American Museum of Natural History
Planetary Mysteries
Get to know our little part of the vast universe. Learners read about the common and not-so-common facts about each of the planets in the solar system. The interactive lesson includes a large amount of information as well as a quiz to...
Curated OER
Renewable vs. Non-Renewable Resources
Fifth graders are introduced to the important topic of renewable, and non-renewable, resources. They are expected to be able to correctly categorize different types of resources as renewable or non-renewable. Another emphasis of this...
American Museum of Natural History
Make Your Own Weather Station
Scholars build a weather station equipped with a wind vane, rain gauge, and barometer. Following an informative page about the weather, learners follow steps to build their pieces then turn into meteorologists to chart the weather they...
Curated OER
Climate Change: Carbon Cycle
Students explore the carbon cycle. In this carbon cycle lesson plan, students discuss the four main reservoirs where carbon is stored and then discover the process through which each reservoir absorbs and releases CO2. This lesson plan...
Curated OER
Weather in Your City
Students observe weather conditions of a particular city. Multiple intelligences are explored within this lesson. They locate their particular city on a United States map. Each student writes about their discoveries in his/her journal...
Curated OER
Fallout!
Students plot the locations of fallout from two disasters that polluted much of the world's air. They plot the ash fallout from the 1980 Mt. St. Helen's eruption to see what the wind patterns in the United States look like overall. Next...
Curated OER
Storms and Extreme Weather
Students explore hurricanes and tornadoes by conducting an experiment. In this weather pattern lesson, students define many extreme weather vocabulary terms and discuss the relationship with static electricity. Students utilize plastic...
Curated OER
Asteroid, Comet, or Meteor?
In this asteroid, comet and meteor activity, students complete a chart by determining which of 8 given characteristics belong to asteroids, comets or meteors.
Curated OER
Pipeline to the Coral Reefs
High schoolers discuss the relationship of density to stratification. In this marine science lesson, students create a model of upwelling events using cold and warm water. They discuss how water phenomena affect coral reefs.
Curated OER
The Water Cycle
Third graders compare what occurs in terrariums to the water cycle on the earth and in it's atmosphere. They create a story as evidence of their knowledge of the water cycle.
Curated OER
Water Cycle in a Bottle
Students study the water cycle. In this water science lesson, students complete a water cycle experiment using soda bottles.
Curated OER
Weather Wordsearch
In this science worksheet, students find the words that are associated with the measurement of weather changes. The answers are found at the bottom of the page.
Curated OER
Renewable vs. Non-Renewable Resources
Here's a fine lesson plan on renewable and non-renewable sources of energy for your 5th graders. In it, learners list a number of natural resources on the board, then try to sort the resources into appropriate categories. This helps them...
National Energy Education Development Project
Introduction to Wind Energy
The U.S. produced enough wind energy in 2015 to power all of the homes in Alaska, California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and...
Curated OER
Air Pollution: The Issue of Global Warming
Here is an outstanding 10-page lesson plan on global warming. Learners discover that there is a lot of controversy surrounding this topic in that the science behind global warming is difficult to prove. The best thing about this plan is...
K-State Research and Extensions
Water
How are maps like fish? They both have scales. The chapter includes six different activities at three different levels. Scholars complete activities using natural resources, learn how to read a map, see how to make a compass rosette,...
Curated OER
Sending Messages to Space
Students interpret a message sent to space using a radio telescope and draw inferences from the interpreted message. Working with a partner, they interpret data that scientists believe is a message from aliens. They work on organizing...
Curated OER
Wind and Air Pressure
Students make an anemometer, barometer, and wind catcher to see how wind and air pressure are related. In this wind lesson plan, students use these tools to measure the wind speed.
Curated OER
Asteroid, Comet, or Meteor?
In this asteroid, comet, and meteor graphic organizer worksheet, students compare and contrast asteroids, comets, and meteors as they mark the characteristics of each.
American Museum of Natural History
What do you Know About Climate Change?
Test the class's knowledge of the key components of climate change. A 10-question online quiz asks learners about weather, climate, greenhouse gases, and several other concepts related to climate change. Interactive and easy for...
Science Friday
Capturing Carbon Dioxide
Why don't we just capture carbon dioxide in the air and store it somewhere else? A hands-on lesson allows scholars to explore a complex concept. First, they will create a carbonated beverage, and then they will determine...
Science Matters
Post-Assessment Energy
After nine lessons and activities about energy, here is the final assessment. The 20-questions include multiple choice, multiple choice with justification, short answer, answer analysis, and labeling diagrams to challenge learners.
NASA
Making Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide
Some like it hot! Scholars observe both exothermic and endothermic reactions as part of the carbon dioxide oxygen cycle. First, scientists demonstrate (or watch) a chemical reaction to create pure oxygen using fire for...
Curated OER
Greenhouse Effect: A Computer Simulation
Students complete an online simulation of the greenhouse effect. In this lesson on the greenhouse effect, students use a website, similar to a webquest, to simulate and answer questions on how the greenhouse effect works. This lesson is...