Curated OER
Space Science: Adventure is Waiting
These full-color handouts feature two activities. The first is a reading on comets, meteors, and meteoroids. Your space science learners will examine ten phrases and determine which of the three each characterizes. The second activity...
NASA
Climate Change Inquiry Lab
With global temperatures on the rise faster than ever recorded, the effects of a heating planet could be devastating. Allow learners to discover just what the world is in store for if the warming continues through a series of videos, a...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Impacts of Climate on Forest Succession
Part two in a series of four explores the effects of climate on succession or the changing of plant species in a forest. Groups review how to identify trees and then spend a day in the field collecting extensive data on trees to...
Chicago Botanic Garden
The Carbon Cycle
There is 30 percent more carbon in the atmosphere today than there was 150 years ago. The first lesson in the four-part series teaches classes about the carbon cycle. Over two to three days, classes make a model of the cycle, add missing...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Understanding the Greenhouse Effect
The greenhouse effect is important, for without it, life on Earth would not exist. An activity that includes modeling the greenhouse effect and acting out the Earth's energy balance makes up the first part in a series of seven lessons....
Chicago Botanic Garden
Nature Walk and Ecosystem Introduction
A food web has no organism higher than a tertiary consumer because there wouldn't be enough energy left to sustain them. The fourth installment in a seven-part series begins with a nature walk to get pupils thinking about their...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Ecological Mismatches
Modeling is a powerful teaching tool. The final installment in a six-part series has pupils complete an activity to model a food web and discover the interconnected relationships in an ecosystem. They then read about changes in migratory...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Preparing for Project BudBurst
Adopt a plant and get to know its phenophases. The third instructional activity in a six-part series combines plant identification and phenology. Pupils begin by creating their own field guides to learn about the features and...
NASA
Providing Light for Your Plants
Using a guided lesson, pupils learn about what it takes to make a circuit along with a switch. They build a complete circuit under the direction from the teacher and identify each of the elements of the circuit. Scholars then learn to...
NASA
The Big Climate Change Experiment Lesson 1: Pre-Exploration
Most have heard of climate change, but what does it really mean? Scholars first answer a set of pre-assessment questions about climate change to help instructors gauge how much they know. They listen to a video lecture, watch a news...
NASA
The Big Climate Change Experiment Lesson 2: The Influence of Climate on Culture
No conversation about culture is complete without considering climate. Scholars first view videos of climate witnesses who describe the climate in their regions and how climate change affects their daily lives. They then write essays or...
NASA
The Big Climate Change Experiment Lesson 4: Weather Versus Climate
Decide whether to learn about weather. An illuminating lesson has scholars first watch video clips and discuss the difference between weather and climate. Using their newfound knowledge, they create analogies to illustrate this...
NASA
Earth’s Energy Budget - Seasonal Cycles
Earth's energy budget should be in the red. Young researchers review satellite data in a presentation to study Earth's solar radiation. They make both qualitative and quantitative observations about variations in available seasonal...
Curated OER
Aerosol Lesson: Language Arts
Students construct a model of a volcano. They read "NASA Facts Atmospheric Aerosols" and discuss the impacts of volcanic eruptions. They write informative essays about how aerosols impact the Earth.
Curated OER
Tracking Ocean Ecology
Students look at the data maps given to them about how chlorophyll affects the algae blooms and make predictions about the harm they will cause. In this data maps lesson plan, students manipulate data sets from the website.
Curated OER
Evidence of Change Near the Arctic Circle
Students analyze graphs and make conclusions about climate change. In this climates lesson students produce graphs and identify relationships between parameters.
Curated OER
Satellites and the Radiation Budget
Students engage in a prelab discussion about the earth's radiation budget and global warming. They use "trading cards" to find specific websites to research radiation budget questions.
Curated OER
When Trees Are Red, Color in Remote Sensing
Student learn about "chromatography" in a hands-on experiment. Students make a chart showing what the colors represent.
Curated OER
Measuring Precipitation
A little engineering design is mixed into this lesson on precipitation measurement. Groups plan and construct a rain gauge, and use it to collect precipitation. As part of the PowerPoint presentation, learners view a satellite map of...
Curated OER
Flying with Pythagoras
A lengthy narrative about Pythagoras and his students precedes an activity in which your young mathematicians practice using the Pythagorean theorem to solve three problems about flight and distance. Answers are provided.
Curated OER
What's The Weather?
Students explore the role that remote sensing plays in predicting our weather. Students investigate weather websites, and read about the three kinds of clouds. Students record and draw their observations in science journals.
Curated OER
Rocketry
Students design and construct a paper rocket that can be launched with a drinking straw. They participate in a lecture and read an article about rocketry and how Newton's Third Law applies to rocket launches. Each student constructs...
Curated OER
Milestones in Human Spaceflight
Students investigate the history and goals of NASA and human spaceflight. In this space science lesson, students answer questions about one of seven manned space programs and print pictures from the mission. As a class, students will...
Curated OER
What Do You Know About Saturn?
Students discuss what they know about Saturn. They create drawings to show what the planet looks like and identifies its characteristics. They write a paragraph about the planet as well.