheets and activities. Whether they are drawing pictures of Earth's orbit around the sun or graphing the temperature and daylight hours of different locations from around...
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Lesson Plan
Wild BC

The Greenhouse Effect: Warming the Earth Experiment

For Teachers 6th - 8th
First in a two-part lesson on the greenhouse effect, this lesson involves a classroom demonstration of the phenomenon, and a lab group experiment with color and absorption. Although there are easier ways to demonstrate the greenhouse...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Angle on Cooling: Effects of Distance and Inclination

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discuss what heat is and how it travels. They discover that one way to cool an object in the presence of a heat source is to increase the distance from it or change the angle at which it is faced.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar Cell Energy Availability From Around the Country

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students 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. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Incoming Solar Radiation

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Demonstrate how the spherical shape of the Earth contributes to unequal heating of its surface and results in varying climates at different latitudes. This would be an illuminating addition to your meteorology lessons, especially when...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Seasons Worksheet #1

For Students 6th - 9th
First, your earth science pupils determine what season is depicted in a diagram of the tilted Earth as it receives radiation from the sun. They answer multiple choice questions about occurrences at different points on Earth in the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating the Climate System: Energy, A Balancing Act

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Earth science explorers design an experiment to demonstrate that the albedo of a surface affects its temperature. They test to find out if moisture on the surface affects temperature. They discover whether or not concrete or asphalt heat...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Night Golf Classroom Guide

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students read the story "Night Golf" and respond to questions that enhance their comprehension of the book's message.  In this reading instructional activity, students participate in a literature circle to explore reading passages....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Measuring Soil Temperatures at South Penquite Farm

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students investigate soil temperatures. In this graphing and earth science lesson, students insert temperature probes into different types of soil at varying depths. Students complete a data chart and construct a related graph...