Curated OER
Shedding Light on the Weather with Relative Humidity
Learners study weather using a graphing calculator in this lesson plan. They collect data for temperature and relative humidity for every hour over a day from the newspaper, then place the data in their handheld calculator and examine it...
Curated OER
Weather in Your City
Students observe weather conditions of a particular city. Multiple intelligences are explored within this lesson. They locate their particular city on a United States map. Each student writes about their discoveries in his/her journal...
Curated OER
Science: Studies of Earth
Using a digital camera to document local landscapes as they are today, students will explore how changes in human land use are impacting local environments. Students will also explore some of the social impacts of various land uses in...
Curated OER
Back to the Earth
Students conduct an experiment in which they bury four objects (apple, lettuce, plastic and styrofoam) in the ground and come back to observe them a month later. They consider what biodegrades and how it affects our planet.
Curated OER
Mars Calendar Project
Students design a calendar that displays time on Mars. They explore the differences between time on Earth and time on Mars while making the calendar.
Curated OER
Structure of the Earth System
Eighth graders describe the steps in the water cycle. They discuss factors that affect runoff and explain the differences between stalactites and stalagmites. They discover the importance of ground water.
Curated OER
Permeability of Earth Materials
High schoolers observe and classify the permeability of a variety of materials.
Curated OER
Earth Processes
Fourth graders explore and discuss the process of evaporation. They discuss how wet things become dry. Students observe the process of evaporation and they make predictions about the observations they make about evaporation. Students...
Curated OER
Engineering Activity
For this engineering worksheet, students research engineering and fill in blanks to complete sentences. A reference web site is given.
Curated OER
Designing a Study
Students explore features to consider when designing a scientific study. For this science research lesson, students examine different methods of data collection and consider which method would be appropriate for determining how many...
Curated OER
Ocean Life Lesson Plans
Students learn about life in the ocean with lessons that connect science, art, and environmental topics.
Chicago Botanic Garden
Are You Bigfoot?
Scholars independently explore several websites to calculate their ecological footprint. Using their new found knowledge, they answer six short-answer questions and take part in a grand conversation with their peers about how our...
Columbus City Schools
Constructive and Destructive Geologic Processes
Show the class the world as they've never seen it before—from way above! Learners try to unravel the mysteries presented by rich satellite imagery, learn to interpret topographic maps, and study erosion by constructing their very own...
Curated OER
Radiation Comparison Before and After 9-11
Using the NASA website, class members try to determine if changes could be detected in cloud cover, temperature, and/or radiation measurements due to the lack of contrails that resulted from the halt in air traffic after the attacks of...
Intel
Biomes in Action
A STEM project-based learning lesson, number four in a series of 10, focuses on human impacts to biomes around the world. Groups work together as environmentalists to research a specific biome, investigating human impacts on it. From...
Curated OER
True North, Magnetic North
Students explain why compass angles need to be corrected for regional magnetic variation. They observe the difference between magnetic and true north. Each student measures the angle of variation for a town in a different state.
Curated OER
Bringing Climate Change Into the Classroom
Students investigate the greenhouse effect and examine the potential effects of climate change in the Arctic. They construct a mini-greenhouse and test its effect on temperature, analyze historical climate statistics, and conduct an...
Curated OER
Continental Drift
Be sure to come prepared to discuss the theory of Pangaea and the two super-continents, Laurasia and Gondwanaland. Collaborative learners look for fossil evidence that supports the theory that one super-continent divided into two. They...
Google
Create Your Own Google Logo
You'll have oodles of Google Doodles. Scholars create their own Google logos using the Scratch coding program. After watching videos on how to add blocks of code in Scratch, they use their newfound knowledge to design a logo based on a...
Curated OER
How Much Water is Available in the Atmosphere for Precipitation?
Students explore the relationship between the amount of water in the atmosphere available for precipitation and the actual precipitation observed by satellite. They examine seasonal changes in precipitation. They practice using Internet...
Curated OER
Freshwater Fish Anatomy & Taxonomy
Tenth graders use a classification key to identify organisms. In this classification lesson students identify freshwater species of fish and document their observations.
Polar Trec
Mini-Ocean Bathymetric Mapping Research Cruise
Middle or high schoolers transform into oceanographers in a week-long simulation. To begin, each group follows directions to create a model of the ocean floor with specified features. Next, the groups prepare to set sail on a research...
Curated OER
A Design You’ll Dig: Designing a Habitat for Worms
Young scholars discover how worms contribute to the balance of the environment. In this composting lesson, students study the composting and decomposition processes. Young scholars then create habitats for worms that allow them to do...
Curated OER
What's the Matter? (Living and Non-Living Things)
Understand how chemical reactions recombine atoms to create the "chemicals of life". An experiment, showing the basic chemical reactions of an iron nail or a match, helps young children start their understanding of permanent changes.