Curated OER
Weather, Sea Level Rise and Climate Change
High schoolers differentiate weather and climate. In this earth science lesson, students compare weather and climate in different regions of the world. They interpret weather graphs and compare isotherm lines of northern and southern...
Curated OER
Hubris Lesson Plan
Bring this lesson on hubris to your short story unit. After reading Jack London's "To Build a Fire," young readers discuss the role of hubris in the protagonist's death. The lesson has connections to other short stories, such as "The...
Curated OER
Litter From Lunchtime
Students explore environmental care by participating in a litter identification activity. In this food trash lesson, students discuss the destruction litter causes in our environment and ways we can avoid littering ourselves. Students...
Curated OER
Natural Disaster
Describe how plate tectonics account for various land formations. Learners discuss different marine sanctuaries and create a poster about tectonic activity in these areas. They share their posters with the class.
NOAA
What's the Big Deal?
Who knew that a possible answer to Earth's energy resource problems was lurking deep beneath the ocean's surface? Part four of a six-part series introduces Earth Science pupils to methane hydrate, a waste product of methanogens. After...
California Academy of Science
Kinesthetic Astronomy: Moon Phases
We are the world! Each of your class members models Earth and holds a styrofoam ball to see its phases. Thorough teacher background information and a detailed lesson plan will make this a cinch to teach. If you do not want to purchase...
NASA
Rain Gauge Activity
Complete teacher narrative and presentation slides for teaching about Earth's water make up the bulk of this lesson. Embedded within the slide show, you will find videos about the water cycle, keeping track of the limited supply of fresh...
Curated OER
The Impact
Learn about the destruction of the rainforest by analyzing statistics. Young learners make an original line graph showing destruction in the rainforest. Additional activities include making a collage, sequencing Dr. Seuss' The Lorax,...
California Academy of Science
Coral and Chemistry
Using cabbage juice as a pH indicator, future scientists explore the effect of increasing carbon dioxide on the pH of the ocean and relate it to the health of coral reefs. Ideal for an earth or environmental sciences course, this lesson...
Safe Drinking Water Foundation
Water Bottles Everywhere
Young environmentalists examine how water bottle use is polluting the waters on our earth. In groups, your students study the handout on their assigned topic and present their findings to the rest of the class. Leading up to this lesson...
Baylor College
Using Heat from the Sun
Let's heat things up! This simple experiment demonstrates for students the important role the sun plays in providing the earth with energy. Place one cup of water in direct sunlight and one in shade, then take measurements in order to...
Curated OER
The Four Seasons - Earth's Rotation
Students identify characteristics in correlation with each season and identify dates of the changing seasons. They identify and describe how the Earth rotates around the sun and its effects on the temperatures of the earth.
Curated OER
Earth Day Trash Survey Unit
Students participate in local Earth Day activities. They keep track of the types of trash they pick up. They aggregate their data to develop whole-class statistics of what they found.
Curated OER
Rocks and Minerals
Take young geologists on an exploration of the collection of rocks and minerals that we call Earth with an upper-elementary science lesson. Through a series of class discussion and hands-on investigations, students learn about the three...
Curated OER
Describe and Interpret Images: Folded Strata
High schoolers describe and interpret images. They make a simple sketch of an outcrop shown in a slide (or computer projection) then discuss possible interpretations.
Curated OER
Characteristics of Materials
Students describe and compare common properties of various classroom materials. In this science/matter activity, students observe common classroom items and the materials they are made of to complete a list of common properties.
Curated OER
Core
Eighth graders take their own "core sample" with clay and/or play-dough and correlate the layers of the earth.
Curated OER
The Reasons for the Season
Students explain the reason for the changes in season. In this lesson examining the relationship between the Earth and the Sun, students use an applet to discover how the alignment of the Earth and the Sun cause the change in seasons.
Curated OER
The Layered Earth
Students role play plate tectonics by creating a "plate statue" made up of students. In this earth science lesson plan, students describe how Earth's movement cause earthquakes and volcanoes. They draw and name the different layers of...
S2tem Centers SC
Seasons
Winter, spring, summer, and fall—take the learning of the seasons beyond the elementary level to the middle school classroom. Curious learners begin by watching videos about the seasons and the rotation of planet Earth. Then, they...
Curated OER
Plate Tectonics: Fourth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
The pre-lab portion of the lesson introduces emerging geologists to the various layers that make up Earth. After completing a sheet on the identification of the layers, class members simulate plate boundaries and their...
Curated OER
Volcanoes: Fifth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
Fifth graders explore volcanoes and the rocks they produce using the Internet. The lab portion of the lesson prompts young scientists to compare and describe igneous rocks. Next, they critique a pair or more of books on volcanoes in...
Curated OER
The Marvels of Mud
Young scientists roll up their sleeves and get a little dirty in this three-day earth science investigation. Following the scientific method, children monitor the growth of algae in pond water samples in order to determine the role that...
Space Awareness
Know Your Planets
Does your class know their planets? Implement an activity that has them describing the solar system, identifying properties of the planets, and placing them in order from their distance from the sun.