Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Connect the Spheres: Earth Systems Interactions

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Is everything really connected? Take your class on a walk outside, where they will make observations and write them down on a worksheet. Once they are back in the classroom, learners will work to determine if and how things like birds,...
Lesson Plan
Sea World

Endangered Species

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Study different endangered species with several activities that incorporate math, science, language arts, and research strategies. A great addition to your activity on conservation or Earth Day.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students understand the process of recycling. They investigate how it improves the environment. They read the story "Don't Pollute" by Stan and Jan Berenstein. They analyze trash and sort it into bins.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to the Day and Night Sky

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students explore space science by participating in a sky observation activity. In this astronomy activity, students define a list of astronomy vocabulary terms and examine star charts of the four seasons. Students gather with their...
Lesson Plan
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Purdue University

Global Design for the Seasons

For Teachers 5th
People don't all get the same amount of sun at the same time of the year. Collaborative groups explore how the motion of Earth contributes to the idea in an inquiry-based STEM lesson. Learners first investigate how the rotation of Earth...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Astronomy: Earth/Moon

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students investigate the Earth and the Moon. They select activities from a menu of options including viewing videos, drawing magnetic fields and plate tectonics, creating vocabulary flashcards, observing the phases of the moon over a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Starry Night Time and Day Time

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders complete a unit of lessons on the solar system. They complete various art projects inspired by Van Gogh's 'Starry Night,' create a moon phases book, create a moon phase wind chime, develop a timeline of space exploration,...
Lesson Plan
Teachers' Curriculum Instituted

The Roman Record

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
Using Google Earth, Google Docs, and other Google Tools, collaborative groups of seventh graders research and then create and share online newspapers reporting on the early development, geographical features, political issues, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Getting Through the Day Duck Style

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students observe ducks at a local wetland. They answer various questions about the ducks behavior and write the answers on a downloadable worksheet.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's Outside the Window

For Teachers K - 2nd
What do your students see when they look outside the window? This project lets their imagination go wild, and lets you see what kind of daydreaming they do best. They each draw, paint, and color an image of what they imagine as they are...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Battle for Ultimate Power

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students gain an understanding of how the powers of 10 and scientific notation can be used to represent the scale of things in the universe. They relate the number of stars in the universe to the number of grains of sand on Earth's beaches.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sun and Weather

For Teachers 6th - 8th
How is the Earth's weather created? Middle schoolers will explain how the Sun's energy is transformed into different forms. They will perform mathematical calculations of volume, mass, and temperature. They they will explain the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Glaciers and Ice Wedging

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders observe and identify a variety of weathering and geological activities in the area in which they live. This focuses primarily on what happened during the Ice Age, and how, even today, glaciers are shaping and re-shaping...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heating the Earth

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore how the angle of sunlight affects the Earth's temperature and seasons and then apply this understanding to their local situation.
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Our Restless Planet

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine the topic of the Earth's rotation, revolution, and orbit. They observe teacher-led demonstrations, explore various websites, write journal entries, conduct a demonstration of why Earth experiences day and night, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Roman Archy

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders use Google Earth to examine Roman architecture. In this ancient Rome lesson, 3rd graders visit the noted URLs to look at examples of Roman architecture. Students work in teams to examine data about the structures.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth's Journey Around the Sun

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders examine how the angle of the sun's rays is a factor in determining the seasons. They watch a teacher demonstration of the concepts and write a paragraph demonstrating their understanding.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Canadian Cities - a Day To Remember

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research information on the geographical features, climate, and cultural activities of a Canadian city. They plan a day in the city with a schedule of activities. They synthesize information and create a large poster about the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 2 Its a Small World (Day 2)

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students are able to explain how the water cycle recycles the earth's water supply. They are able to make use of the knowledge of land forms learned in social studies. Students are able to form a hypothesis on how/why the water cycle...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cloudy Days are for Reading and Writing

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars research weather proverbs and determine the scientific validity of 3 weather proverbs. They write an essay presenting their reasoning. They interview elderly people to graph the most frequently heard proverbs and theorize...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Write Picture Captions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students notice and investigate a large range of devices for presenting texts-captions. Students write original captions for several audiences. Students write a fictional news story based around a certain caption.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing the Wind

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students make a windmill.  For this wind lesson, students learn background information about the windmill, complete an activity where they create a windmill, discuss using wind as a natural resource and brainstorm other inventions...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Minerals of the Earth

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students learn and practice identifying Earth's minerals and their properties. Working in small groups, they evaluate minerals. This is a well-described lesson, which students enjoy.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Delicate Balance

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students complete an activity to help them understand the Earth's delicate balance. In this Earth instructional activity, students will draw and discuss the ways the Earth's atmosphere can be harmed. Students will then participate in a...