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Water Cycle (Grades 2-4)
Students demonstrate their understanding of the water cycle and how it effects the environment by graphically depicting and describing the water cycle.
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Seeing a Dwarf Planet Clearly: Pluto
In this dwarf planet worksheet, students use images from the Hubble Space Telescope and they determine the scale of the image, they identify the largest features in the images, they calculate the volume of Pluto and they create a model...
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Predicting the Future
Students examine how scientists predict the effects of global climate change. In this environmental science lesson, students participate in a discussion about using computer generated data to create climate predictions. Students examine...
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After 7 years, capsule of comet dust heads to Earth
Students examine an article on a space capsule and explore NASA. In this space exploration lesson students brainstorm the pros and cons of space exploration, then rehearse a sketch and present it to the class.
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Sun Activity
In this space science worksheet, students find the answers to the questions concerning the topic of the sun and they label the diagram for the sun.
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Resources for Teaching about Biogeochemical Cycles
Students study the different cycles and Earth's systems. In this investigative instructional activity students study the nitrogen and carbon cycles, play a game pertaining to it and also participate in a class activity.
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Weather and Atmosphere
Seventh graders explain the layers of the atmosphere. They identify the causes of air pollution. They analyze real world weather data. They explore and describe clouds. They develop models to explain atmosphere and weather.
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How Does Convection Happen in Our Atmosphere?
Students explore convection and how it happens in the earth's atmosphere.
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What Makes you Hot?
High schoolers manipulate different variables in a model and make inferences about the temperature on Earth. In this heat lesson students calculate the blackbody radiation of an object at a certain temperature.
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Climate Patterns across the United States
Students articulate differences between climate and weather using examples in a written statement. Using climate data from across the country, they describe climate patterns for various parts of the United States on a map. Students...
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The Ozone Between Us
Students investigate how ground level ozone occurs in many areas of the country. They study the ozone problems that are associated with population centers.
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The Nitrogen Cycle
Fifth graders investigate the nitrogen cycle and examine the concepts of decomposition and nitrification. Students participate in a class discussion about the creation of waste and ammonia compounds, then using nitrogen cycle cut-outs...
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The Rubber Band Air Test
Students complete an experiment to determine how dirty the air is in their local community. They analyze images and discuss the varying degrees of air pollution. They discuss the results of the experiment.
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Our Eye in the Sky: The TIROS Weather Satellite
High schoolers investigate the political context of the creation of a weather satellite. In this technology and society lesson, students explore the historical, technological, and political context of the TIROS weather satellite. They...
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Materials, Let's Do the Life Cycle
Pupils examine environmental and social impacts of products that consumers buy. In this environmental stewardship instructional activity, students play a game that requires them to consider real costs of products. Pupils consider the...
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Water Cycle
Young scientists explore Earth elements by conducting an experiment. They define water vocabulary terms such as condensation and precipitation. In addition, they conduct a water experiment in which they build a terrarium, so they can...
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Cloudy vs. Clear
Learners analyze line plots. In this weather lesson using real NASA data, students discuss how weather affects the way the Earth is heated by comparing different line plots.
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Weather Lesson 2
Learners identify the elements that make up the earth's weather. Begin by having students pretend they are hiking along a mountain ridge. It's been sunny and warm all day, but you see a dark line of clouds moving from the west.
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Soil Scrolls
Third graders examine soil samples and explore the what happens in each layer of the subsoil. They work in cooperative groups to create a scroll that shows what takes place in each layer, and discuss why much of the activity is in the...
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Sunlight and the Earth # T
High schoolers learn that convection of heat in the atmosphere is the cause of weather phenomena. They learn that water vapor also carries solar heat and plays an important role in atmospheric convection.
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Physical Characteristics of the Troposphere
Students lexplore environmental trends in the troposphere- temperature, dew point, pressure and wind speed- by checking their hypotheses against data collected by weather balloons.
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Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Fourth graders participate in an activity which introduces them to common types of precipitation. They examine "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" through a teacher read aloud and make a weather pamphlet.
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Climate Change & Coral Activities
Students study how the ocean stabilizes our planet's climates and how global warming is becoming a threat to this fine balance. In this climate change lesson, students identify that fossil fuel emissions are responsible for...
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Earth's Winds, Crust, and Atmosphere
This site provides a variety of activities and worksheets about the problem-based learning activity about Earth and its atmosphere. The lessons can be used separately or together in a geology unit. The resources and charts are very...