Investigate what is pushing on us. An intriguing lesson has pupils calculate the amount of force on various squares due to air pressure. Using the data, individuals create a graph in the third lesson of the Up, Up and Away unit...

Introduce your class to air masses and how they affect the weather with a lesson that focuses on the differences between high and low air pressure systems. The class explores actual weather data using archived weather data.

Weather — there's more to it than meets the eye of the storm. With this resource young meteorologists learn about the basics of weather, including information about the factors that influence the weather, common weather vocabulary, and...

It's amazing how easy it is to forget that every second of our lives we are being pushed on by an uncountable number air molecules. Explore with your class the concept of air pressure and how it affects our bodies, the earth's weather,...

Use a container full of water as a prism and show that as light is bent, the individual colors from different wavelengths become visible. This explains why the sky appears to be blue midday, and why as the sun nears the horizon, it looks...

The hole in the ozone layer may "scaereosol" to death! Meteorology, environmental, or atmosphere students read about the atmosphere's ozone content and the sources of air pollution. This is a valuable reading resource for your atmosphere...

Polar ice samples provide scientists with valuable information about the condition of the atmosphere for hundreds of thousands of years in the past. Of particular interest is the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and its...

Using a colorful infographic handout and a guide sheet, hold a class discussion about how a bathtub can serve as a model for the greenhouse effect created by Earth's atmosphere. Participants will understand that as energy or matter is...

Is everything really connected? Take your class on a walk outside, where they will make observations and write them down on a worksheet. Once they are back in the classroom, learners will work to determine if and how things like birds,...

Three of Earth's spheres are introduced to your earth scientists: lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. Each are described with text, while a combination of photographs and computer images are displayed. One of the best ways to use...

Give your class a colorful and tasty representation of the components of the mixture that we call air. Pop a few batches of popcorn in four different colors, one to represent each gas: nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide. The...

First, estimate existing knowledge about air with a class discussion. Then, hand out a 10-question pre-assessment quiz to record how much pupils know to compare to their knowledge later. This will also give mini meteorologists the...

Aspiring astronomers assess the inner planets using this handout. They read about the characteristics of each, noting that all four of them have rocky surfaces. Rotation and revolution are introduced, including Venus' retrograde...

Life on Earth is made possible by the unique composition of its atmosphere. Working collaboratively, a scale model is created as young scientists learn about the different layers of gas that surround the planet. Cards are included that...

Find out how much your earth scientists learned about the atmosphere in the unit on global atmospheric change with this assessment. After writing a letter to persuade others to make changes to protect our atmosphere, pupils take the same...

Rather than show this video clip, perform the demonstration for your earth science class. Because of the difference in air pressure caused by your moving stream of air, a very long plastic bag can be filled with a single breath! This...

Add this to your repertoire of convection demonstrations. This one can be done by mature and skilled laboratory classes. Basically, open a tea bag, clip the ends off, open and empty it, then stand it on one end. Light the top of it. As...

Bring Bernoulli's principle before the eyes of your earth scientists! By setting two fans up facing each other, you can get a paper airplane to hover between them. Lift and drag concepts can be taught when you show this clip or perform...

Here is an unforgettable demonstration of the power of air! Because the column of air is about 250 miles or 400 km tall, its weight on a sheet of newspaper is enough to hold a stick in place as you smack the other end to break it....

Why does a brown cloud occur in Denver at a certain time of the year? When warm air is higher in the atmosphere, it traps cooler, denser air below and smog just sits in between them. Using bottles of colored hot and cold water, this...

Watch this clip and learn about three types of cloud shapes and three types of cloud composition. This clip is very quick and may need to be stopped a few times to ensure maximum concept understanding and retention. Best used for review...

Weather is produced by several factors: heat, air temperature, wind, and moisture. Learn about each factor and how they work together to create the wide variety of weather patterns we see every day. This clip is well done but runs...

Two types of radiation are discussed in this conversation between a professional and a preteen scientist. Solar rays and galactic cosmic rays are extremely powerful and need to be shielded against when astronauts travel in space....

A ten-question, multiple-choice quiz assesses what your elementary earth scientists know about the atmosphere both before and after a unique unit on global atmospheric change. Make sure to check out the activities and lesson plans...