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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Moon Watch

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read books about the moon and discuss its perceived changes as it moves across the sky. They observe the moon over the course of a month and chart their observations. They discuss their observations and conduct further...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Phases of the Moon

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders observe the changes in the moon's appearance over a two week period of time from their homes. They record and illustrate their observations and also complete daytime moon viewings as a class.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ground Level Ozone Testing

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Young scholars prepare Shoenbein Paper to test the ground level of ozone. They dip a strip of their test paper in distilled water and hang it at a data collection site. They determine the relative humidity of the data collection site....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Much Water Does A Tree Transpire In A Day

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars engage in a instructional activity of investigating the amount of water that is transpired in a one day cycle. They conduct research to find the purpose of transpiration and find information to explain the value to a plant...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cloud Types

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students examine cloud types. In this cloud lesson, students identify cloud types, observe clouds and collect data, and analyze data to identify the most common cloud they observe overhead during the course of a month.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Build a Thermometer

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars build a thermometer. In this weather lesson, students use red food coloring, rubber stoppers, and hard plastic tubing to build a thermometer. Young scholars use their homemade thermometer to measure the temperature.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Measuring Wind Speed

For Teachers K - 5th
Students study wind speed and collect wind speed data. For this wind speed lesson, students visit a website to learn about the local wind speed forecast for their week. Students discuss wind and wind speed. Students collect wind speed...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Name that Wind

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students study wind and the direction terms related to wind. In this meteorology lesson, students learn about the wind directions by completing a wind direction activity where kids locate cones marked with the specific wind directions....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sunshine and Shadows

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students measure their shadows early in the morning, record direction of shadow, make marks in ground with chalk or tape, measure with ruler, and record results. Students repeat process at noon, and then later in afternoon. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mission Planning: Earth/Mars Comparisons

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students compare and contrast conditions on Mars to those on our own planet, specifically, their local or regional environments. The physical characteristics, the atmosphere, and other astronomical data is considered.
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Activity
Other

Lincoln Public Schools: Applied Technology & Engineering: Solar Dragster Project [Pdf]

For Students 7th - 9th
In this activity, students must design and build a solar-powered car that can complete a 20-meter racetrack (66 ft.) in the shortest amount of time over flat terrain. They learn about solar energy and car designs, and test their...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Are You in Hot Water? Use Solar Energy to Heat Your Own Water

For Students Pre-K - 1st
The goal of this science fair project is to build batch solar collectors from different colors of plastic bags and see which collector is the most efficient in heating water.
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Website
US Department of Energy

U.s. Department of Energy: Solar Energy Technologies Program: Solar Multimedia

For Students 9th - 10th
Browse and download from this multimedia collection which contains photographs, videos, B-roll, graphics, and animations related to solar technologies, research, and projects.
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Unit Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Exploring Solar Power

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This unit provides students the opportunity to explore methods engineers have devised for harnessing sunlight to generate power. Students will initially explore heat transfer and heat storage through the construction, testing, and...
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Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Concentrated Solar Power

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students learn how the total solar irradiance hitting a photovoltaic (PV) panel can be increased through the use of a concentrating device, such as a reflector or lens. This is the final lesson in the Photovoltaic Efficiency unit and is...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Solar Speedway

For Students 6th - 8th
Solar power is hot these days. Gleaming, black solar panels soak up rays on more and more rooftops of homes and businesses providing a clean, alternative source of heat and electricity. You might guess that different times of the day...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Project Ideas: Electronics and Solar Energy With a Robot Bug

For Students 3rd - 8th
In this science fair project, use the "frightened grasshopper" solar-powered toy to explore how solar energy is converted into kinetic energy. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract,...
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Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Organic Solar Energy and Berries

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students learn about how a device made with dye from a plant, specifically cherries, blackberries, raspberries and/or black currents, can be used to convert light energy into electrical energy. They do this by building their own organic...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Cold Room? Heat It Up With a Homemade Solar Air Heater

For Students 3rd - 8th
Humans need food, water, and warm shelter to survive. But a lot of humans depend on fossil fuels to supply gas and electricity to heat our homes. But burning fossil fuels to create energy is harmful to the environment. In this science...
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Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Solar Water Heater

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Student teams design and build solar water heating devices that mimic those used in residences to capture energy in the form of solar radiation and convert it to thermal energy. This thermal energy is next transferred to water (to be...
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Activity
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Activity: Solar Stadium Challenge

For Students 9th - 10th
A project for students to imagine they are writing a proposal for a bid to design and construct a football stadium that is heated by solar power. As a structural engineering, the students will be creating this proposal for a new NFL team...
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Handout
State Energy Conservation Office-Texas

State Energy Conservation Office: Solar Water Heaters [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Explains the types of solar water heaters a home can have. These include a passive system, an active system, and a solar collector, as well as the need for a storage tank. It also gives tips on how to get the best use from a solar water...
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Lesson Plan
Other

California Energy Commission: Solar Energy Science Projects [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Four science projects in which students learn how solar energy works and how thermal energy is transferred and utlized in a solar air heater, a solar water heater, a solar hot dog cooker, and a solar cell.
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Solar Powered Water Desalination

For Students 9th - 10th
Here is a cool project about making fresh water from salt water using solar power, also known as water desalination. The apparatus is made from readily available materials, and the power source is free. As an inventive thinker, you will...