Engage creative minds with an exciting activity about the power of wind. Investigators participate in class discussions while viewing images and animations of air and wind. Scholars test the relationship between wind speed and an...

Up it goes! Groups must design and build a windmill able to lift a weight. The packet includes discussion points to use prior to the build that cover topics such as variables, fairness, and the design process.

There has been a huge solar energy spill! Let's go outside to play in it. This lesson includes multiple experiments showcasing solar and wind energies. Scholars build a solar heater and an anemometer before testing the results. The...

Using a teacher-built wind tunnel constructed from a paper concrete tube form, a fan, and a balance, individuals determine the amount of drag their rocket design will experience in flight. Pupils make modifications to increase the...

Scholars view the film Reach for the Skies to learn about the Shangai Tower. Following a discussion and observation of premade shapes, pairs design and construct a tower using uncooked pasta, straws, newspaper, tape, and marshmallows....

Young scholars construct a wind vane while learning the functionality of its parts and the effects that wind has on the weather. They study the four directions by looking at their wind vanes.

Through watching several classic air pressure demonstrations, middle schoolers determine that high pressure areas move toward lower pressure areas, heated air causes a drop in pressure, and forces exist when pressures are unequal....

Blow classes away with a hands-on lesson investigating wind speed. Learners use common materials to design and construct anemometers. They then test their anemometers and collect data on the wind speed created by a fan.

Stimulate interest in ocean currents with a simulation. The first installment of a five-part middle school series teaches future oceanographers about the forces that interact to cause ocean currents. A simulation shows how wind and...

Scholars build a weather station equipped with a wind vane, rain gauge, and barometer. Following an informative page about the weather, learners follow steps to build their pieces then turn into meteorologists to chart the weather they...

Since you can't go to the comet, bring the comet to you. Young scientists build models of comets using everyday materials and then participate in a simulation of the interaction between the comet and other bodies in the solar system....

Young meteorologists explore different aspects of the weather while learning about measurement devices. They build instruments and then set up a weather station outside and measure temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind speed, and...

A set of PowerPoint slides supports a lecture or class review of weathering and erosion. Viewers learn the definition of each and examine various photos for evidence. Erosion is further depicted as caused by wind, water, and ice....

Scholars make a model to discover how the force of trade winds over the Pacific Ocean creates an El Niño. Super scientists observe how the severe weather affects life in water and on land. 

Challenge young meteorologists to apply their knowledge of weather to build their own weather stations. The resource provides the directions to build a weather station that contains a wind vane, barometer, thermometer, and rain...

Exactly what do groundhogs know about weather? Not as much as your science students will after completing these lessons and activities that cover everything from the earth's rotation and the creation of shadows, to cloud...

Students observe and discuss a demonstration of the El Niño effect, trade winds, and upwelling. They view and analyze the teacher using a blow dryer to replicate the El Niño winds on colored water and oil in a large tub.

Why do some items feel colder when they are the same temperature? How should you keep your soda cold? What makes the wind blow? These are just some of the things middle schoolers discover when completing a lesson on...

Learn how ocean currents are vital to humans and marine life. The eighth installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program, focuses on ocean currents and how they affect global climate. The...

How does a change in pH affect the ocean ecosystem? Scholars explore the idea by making an acid-base indicator in part seven of the 10-installment Discover Your Changing World series. First, they explore impacts of carbon dioxide in...

I get a charge out of this. In order to learn how a generator works, groups build and test one in this ninth lesson of the series. The generators are tested at low speed and high speed to determine the watt output and whether they have...

Walking through the ancient Nabataean city of Petra can be a challenge. A tour begins with a 20-minute walk down a rocky slope through the narrow Siq to get to the famous Treasury known to Indiana Jones fans. But that is...

There are five methods of seed dispersal. They include gravity, mechanical, animal, water, and air. Scholars study seed dispersal in instructional activity five of the series of six. Through discussions, hands-on analysis of different...

Stability is key when building a bridge. Scholars explore the forces acting upon bridges through an analysis of Newton's Laws and Hooke's Law. The activity asks individuals to apply their learning by building a bridge of their own.