Pair earth scientists up to use an amazing online arctic portal mapping tool and Google Earth to analyze permafrost changes. They compare changes to data on atmospheric concentrations of methane to see if there is a correlation. Then...

As an anticipatory set, young environmental technicians watch a video about how ocean temperatures seem to be changing along with the global climate. They perform a laboratory demonstration with the purpose of observing what happens to...

Introduce your young meteorologists to black carbon produced by the burning of fossil fuels by showing the video, "Changing Planet: Black Carbon." Viewers discover that deposition of this carbon on polar ice impacts the absorption of...

Ice is nice, and its condition on the planet has a significant effect. Junior geoscientists experiment with ice melting in both water and on land to discover how each affect the rising sea level. This detailed lesson outline even...

Building on knowledge from the previous lesson, the second lesson in this unit teaches scholars to identify and interpret rate of change and initial value of a linear function in context. They investigate how slope expresses the...

Discover an important property of linear functions. Learners use the slope formula to calculate the rates of change of linear functions. They find that linear functions have constant rates of change and use this property to determine if...

The fascinating video "Changing Planet: Fresh Water in the Arctic," introduces your oceanographers to the world's gyres. They learn that melting sea ice is making the gyres larger, and that the changes could, in turn, contribute even...

Begin a unit on weather and climate change by assessing prior knowledge of the topic. Learners respond to a survey with questions that ask what they think causes climate change, the effects of climate change, and if it is important...

Learners consider the rate of filling a cone in the 23rd installment of this instructional activity series. They analyze the volume of the cone at various heights and discover the rate of filling is not constant. The instructional...

With global temperatures on the rise faster than ever recorded, the effects of a heating planet could be devastating. Allow learners to discover just what the world is in store for if the warming continues through a series of videos, a...

Students analyze the impact of climate variability and change utilizing a broad span of topics over a wide range of grade levels. This three lesson unit is easily adapted for the various instructional levels listed.

A video and laboratory investigation are highlights to this lesson on acidification of ocean water due to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. Using bromothymol blue (BTB) as an indicator, pupils analyze the amount of carbon dioxide...

Students break into four groups, starting at different stations. Each station should take about 10 minutes depending on prior knowledge of the topic. They then rotate when everyone is finished to the next station and discuss answers of...

High schoolers observe the differences between physical and chemical changes in properties. Through the use of an interactive presentation, the students compare and contrast the changes and provide supporting examples of each type of...

I can't calculate a base-2 logarithm since my calculator doesn't have a base-2 log key. Young mathematicians use the change of base formula to extend the properties of logarithms to all bases. Among these bases is the natural log base,...

Are our oceans really suffering due to the choices humans make? The sixth and final installment in the volume of activities challenges research groups to tackle one of six major topics that impact ocean health. After getting to the...

Explore functions with non-constant rates of change. The first installment of a 12-part module teaches young mathematicians about the concept of a function. They investigate instances where functions do not have a constant rate of change.

Little chemists observe the effects of acid on calcium carbonate as an example of chemical change. As a demonstration you will place a raw egg in vinegar overnight, and as a lab activity, learners drip vinegar onto a piece of chalk....

Using cabbage juice as a pH indicator, future scientists explore the effect of increasing carbon dioxide on the pH of the ocean and relate it to the health of coral reefs. Ideal for an earth or environmental sciences course, this lesson...

If mathematicians know the secret to compound interest, why aren't more of them rich? Young mathematicians explore compound interest with exponential functions in the twenty-seventh installment of a 35-part module. They calculate future...

Close the unit on Esperanza Rising with an in-class analytic essay on how Esperanza changes over the course of the novel. Writers can use any of their notes and work from the unit as well as their drafts of the first two paragraphs of...

Students investigate the linear dimension change of heated plastic film and relate the results to processing and service use of the materials. They calculate percent change in dimension as related to anisotropy and molecular reorientation.

Another A+ lesson on the impact of climate change comes to you from the National Earth Science Teachers Association. In this installment, learners model the stratification of water in lakes due to temperature differences. The lab also...

Why does it get so hot inside of our cars in the summertime? The greenhouse effect! Lab groups experiment to see what happens to an ice cube enclosed in a jar and placed in sunlight as compared to an ice cube outside of the jar. They...