National Park Service
Living & Non-Living Interactions
What better way to learn about ecosystems than by getting outside and observing them first hand? Accompanying a field trip to a local park or outdoor space, this series of collaborative activities engages children in learning about the...
American Museum of Natural History
What is Marine Biology?
A marine environment covers the majority of the earth but is arguably the least understood. Teach young scientists about the characteristics of oceans and ocean species using an interactive online lesson. The in-person or remote learning...
Curated OER
Name that Wind
Young scholars study wind and the direction terms related to wind. In this meteorology lesson, students learn about the wind directions by completing a wind direction activity where kids locate cones marked with the specific wind...
Curated OER
Carbon Cycles
Students examine the carbon cycle and how carbon atoms travel through it. In this energy cycles lesson students describe how human activities affect the carbon cycle.
Curated OER
Adapting to the Dark-Bats and People
Students consider how cavers make adaptations to the cave as do bats.
Curated OER
How Does Your Soil Stack Up?
Young scholars examine the soil in their local area and create a soil profile. They record observations in the field and the classroom. They create their own display of the soil profile as well.
Curated OER
"Investigating Soil Color and Texture"
Ninth graders will identify/understand the differences between soil and dirt. They will classify soil color accurately and use Munsell notation to describe it (Munsell books provided).Students will classify soil texture using the feel...
Curated OER
Fantastic Fossils
Students learn about the kinds of fossils and what scientists can learn from them. In this earth science activity, students are told how engineers and paleontologists work together. Then students create a "fossil fondue" and write a...
Curated OER
Sedimentation in the Grand Canyon
In this sedimentation worksheet, students use the current rate of sediment deposit by the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon to answer questions about the changes taking place in the canyon. They graph the amount of deposit over 75 years...
Curated OER
Volcanic Clouds and the Atmosphere
Students examine how scientists monitor volcanoes. In this volcano lesson plan students complete several activities including why we see things when using satellites.
Curated OER
Floodplain Modeling
Students simulate the impact of fluctuating river volumes on structures and landforms. They experiment with table top-sized riverbed models and water. Students consider how human design can help mitigate the effects of a flood.
Curated OER
Collecting and Classifying Pollen
Students collect and analyze pollen from different species of plants. In small groups, they classify pollen according to shape, size and physical characteristics. They draw the basic anatomy of flowering plants and create a dichotomous...
Curated OER
Seasonal Cloud Cover Variations
High schoolers, in groups, access data from the NASA website Live Access Server regarding seasonal cloud coverage and the type of clouds that make up the coverage. They graph the data and make correlations between types, seasons and...
Curated OER
These Maps are for the Birds
Students identify and study New York State Breeding Bird Atlas maps to learn where different bird species nest and how their distributions have changed over time. They also identify how maps serve as representations of a geographic...
Curated OER
Gaia: The Wisdom of the Earth
Learners are introduced to Gaia theory of natural homeostasis. They graph Earth's temperatures over time, construct terrariums or monitor the outdoor environment. Related videos titles are suggested, but may be outdated. The objectives...
Curated OER
Honduras: Going Bananas
Young scholars explore the popularity of bananas. They conduct a survey to understand the reasons for their popularity. Students research a banana's journey from the farm to school lunch. They compose a children's book about bananas...
Curated OER
Time and Cycles - Dendrochronology
Students investigate the lives of trees by examining ring cycles. In this plant life lesson plan, students identify the field of study known as dendrochronology and discover its history. Students investigate a simulated tree ring and...
Curated OER
Investigation 3 - Examining Your Fossil
Fourth graders examine the fossils they made previously. They examine the details of the fossil with a hand lens and come up with conclusions about the fossils. They record what they see and draw conclusions about the environment of the...
Curated OER
Ride the Rock Cycle
Students examine the steps of the rock cycle. They describe what happens to the rocks in each of the stages. They participate in a rock cycle game to help them with the steps.
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Wonders of Weather
Students understand the destructive force of a tornado. They learn the role of a thunderstorm in the creation of a tornado.
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Trouble in the Troposphere
Learners create graphs using NASA data, compare ozone levels of several U.S. cities, analyze and evaluate the data and predict trends based on the data, and discuss and describe how human activities have modified Earth's air quality.
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Conservation 'Ad'vice for National Parks
Learners discuss ways that the public can damage as well as preserve our natural and cultural resources. Small groups are each assigned one of the national parks and must design a poster or TV commercial that celebrates the importance of...
Curated OER
Soil Structure
Sixth graders examine how different soils are made up of varying proportions of clay, silt, and sand. They compare soil samples, conduct Internet research, and create a model to demonstrate the relative sizes of grains of clay, sand, and...
Curated OER
Snow Cover By Latitude
Young scholars create graphs comparing the amount of snow cover along selected latitudes using data sets from a NASA website. They create a spreadsheet and a bar graph on the computer, and analyze the data.