Curated OER
Vocabulary Development Vocabulary Zoo
Students practice their vocabulary skills. In this vocabulary skills lesson, students recall vocabulary words regarding indoor air quality.
Curated OER
Astronomy: Earth/Moon
Students investigate the Earth and the Moon. They select activities from a menu of options including viewing videos, drawing magnetic fields and plate tectonics, creating vocabulary flashcards, observing the phases of the moon over a...
Curated OER
Ode to the Earth: Magnetic Poetry
Students explore Earth Day by creating an arts and crafts project. In this nature appreciation lesson, students utilize nature related vocabulary terms on magnets and put them in different orders to create interesting poetry. Students...
Curated OER
"Mother Earth" -- Past
Students examine our connection to the Earth. They identify how Native Americans believed in a "Mother Earth". They discover how the earth and life are connected.
Curated OER
The Earth is Tilted, What Does that Mean?
Students examine the tilt in the Earth's revolution around the sun. Using that information, they draw a picture and label the indirect and direct rays of the sun. In groups, they answer discussion questions and complete an assessment...
Curated OER
What Makes Day and Night? The Earth's Rotation
Pupils discover that the Earth rotates on its axis in a cyclical fashion. They examine how this rotation results in day and night.
Curated OER
Life on the Surface of the Earth
Students discover that life occurs on or near the surface of the Earth in land, air, and water. They read the literature selection, 'Whose Forest Is It?'
and discuss with students that there are examples of of many living things
that...
Curated OER
Learning About Animal Shelters for Earth Day
Students explore habitats. in this ecology and animal habitat lesson, students listen to the book A House is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman. Students discuss the basic needs of animals and go on a nature walk to observe animal...
Curated OER
Mother Earth Connection: Earth Day
Young scholars read Brother Eagle, Sister Sky to appreciate the attitudes of the Native Americans to "Mother Earth." For this environmental lesson, students review vocabulary environmentalism. Young scholars compare mother Earth to...
Curated OER
Green Buildings Virtual Tour
Students fill out a worksheet after researching green buildings by taking a virtual tour. In this green buildings lesson plan, students use Google Earth to research green buildings.
Curated OER
Breaking it Down
High schoolers will identify the factors that contribute to erosion and weathering. They will start by differentiating between chemical and mechanical weathering. They then apply what they learned by playing the online jeopardy game. Key...
Centers for Ocean Sciences
Ocean and Great Lakes Literacy: Principle 1
Is your current lesson plan for salt and freshwater literacy leaving you high and dry? If so, dive into part one of a seven-part series that explores the physical features of Earth's salt and freshwater sources. Junior hydrologists...
Curated OER
Air Pollution: The Issue of Global Warming
Here is an outstanding 10-page lesson plan on global warming. Learners discover that there is a lot of controversy surrounding this topic in that the science behind global warming is difficult to prove. The best thing about this plan is...
Curated OER
Surface Air Temperature Trends of the Caribbean
Students use real satellite data to determine the changes in near-surface air temperature at different times of the year over the Caribbean Sea. They discover how Earth's tilt causes seasonal differences in incoming solar energy. They...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Make a Difference!
We are very dependent upon other life forms around us to survive. Here, scholars explore relationships in the ecosystem with the help of Auntie Litter and the pollution patrol. They imagine a world without grass, making connections to...
Curated OER
NASA Plans Moon Base
Students react to statements about the moon, then read a news article about NASA's plans to build a permanent base on the moon. In this space science and current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and a...
Curated OER
Sandwich Stratigraphy
Two activities are included in this resource. In the first, junior geologists model sedimentary rock layers, apply the Law of Superposition, and demonstrate folding and faulting of the Earth's crust. The model is technically a sandwich....
Curated OER
Groundwater Basics
Groundwater is an essential natural resource, not to mention a fascinating topic to study. Here is a series of twelve amazing lessons on the water source and how we use it in our daily lives. Concepts require higher math and physics...
Alabama Learning Exchange
The Big Bang Theory: An Evidence-Based Argument
What evidence supports the big bang theory? Individuals analyze scholarly resources about the the theory and develop arguments backed by evidence. They brainstorm, share ideas, watch a video, and read articles to complete a graphic...
Virginia Department of Education
Mineral Identification
What's the difference between a rock and a mineral? And what properties are used to identify minerals? The first installment of a five-part series on earth materials and processes prompts young scientists to identify a set of...
Virginia Department of Education
Three Types of Rocks
Rock out with the second installment of a five-part series on earth materials and processes. Your budding geologists make observations of given rock samples and posit classification systems for rocks. They then learn about the...
Virginia Department of Education
Succession
The final activity in a two-part series prompts scholars to create newspaper articles and succession events. Applying their knowledge of the ecosystem and the past examples of succession, they predict what will happen in the future...
Curated OER
On the Rise . . . Sea Level and Global Warming
Ninth graders conduct an experiment to determine how melting sea ice affect sea level. In this earth science activity, 9th graders explain the environmental consequences of rising sea level. They relate this activity to global warming.
Curated OER
Is Your Spot Hot?
Eighth graders explore global warming. In this Earth Science lesson plan, 8th graders will look for Harbingers and fingerprints for different areas. The students will identify an area at risk and they will then create a...