Activities help students experiment with what plants need in terms of water, sunlight, and soil, explain how the Earth's processes and components are interconnected, and demonstrate their knowledge of how water, air, soil, and living...

As viewed from space, the Earth appears beautiful and serene. As you well know, however, here standing on Earth, it's complicated! Complex, that is. And, it's constantly changing. Often changes on Earth happen so slowly it would be...

An overview of content about Earth and its atmosphere. The module was developed for middle school science teachers to provide background information for teaching the curriculum.

In this lesson, students will understand that temperature changes can cause density changes in water and in air.

A suite of lessons lead inquiry-based exploration of melting sea ice and evidence that it is affecting sea level, namely glacial evidence, geologic evidence, fossil evidence, and isotopic evidence.

Extensive article that discusses the first principle of climate science, i.e., that the Sun is the primary energy source for the climate system of the Earth. Presents five concepts for this principle and explains each, providing...

Teach the concept of scale models and the size of the solar system through this extensive lesson plan. Students will learn about scale models, estimate which objects to use to create a scale model of Earth and Sun, and figure out how far...

Gives an overview of how Geographic Information Systems technology is used to monitor changes in conditions on the Earth. Provides a link to the website with lessons on using GIS. (Due to site changes, you may need to search for teachers...

The author has extensive experience using GPS and has worked with NASA. In his blog he posts information about the latest uses and applications of Google Earth.

These hands-on activities are a great way for students to gain perspective on the relative sizes and distances of each planet, the relationship between the sun and Earth, and much more.

Enter our solar system to interact with the planets, moons, asteroids, meteors, and more. Investigate with NASA scientists and explore missions related to space exploration. Read facts, compare statistics, look through resources, and...

Imagine our weather if Earth were completely motionless, had a flat dry landscape and an un-tilted axis. This, of course, is not the case; if it were, the weather would be much different. The local weather that impacts our daily lives...

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Summarizes the key points about how our understanding of the Earth's movements evolved from ancient times and what we know today. Includes some questions to check...

This comprehensive study guide covers the main terms and concepts needed for an earth science unit on dark matter. Review questions are included at the bottom of the study guide.

A detailed overview of the history, mythology, and current scientific knowledge of each of the planets and moons in the solar system.

Use Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to observe climate change with these interactive lessons.

In this interactive activity adapted from NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, learn about Earth's albedo (the ratio of reflected vs. incident solar radiation), how pollution alters albedo, and how ice-albedo feedback may accelerate...

A continuation of Beyond the Earth Part I. As part of a unit on the solar system, learners will choose a component of the solar system to research. Students may use a variety of resources such as the Internet, books, and reference...

Developed by the U.S. military, The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based satellite navigation system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth.

Read about regional and local wind systems, including information on changes in atmospheric pressure, thermal energy in the atmosphere, sea and land breezes, mountain and valley breezes, and monsoon winds.

Learners will access prior knowledge of the solar system by completing a graphic organizer. After participating in a teacher lecture and whole group discussion, the students will work in collaborative groups to create a...

Collect micrometeorites from space -- remnants of the time when the solar system formed about 4.6 billion years ago. Create a sky dust collector, sort particularate matter according to attributes and identify micrometeorites by their...

In this illustrated essay from NOVA Online, explore the cyclical process of weather creation and the effects of El Nino on the global weather system.

In this activity, students research hurricane data to discover their behavior and patterns. They map them across decades to see whether their frequency is increasing. They study Hurricane Andrew and investigate the relationship between...