+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Big is the Sun? Exploring the Size and Scale of the Sun, Earth and Moon

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Learners explore the relative sizes of the Sun, Earth and Moon as they make an impressive large-scale model for classroom use throughout the unit.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth's Rotation

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore the Earth and its rotation. Volunteers model the sun-Earth system to demonstrate that the Earth rotates around the sun. In groups, students simulate "traveling" around the sun and discuss when it is night and day.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science NetLinks: Fossils and Geologic Time

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the development of the geologic time scale. Also, to introduce them to the major time periods in earth's history, as well as to the role fossils play in helping us understand this history.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Does the Sun Influence the Temperature of the Earth?

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Learners explore whether the sun influences the temperature of the earth.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Beyond The Earth Part I

For Teachers K - 4th
Students explore the solar system. In this space science activity, students take notes on the solar system provided by their instructors. Students then collaborate to design a computer-generated drawing of the solar system.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Day Six: Floater What Ifs

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Students observe earth science by examining results from an experiment. In this buoyancy lesson, students practice floating different items in two different liquids and identify why certain objects will float and others sink. Students...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Day on the Space Station

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders discover what it would be like to live in space. In this technological advancements lesson, 5th graders discuss how space life would be different from Earth life. Students also identify how technology has made life in space...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's Your Sign? The Science Behind The Zodiac

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate the concepts dealing with the motions of celestial objects, the ancient origins of the Zodiac and the science behind the Zodiac.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science: Gravity, Mass, and Weight

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders discover the interrelationship between weight, mass, and gravity by conducting several simple experiments. After individually weighing objects, they graph the weights on worksheets. Extensions include making flip books...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Much Energy Does the Earth Receive from the Sun?

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students explore energy. For this science lesson, students conduct an experiment in which they measure how much energy is produced by the sun. Students build a calorimeter to measure the amount of energy.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science Fiction Stories

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students review the story writing process and the elements such as prewriting, drafting, editing, revising, publishing, and assessment. Next students write a science fiction story that contains a title, the requested number of...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Planet Earth

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Learners explore the planet Earth, outer space, and Earth's axis. They demonstrate reading comprehension skills, including literal meaning, inference and critical analysis.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wobbling in Circles

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders role play the parts of the sun, the moon and the Earth as they simulate the concepts of revolution and rotation. They act out the parts in small groups and discuss the concepts as a class.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weathering and Erosion

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students investigate how changes occur on the surface of the earth through erosion and glaciation. They observe what happens to salt and iron after they interact with water and vinegar, and analyze what occurs when water is sprinkled on...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Reasons for the Seasons

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders conduct a controlled investigation to determine the length of the sun's shadow on a fixed object (i.e., flagpole, telephone pole, etc.) over a three-day period (one day in the fall, one in the winter, and one in the...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Curated OER

Teaching About the Hydrosphere

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders are introduced to the Earth's hydrologic system including the cycling of water in the atmosphere and the movement of water on the surface of the planet using the Great Lakes watershed as an example.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Phases of the Moon

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars explore why when you examine the moon depends on its location in relationship to the sun and Earth. The moon never goes away or changes shape-we just see a different fraction of sunlight being reflected from the moon to...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Earth Around Us: Air, Water & Soil

For Teachers 1st - 7th
Students build an air cannon and study air mass.  In this air cannon lesson, students create and shoot an air cannon and observe what happens.  Students answer critical thinking questions about air mass and air cannons.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Day at the Beach: How to Keep Our Planet Clean

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students write a persuasive essay based on cleaning up the coast and other philanthropic values. For this writing lesson, students determine what is needed in order to keep the planet clean, and offer solutions to the International...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Structure of the Earth

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders study the cause of climate change, and how clouds form and affect weather. They define condensation and precipitation, the greenhouse effect and the water cycle.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Environmental Fair

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Young scholars investigate environmental issues. In this environmental activity, students find an object that is considered trash and make something useful out of it. Young scholars present their creative project.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Will Care for the Water?

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students discover how humans impact natural resources. In this environmental instructional activity, students identify water resources in the local area and construct a T-chart to compare the positive and negative effects humans have on...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change

For Teachers 1st - 12th
Students analyze the impact of climate variability and change utilizing a broad span of topics over a wide range of grade levels. This three lesson unit is easily adapted for the various instructional levels listed.
+
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Why All the Wiggling on the Way Up? CO2 in the Atmosphere

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
The climate change debate, in the political arena, is currently a hot topic! Learners explore carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere and what this means for the future in the 11th installment of 12. Through an analysis of carbon dioxide...

Other popular searches