Curated OER
Our Sky Clock
Students explore space science by completing a worksheet in class. In this astronomy lesson, students discuss and identify star patterns in the night sky and relate these patterns to the approximate time they appear. Students complete an...
Curated OER
Changing Planet: Black Carbon - a Dusty Situation
Introduce your young meteorologists to black carbon produced by the burning of fossil fuels by showing the video, "Changing Planet: Black Carbon." Viewers discover that deposition of this carbon on polar ice impacts the absorption of...
Curated OER
Regolith Formation
Students compare and contrast the process of regolith formations. In groups, students define regolith and discover how regolith is formed on the Earth and on the Moon. They participate in experimental activities to simulate regolith.
Curated OER
Formation of Rain
Students sequence the steps leading to the formation of rain, and design a model to represent these steps. This task assesses students' abilities to classify, generalize, infer, interpret and communicate data, and construct a pictorial...
Curated OER
Earth: The Water Planet
Students elicit data on the water cycle, ocean topography, and island formation in this six lesson unit. The ocean floor and the properties of water are examined through a variety of discussions and hands-on experiments.
K5 Learning
Space Based Astronomy
How much astronomy can you study with the naked eye? Learn more about the ways scientists explore the galaxy with a short reading passage and set of short-answer questions.
Curated OER
Conditions at Sea
Students examine wave formation. In this wave lesson, students discover how waves are formed and how the weather at sea is predicted. Students study ocean vocabulary and understand the Beaufort Wind Force Scale.
Curated OER
Conditions at Sea Introductory Activity, Making Waves
Students explore waves and wind. In this physical and earth science wave activity, students participate in a wave making activity with an aquarium and a hair dryer. Students complete a data chart recording wave height and related...
Curated OER
Pump It Up
Learners use water in a flask to simulate how oil is pumped or forced out of the Earth by pressure from natural gas or human machinery. In this oil lesson plan, students complete a lab packet and work in groups.
Curated OER
Probing Under the Surface
Eighth graders use a measuring stick to determine the shape of the inside of the bottom of a box, then apply their knowledge to an additional situation. This task assesses students' abilities to make simple observations, collect and...
Curated OER
A Comparison of Cloud Coverage Over Africa
Students use a NASA satellite data to contrast amounts of cloud coverage over different climate regions in Africa. They explore how Earth's major air circulations affect global weather patterns, and relate to local weather patterns.
Montana State University
Sea Floor to Summit
Who knew that mountain formation could be so entertaining? Leanr how mountains form with a resource on Mount Everest. Activities to guide learning include a simulation, project, videos, coloring activities, and worksheets.
Kenan Fellows
Sustainability: Learning for a Lifetime – Soil
Do great gardeners really have green thumbs—or just really great soil? Environmental scholars discover what makes Earth's soil and soil quality so important through research and experimentation. Learners also develop an understanding of...
Curated OER
Is There Water on Mars?
Students decide whether or not there is or has even been water on Mars. They analyze temperature and pressure data from the Pathfinder mission to Mars, and then they analyze images of Mars, interpreting the landforms they see and...
Curated OER
Landforms
In this landforms worksheet, students answer 2 questions about the major land forms and types of mountains. They match 10 landforms and types of mountains with their definitions.
Curated OER
Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!
Young scholars study the different types of volcanoes and how they erupt. In this volcano lesson plan students identify where volcanoes are most prevalent and options for predicting eruptions.
Curated OER
Using Cause and Effect to Write in Science
Fifth graders brainstorm processes or forces that cause Earth's surface to be changed.
Curated OER
Geology and the Battle of Gettysburg
Students create geologic maps of the Gettysburg battlefield. In this geologic skills lesson, students consider the variations of Earth's surfaces and explore strategies employed by the North and South in the Battle of Gettysburg to...
Curated OER
Classify Rocks
Students classify different types of rocks. In this earth science lesson, students test different rock samples and construct a chart to record observations. They create a concept map that answers essential questions.
Curated OER
Bhutan, the Last Shangri-La: Sandwich Squash: How the Himalayas Were Formed
Students create and record a model of mountain formation. They identify major mountain building formations. Students understand how the Himalaya Mountains were formed, why they are located near Bhutan, and why they are becoming larger.
K5 Learning
Landforms
Valleys, mountains, and plateaus are just a few geographic landforms on our Earth. Read about these types and more in a brief landform passage. After reading, learners respond to six short answer comprehension questions.
Curated OER
Ocean Impacts of an El Nino Event
Students study sea surface height and temperature and other characteristics of an El Nino. In this ocean impacts lesson students examine the factors that influence an El Nino or La Nina.
Discovery Education
Smoke on the Water
How do clouds form? Learners demonstrate the formation of clouds and the water cycle by testing four different setups in a plastic bottle. They identify the key components of a cloud to help them understand the process of cloud...
Curated OER
Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Even though volcanoes look alike, they can be very different based on the types of lava that erupts from their surface. Learn about strata volcanoes, shield volcanoes, and the varying viscosity of lava with an engaging hands-on...