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Lesson Plan
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Comparing Light Bulbs

For Teachers K - 8th Standards
An average home produces twice as many emissions as an average car. Teach your class how to reduce energy consumption by replacing standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. Perform an experiment to compare...
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Lesson Plan
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Planet Earth in Cross Section

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students will examine the layers of the Earth. In this geology lesson, students create a scale model of the Earth's interior using cash register tape. They will determine the percentage of error in the scale compared to the actual size...
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Lesson Plan
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The Mathematics of Convection: Nature's Model for Energy Production

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers conduct a series of experiments to investigate density, buoyancy and climate. In this math instructional activity, pupils design and build a hot air balloon to demonstrate convection. They research and write a paper about...
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Worksheet
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A Simple Model for Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

For Students 11th - Higher Ed
In this atmospheric carbon dioxide activity, students use two diagrams to solve 6 problems about atmospheric carbon dioxide. One diagram shows the Keeling Curve and the other shows sources of carbon and the natural and anthropogenic...
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Worksheet
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How To Build a Planet From The Inside Out!

For Students 9th - 11th
High schoolers read about the Spitzer Space Telescope and the technology used to learn about planet composition. They calculate the radius of a planet, the size of a planet, the average density of a planet and the likely core composition...
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Worksheet
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The International Space Station-Follow that Graph!

For Students 8th - 11th
In this altitude change of the International Space Station instructional activity, learners observe a graph of the change in altitude of the space station over time due to the Earth's drag. Students solve 3 problems using the data in the...
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Lesson Plan
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Sun's Impact On Earth's Temperature

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students view NASA images and movies of Venus, Earth, and Mars to deduce weather patterns and manipulate computer models to test competing hypotheses. They manipulate computer models to investigate the influence of solar distance and...
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Lesson Plan
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NIGHT AND DAY: DAILY CYCLES IN SOLAR RADIATION

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine how Earth's rotation causes daily cycles in solar energy using a microset of satellite data to investigate the Earth's daily radiation budget and locating map locations using latitude and longitude coordinates.
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Lesson Plan
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Action-Reaction! Rocket

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students construct a rocket from a balloon propelled along a guide string. They use this model to learn about Newton's three laws of motion, examining the effect of different forces on the motion of the rocket. They measure the distance...
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Lesson Plan
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Greenhouse Effect ...Building Our Own

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students explore the greenhouse effect. They set up a simplified model of the earth and the greenhouse effect. Students compare temperatures inside a jar to temperatures outside the jar. Pupils collect information and create a line...
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Lesson Plan
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High Mountain Retreat

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore and analyze atmospheric conditions for a high mountain retreat. They examine the relationship between altitude, atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity at a particular location. In addition, they write reports...
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Lesson Plan
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Analyzing Meteorological Data From Mars

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare real-time Earth and Mars measurements for temperature, wind speed, humidity and atmospheric pressure by accessing Internet-data resources from NASA. They access real-time weather data and maps for their school location.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Seeing a Dwarf Planet Clearly: Pluto

For Students 9th - 11th
In this dwarf planet learning exercise, 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...
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Lesson Plan
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Trouble in the Troposphere

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students Use data sets from MY NASA DATA to produce graphs comparing monthly and yearly ozone averages of several U.S. cities. They analyze and evaluate the data and predict trends based on the data. In addition, they discuss and...
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Lesson Plan
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Weather Tools

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore Earth science by participating in a weather identification activity. In this scientific instrument lesson, students identify several weather related tools such as the weather vane, thermometer and rain gauge. Students...
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Lesson Plan
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Climate Systems - Which Location Is Best For Me?

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students study the difference between weather and climate.  For this climate systems lesson students search the Internet for the parts of the Earth's system, gather climate data and complete a challenge scenario. 
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Lesson Plan
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Greenhouse Effect: Pop Bottle Experiment

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Learners explore global warming by conducting a weather experiment. In this greenhouse gas lesson, students define the greenhouse effect and the impact on our ozone layer. Learners utilize a soda pop bottle, floodlight bulb, thermometers...
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Lesson Plan
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Weather, Data, Graphs and Maps

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students collect data on the weather, graph and analyze it. In this algebra lesson, students interpret maps and are able to better plan their days based on the weather reading. They make predictions based on the type of clouds they see.
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Lesson Plan
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Soil Scrolls

For Teachers 3rd
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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Lesson Plan
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Predicting the Future

For Teachers 4th - 8th
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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Lesson Plan
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Keep Your Eye on the Sky

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars examine the different types of satellites, cloud formations and weather patterns.  In this weather lesson plan students use the Internet to research weather satellites, then write an article and create graphs. 
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Lesson Plan
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Theory of Codes

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students explore the concept of code theory. In this code theory instructional activity, students discuss noise, error correction, Hamming distance, parity check matrices, and cyclic codes. Students develop these concepts through...
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Lesson Plan
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How High Are the Clouds?

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students analyze height and collect data to create a graph. In this statistics lesson, students use central tendencies to analyze their data and make predictions. They apply concept of statistics to other areas of academics to make a...