Sea World
Endangered Species
Study different endangered species with several activities that incorporate math, science, language arts, and research strategies. A great addition to your lesson on conservation or Earth Day.
Science 4 Inquiry
Edible Plate Tectonics
Many people think they can't observe plate tectonics, but thanks to GPS, we know that Australia moves at a rate of 2.7 inches per year, North America at 1 inches per year, and the Pacific plate at more than 3 inches per year! Scholars...
Curated OER
Movement of Air Mind Map Activity
Students explore the movement of air. In this air instructional activity, students discuss and give examples of air ventilation. Students compare outdoor and indoor air quality. Students create mind maps as a visual...
Curated OER
The Science of Weather: Hurricanes
Students use this USA today activity to learn about hurricane season. In this hurricane lesson, students study the map of the earth and hurricane science. Students complete discuss questions. Students draw a map of the United States and...
Curated OER
Mother Earth
Students compare natural and human made items and gain an awareness of the importance of Mother Earth to the Nez Perce people.
Curated OER
Structure of the Earth
Eighth graders examine the forces that are constantly acting on the Earth. They describe the theory of tectonic plates and demonstrate the two kinds of earthquake waves. They also examine the role of volcanoes in the structure of the...
Curated OER
Principles of Flight: Where are We?
Students explore the concept of topographical maps. In this topographical map activity, students discuss how airplanes know where to fly. Students use topographical maps to simulate a field trip on the computer.
Curated OER
How Can We Locate Specific Places On Earth?
Second graders discover how to use longitude and latitude to locate specific sites on Earth. They compare old and new ways of locating specific places, and discover how latitude and longitude coordinates are used to locate places on Earth.
Curated OER
Earth, the Universe, and Culture
Middle schoolers view segment of documentary, Swift: Eyes Through Time, explore famous scientists, their theories, places of origin, and culture, document scientific viewpoints of famous scientists throughout history, and discuss...
Orange County Water Atlas
Location, Location, Location…
Young geographers discover not only how to read and recognize coordinates on a map, but also gain a deeper understanding of latitude and longitude and how climate changes can vary significantly across latitudes.
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
Weather Forecasting Basics
Eighth graders analyze weather diagrams and weather maps. For this earth science lesson, 8th graders explain why it is important to know the weather. They complete a handout at the end of the lesson.
Curated OER
Your Expedition of Discovery
Students study GPS and see how it is used to determine points on the Earths surface. In this expedition lesson students use GPS to find given coordinates.
University of Colorado
Are All Asteroids' Surfaces the Same Age?
Did you know scientists can tell the age of an asteroid by looking closely at its craters? This final lesson of a six-part series focuses on two asteroids, Gaspra and Ida, in order to demonstrate the concept of dating asteroids. Scholars...
Space Awareness
How Light Pollution Affects the Stars: Magnitude Readers
Did you know light can decrease visibility? Light pollution absolutely makes it more difficult to see stars. Scholars build a simple magnitude reader to determine the magnitude of stars. They use these data to estimate the impact of...
Curated OER
Celebrating the Solstice and Equinox
Fourth graders graph the number of daylight hors throughout the year and examine why day length varies. They discover that seasonal changes and latitude on Earth affect the number of hours of daylight in each day. Students listen to...
Curated OER
Investigating the Soil
Students explore the Earth's crust by researching pH levels and acidity. In this environmental safety lesson, students identify the pros and cons of acidity within soil and how it affects plants. Students collaborate in a pH level...
Curated OER
You Can Die Here – Death Valley California
Students use Google Maps to explore the rain shadow desert. In this climate lesson, students use the Internet, Google Maps, and directed inquiry worksheets to understand how rain shadow deserts form. Students apply climate concepts to...
Curated OER
What are Igneous Rocks and How are They Formed?
Crystals form before your very eyes! What sixth grader wouldn't enjoy this lesson on igneous rock formation? Using hot Salol, junior geologists observe the crystal formation process as the material cools. This comprehensive lesson plan...
Curated OER
Creating a Thematic Map Using S'COOL Data
Students observe weather patterns, collect data, and make a weather predictions for various locations on a map.
Curated OER
Studying Snow and Ice Changes
High schoolers compare the change in snow and ice over a 10 year period. In this environmental science instructional activity, students use the live data on the NASA site to study and compare the monthly snow and ice amounts on a...
Curated OER
Michigan Food: From Farm to You
Students recognize Michigan on a map and understand how its climate is affected by the Great Lakes. In this Michigan food lesson, students play a trivia game to identify the produce of Michigan. Students relate the climate in each part...
Curated OER
You Can Die Here
Students examine Death Valley including the amount of precipitation and winds that it gets. In this climate based lesson students explain the reasons for the amount of precipitation and windward patterns in Death Valley.
Curated OER
Aquifer Model
Students, after researching and brainstorming about aquifers and locating aquifer maps of Texas, participate in the building of a model of an aquifer complete with a pumping station. They also answer a variety of questions at the...