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...

Work samples, phenomena, assessment templates, and videos that directly address standard MS-ESS2-4: cycling of water through earth's systems.

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

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

This learning module examines the Earth's stores of fresh water and how the balance between stores of water in the oceans and in ice is changing. Students then investigate how a maximum sustainable amount of freshwater can be achieved by...

Find a large collection of internet resources organized around our home planet, Earth. Links to places to go, people to see, things to do, teacher resources, and bibliographies.

Using a surficial features map, students see the connections between those features and other Earth systems. They will consider the interactions of the geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere.

This lesson plans uses Geographic information systems (GIS) technology to explore the local geography.

Everything in Earth's system can be placed into one of four major subsystems: land, water, living things, or air. These four subsystems are called "spheres." Specifically, they are the "lithosphere" (land), "hydrosphere" (water),...

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...

The plate tectonics and other features of the Earth's lithosphere are explained and illustrated. Has links to definitions of the magnetosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere.

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...

This comprehensive study guide covers the main terms and concepts needed for an earth science unit on climate zones and biomes. 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.

Students use GIS to observe worldwide patterns of earthquakes and volcanoes and analyze the relationships of those patterns to tectonic plate boundaries. Then they identify cities at risk.

Material to begin an exploration of the Solar System: the characteristics of the planets, theories about planet formation, and more. An hour-long video is accompanied by learning goals, an outline and overview, details on star formation,...

Students 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...

Students will work in cooperative groups to research characteristics of each of the planets in our solar system. Students will design a travel brochure outlining the characteristics of each planet. Each group will make an oral...

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...

Learn about the lives of stars, and how stars and planets form. The Interactive activity, 'Planet Families' requires Adobe Flash and cannot be launched.

This resource provides some interesting video footage of the Sun. Also included is information about the effects of solar radiation on the Earth's magnetosphere and weather.

An easy-to-read description and history of Ptolemy's geocentric model of the universe. Geocentric means that Ptolemy believed the Earth was the center of the universe.

On this website, students can learn about weather forcasting and meteorology including cold and warm fronts, high and low pressure systems, fun facts, and technology.

Student groups design a water filtration system and present to the class why they picked their design.