Curated OER
Fossil Fuel and the Ticking Clock
Young scholars study energy sources to learn about fossil fuels and environmental concerns. In this energy sources lesson, students watch demonstrations for various energy examples. Young scholars find hidden pennies, make a bar graph on...
Curated OER
Don't Marry the Mole!
Third graders examine the power of solar energy. In groups, they create their own pizza box solar oven to discover the power of the sun and how it is a source for heat and light. To end the instructional activity, they use the internet...
Curated OER
Making Clouds: Aerosol-Cloud Interactions in a Beaker
Students observe a teacher demo on how clouds form. In this earth science lesson, students discover how cloudiness affects relative humidity. They explain the scattering of light by clouds.
Curated OER
Create a Cloud in a Jar (Hands-on Version)
High schoolers examine the conditions necessary for cloud formation. In this clouds lesson students complete an activity that shows them atmospheric pressure.
Curated OER
Layering the Air
Students study the layer of the atmosphere. In this instructional activity on the atmosphere, students discuss the composition of the air around us and how the atmosphere was formed. Students create a scale model of the layers of the...
Curated OER
Green House Effect
Students read about the green house effect and how our environment is deteriorating and what we can do to help it. In this green house effect lesson plan, students conduct a home and school energy audit, and create a rap.
Curated OER
Exploring Ultraviolet (UV) Light From the Sun
Middle schoolers identify the different energy given off by the sun. In this earth science lesson, students predict where the UV beads will turn the darkest color. They explain the importance of using UV protection.
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Volcanoes and Urban Planning
Students analyze satellite image data of Volcan Villarica. In this earth science lesson plan, students identify dangerous areas surrounding the volcano. They propose a new safe location for the town.
Curated OER
Global Change- Earth as Home
Students create their own environment. In this environmental protection lesson, students pretend they are the owners of a tropical island. They create jobs for the citizens and develop the island as a model environment.
Curated OER
(S-1) Sunlight and the Earth
Students discuss the solar heating of the Earth and atmosphere, its heat loss proceses, and the way these relate to weather and climate.
Curated OER
How Do Clouds Affect Radiative Energy
Students graph the upwelling and downwelling of shortwave radiation. They create a data table with the information. Students compute the Watts per square meter. They discuss their results and whether or not cloud type affects daily...
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Circle the Earth - Explore Surface Types on a Journey around Earth
Students use CERES percent coverage surface data with a world map in locating landmasses and bodies of water at Earth's Equator.
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Winter Season
Young scholars recognize the relationship between Earth's tilt and the Winter season. In this Winter lesson plan, students work in pairs to complete make frost and design snow goggles. Young scholars experiment a hand lens to study the...
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Sunlight and the Earth # T
Students learn that convection of heat in the atmosphere is the cause of weather phenomena. They learn that water vapor also carries solar heat and plays an important role in atmospheric convection.
Curated OER
It's Raining, It's Pouring: The Water Cycle
Students investigate the relationship of the steps in the water cycle, and create a simulation of the water cycle in a jar.
PHET
Planet Designer: What’s Trending Hot?
Excite scholars to design their own planet in this first of five lessons. The lesson starts with a pre-activity assessment, a complete lesson plan that is easy to implement, and a post-activity assessment that would look great...
National Energy Education Development Project
Introduction to Wind Energy
The U.S. produced enough wind energy in 2015 to power all of the homes in Alaska, California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and...
Space Awareness
The Intertropical Convergence Zone
Young scientists know it is hotter along the equator, but why is it also rainier? Through the process of completing two experiments and a worksheet, scholars discover the answer is the intertropical convergence zone. First, they...
Curated OER
Radiation Budget
Students solve the mathematical word problems by looking at the Earth's Energy Budget Diagram. They will work in small groups and then develop their own unique math problems from the diagram and share with the class.
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Greenhouse in a Bottle
Young atmospheric scientists create models of an atmosphere with and without clouds to determine the effect of cloud cover on Earth's temperatures, as well as figuring out whether dark or light surfaces absorb more energy. You may wish...
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Cloud Observations using GLOBE Protocols
Students observe which of ten types of clouds are visible and how much of the sky is cloud covered. They see that by observing clouds, we can get information about temperature, moisture, and wind conditions in different places in the...
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Aerosol Lesson: Language Arts
Students construct a model of a volcano. They read "NASA Facts Atmospheric Aerosols" and discuss the impacts of volcanic eruptions. They write informative essays about how aerosols impact the Earth.
Curated OER
Global Warming - The Heat is On: Global Climate Change Revisited
After listening to your lecture on climate change, young scientists access NOAA's database listing Mauna Loa's carbon dioxide data. They graph the monthly means and then compare their graphs to NOAA's. This is a concise plan that could...
Curated OER
Biochemical Cycles
When learning about several different processes at a time, it can be difficult to differentiate between them. In the resource found here, you can see what your kids know about some of Earth's systems including the carbon, hydrologic,...