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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Making A Sundial

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Can people really measure time just by using the sun? Scholars venture outside on a nice, sunny day to build sundials and learn how people measured time 600 years ago. The class builds two different sundials while gaining practice with...
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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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Interactive
Weber State University

The Sun and the Seasons

For Students 9th - 12th
Why is there more daylight in June than in December if you live above the equator? How does the angle of sunlight shift throughout the year? Answer these questions and more with an interactive article about the sun, its path through the...
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

An Energy Mix: Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
What did the windmill say about renewable energy? I'm a BIG fan! Lesson three in the series of 12 has classes discuss potential and kinetic energy and then, in pairs, they complete a web quest over the different types of energy...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Solar Isolation Changes and the Sunspot Cycle

For Students 8th - 10th
For this sunspot cycle and solar irradiation worksheet, students use 2 graphs of daily total solar irradiance and sunspot activity to solve 3 problems. They find the average solar irradiance during a given time, they determine the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pen Light Lab

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study what makes Earth warm and explore how different locations on the planetreceive different amounts of solar energy based on the intensity of the sun's rays. They calculate light intensities and compare the amounts of light...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Energy with GIS

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students examine GIS technology as it is used to locate energy sources. In this GIS lesson, student access an assigned website to locate a series of lessons using the GIS software. They use the maps that are located on the primary lesson...
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Interactive
Curated OER

Energy Alternatives and Conservation

For Students 7th - 8th
In this energy alternatives and conservation worksheet, learners research the topic, answer 3 questions, then complete a 4 step plan to create a print or digital project.  This page has numerous links to web resources.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sun Friendly Homes

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students design and build a model solar energy home. In this technology instructional activity, students test the efficiency of their model houses by measuring temperature at regular intervals. They analyze data and share results with...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ice Cube Experiment

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd
Students explore the rate at which ice melts. In this science lesson, students place ice cubes on colored index cards and place them in direct sunlight. Students observe which ice cubes melt fastest and slowest.
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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...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Aerosol Science

For Students 6th - 12th
In this aerosol worksheet, students are given data for volcanic eruptions and the average temperatures of the Earth. They determine the change in temperature from the year of the eruption to the present year and use the means to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy Conservation

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Students discuss the different uses of energy. They examine the consumption percentages to do household tasks. They discover ways to reduce their energy consumption.
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Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Understanding the Greenhouse Effect

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
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....
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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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Worksheet
Curated OER

Our Moon

For Students 7th - 9th
For this space science worksheet, students use the clues given at the bottom of the sheet to solve the crossword puzzle on our moon. They name another name for the moon and the moon's gravity compared to that of the earth.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Looking into Surface Albedo

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students demonstrate how the color of materials on Earth affect the amount of solar energy that is absorbed.  In this solar energy lesson students complete a lab to explore how the color of materials on the Earth's surface impacts warming. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar Eclipse

For Teachers 9th - 12th
In this solar eclipse worksheet, students solve seven problems about solar eclipses after making a model following five steps. They determine the different orbits for satellites, they determine the lengths of Earth's shadow and they find...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy Alternatives: Nature offers a solution

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students describe the pros and cons of different energy sources. In this earth science lesson, students respond to survey questions and discuss each other's opinion about the issue. They research an energy source of their choice and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sun Affects Earth

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read, write, and listen to information about the sun and its effects on the Earth.as it relates to its axis, orbit, rotate, and revolution.  In this solar system lesson, 3rd graders examine how the sun effects the Earth's...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy of the Future

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine technologies that already exist and record their findings in a journal. They work with students in other countries to explore alternative energy sources They publish their designs online.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Four Seasons - Earth's Axis

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explain that it is the tilt of earth's axis that causes the seasons. They engage in a variety of activities, both teacher-led and on the computer, which enable them to further explain how the Earth's axis affects the seasons.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students study solar energy.  In this renewable energy lesson students complete several lab activities using different controls and variables. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How the Amount of Solar Energy Absorbed by the Earth is Dependent Upon the Earth's Position

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate the angle of light and how it faces the earth. They conduct a series of investigations with the following two objectives. Students determine if the angle of light is a factor in the absorption of heat. They correlate...