Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weather and Wind

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students study wind and its effect on weather.  In this investigative lesson students write a report on wind and weather and create a movement sequence. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science: Daily and Seasonal Cycles

For Teachers 1st
First graders use their observations to describe daily and seasonal cycles. through a demonstration using a suspended ball and flashlight, they determine the time of day in various locations. Next, 1st graders participate in a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth Systems Science

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students perform experiments designed to grow plants and bacteria in a controlled environment.  In this ecosystems lesson students investigate varying conditions for growing plants and bacteria. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Basic Concepts of Geology

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the geologic activity in Idaho. Using a digital atlas of Idaho, they discover basic concepts in geology and understand the tools in a digital atlas. Students explore rock records, and discuss information gleaned from...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Circle the Earth - Explore Surface Types on a Journey around Earth

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students use CERES percent coverage surface data with a world map in locating landmasses and bodies of water at Earth's Equator.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Adding the Moon: Using a Playground Model to Explore the Movement of the Sun, Earth, and Moon

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students experience the rotation of the Earth and the Moon, and the revolution of the Moon around the Earth using a playground model.
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Igneous Rocks

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore igneous rocks by observing rock samples and considering cooling rates and composition. The third installment of a five-part geology series culminates in an activity where learners use igneous rock...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tracking Satellites Using Latitude and Longitude

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students, viewing an Internet site, plot the path of several satellites using latitude and longitude over the course of an hour. They learn the four basic types of satellites and their purpose.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sun and Moon

For Teachers K - 1st
Students understand basic concepts about Earth, the Sun and the Moon, such as relative movement and the phases of the moon. Through discussion, looking at pictures, listening to Native American stories, observing, and building models,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Overview of Solar Radiation

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students examine the Stefan-Boltzmann Law. Students compute basic radiative "constants" of the sun-Earth-atomosphere system. They examine the wavelength of maximum radiation emission.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rock and Their Properties: Days 2-4

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students engage in cooperative research projects in order to study about the properties of the three basic rock types and the processes that form them. They plan and develop their products.with the resources for conducting their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar Cycle

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the solar cycle through a series of experiments. For this space science lesson, students construct and evaluate solar cycle graphs. They explain how this phenomenon affects the Earth.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tetonic Plates and Faults

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students understand the basic properties of plate motion. They demonstrate what happens to a plate while faulting while using manipulatives. They demonstrate the Nature of Scientific Inquiry to solve scientific issues.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Meteorites

For Teachers 1st - 11th
Students model how meteors fall to the surface of planets. In this space science lesson, students identify different types of meteorites using an interactive online website. They investigate the relationship between a meteorite's size...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Get Ready to Rumble

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students use the Internet to examine earthquakes. They discover the theory of tectonic plates and analyze faults throughout the world. They also examine the science of seismology to explain how earthquakes are measured.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Magnetotactic Bacteria to Study Natural Selection

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students observe bacteria that are able to orient themselves using the Earth's magnetic field.They comprehend the difference between anaerobic and aerobic organisms. Students can tell the difference of the shape of magnetic force field...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Were Dinosaurs Like?

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students compare and contrast dinosaurs to animals that are alive today through basic research.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Volcanic Activity in the U.S.

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students locate and map ten volcanoes in United States, create chart comparing volcanoes by last eruption, type of volcano, location, and interesting fact, and create Powerpoint slide show describing basic information about volcanoes and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plate Tectonic Cycle

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Learners explore the Earth's movements by completing worksheets. In this plate tectonics lesson, students define such natural disasters as volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and mudslides and discuss their connections to plate tectonics....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water: Our Most Important Beverage

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders complete a KWL chart on what they already know about water and what they want to know. As a class, they participate in an activity in which they discover the amount of drinkable water on Earth and are introduced to the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bird Up

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders identify basic physical and behavioral characteristics of birds and how they adapt to their environments. To organize and share scientific information with peers. They discuss similarities and differences among birds....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Electrifying Electricity

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Young scholars explore the basics of electricity using common everyday items as well as demonstrate how parallel and series circuits can be used in electronics and electrical devices. They explore how common items in their world can be...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reasons for Seasons

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students model the tilt of the Earth as it orbits the Sun. They explain the meaning and characteristics of solstices and equinoxes. They explain that sunlight hits the Earth at different angles at different locations over the course of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students conduct a series of investigations on the unique properties of water. In this general science lesson, students explain what causes water's surface tension. They explain the different stages in the water cycle.