Scholastic
Lesson Four: The Earth, Layers of Earth
Get your hands dirty with a set of earth science activities! Class members delve into a hard-boiled egg to find the similarities to the earth's layers, create a papier-mâché model of the earth, craft a simulation of the earth's...
Curated OER
Floods and Flash Floods
Junior geologists, hydrologists, or meteorologists simulate what happens during the flooding of a river and demonstrate factors that contribute to flash flooding. This outstanding resource provides a vocabulary list, online resources,...
American Forest Foundation
Who Speaks for the Trees?
Help young conservationists appreciate the important role that trees play in ecosystems around the world with this collection of six engaging activities. From a shared reading and class discussion of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, to in an depth...
Curated OER
Comparing Light Bulbs
An average home produces twice as many emissions as an average car. Teach your class how to reduce energy consumption by replacing standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. Perform an experiment to compare...
National Wildlife Federation
What's Your Habitat?
How are third graders like rabbits? They both live in habitats and require food, water, and shelter to survive! An educational science instructional activity encourages your learners to think about their own habitats and survival needs,...
Curated OER
Earth Day: a Look Into the World Around Us
Students develop an artwork made entirely out of recycled materials to exhibit during an Earth Day celebration. They participate in a lecture discussion on the history of Earth Day and environmental issues, do internet research on a...
Curated OER
Birthstone Project With a Multimedia Twist
Students research and discover their birthstones, studying the stones within the context of earth science. They examine the mineral industry, their own birthstones, and create multimedia presentations.
NASA
Let's Investigate Mars
Take your science class on a hypothetical field trip to Mars with an engaging astronomy lesson. After first learning about NASA's Mars rover missions, young scientists plan their own scientific investigations of Earth's nearest neighbor.
California Academy of Science
Energy: A Day in My Life
If only we could harness the energy of fifth graders, our energy problems would be over! The class discusses where different forms of energy come from and how we use them. They complete a chart of the activities that they do daily that...
EduGAINs
Go Eco! Ecosystems
How is a movie theater like a desert biome? Compare systems to ecosystems with a set of activities that focuses on accessing multiple intelligences and building upon knowledge. As learners discuss the ways elements of an ecosystem depend...
Curated OER
Sun and Earth
Young scholars explore the sun, its structure, how big it is and how far away it is. In this solar system lesson students complete a lab activity on dew point and weather.
Curated OER
El Niño and it's Impact on the World
Students explore the causes of El Niño. In this series of earth science lesson, students research the consequences of this weather phenomenon. They recommend ways to prepare for this disaster.
Energy for Keeps
The Energy Times
Extra! Extra! Read all about past and present energy use in a classroom-made historical newspaper. Useful as a cross-curricular assignment between science, history, and language arts, the project is sure to get young journalists...
Curated OER
SCHOOLYARD SUNDIAL
Students study the apparent motion of the Sun in the sky over the course of a day and a year, and analyze what causes seasons on Earth. They participate in a project that has both a science as well as an art component.
Curated OER
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Learners participate in a recycling campaign. In this recycling lesson, students create an Earth Day display for a local store. Learners design a mural as a reminder to people of ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.
Curated OER
The Dynamic Earth
Young scholars use the Internet to investigate earthquakes and plate tectonics. In this plate tectonics instructional activity, students complete a web quest with multiple links and activity types relating to earthquakes and volcanoes....
Curated OER
Rockin? Chalk (Integrating science - make own chalk)
Students use plaster of Paris, talc, and cornstarch to create their own chalk. They hypothesize what mixture of ingredients produce the "best" chalk. Students discuss what they think are the characteristics of the "best" chalk.
Curated OER
Cool! Awesome! What is it?
Students work in small groups to brainstorm hypotheses about mysterious science photographs, read and interpret answers to the science photographs, cooperatively develop a set of clues for the images and develop their own science photo...
Curated OER
Under the Spell of Spiders
Students examine spiders. In these spider lessons, students will view spider images and live spiders to determine physical characteristics, habits, and habitats. Students will examine fantasy and folklore about spiders to create and...
Curated OER
The Tiger, Panthera Tigris
Students explore tigers, India's national animal, discuss importance of protecting tigers and Earth's diverse ecosytems, investigate distribution of tigers in world, identify characteristics of tigers, examine natural habitat, and...
Curated OER
Biosphere II
Students continue their examination of the existence of life on Earth. In groups, they determine the role of the water cycle and other biogeochemical cycles play in keeping balance on Earth. They participate in experiments to discover...
Curated OER
Renewable Energy and
Students identify and explore renewable energy options and then research, develop and install a renewable energy system in their school or community. Students identify the use of renewable energy sources in the north, demonstrate their...
Curated OER
Far Out!
Students research and compare/contrast how routine tasks on Earth would be without gravity. They read and discuss the article "The Life Galactic: A Lot of Work, a Little Play, Plenty of E-Mail." In groups they write a pitch for a TV...
Curated OER
Ecosystems and Remote Sensing
Young scholars obtain remote sensing data to compare and contrast global biomass data with global temperature data.