Students write a friendly letter to an Alien Pen Pal including details about the planet Earth.

Students make a simple sundial to examine the changes in shadows over time. In this sundial and shadow lesson plan, students make a simple sundial out of a manila folder and pencil. They observe how shadows change over time, and relate...

Students explore U.S. geography by viewing a documentary in class. In this national parks lesson, students view video clips of individual national parks and locate them using Google Earth software. Students create a persuasive...

Pupils discuss the impact of not keeping the environment in balance for future generations. As a class, they are introduced to the concept of "Balance of Nature" and what it means. In groups, they research the role of trees and how to...

Students are told that Geography is the science that deals with the differentiation of the surface of the earth due to the influence of things like population, vegetation, geology, and land use. They explore the Geography Basics page. ...

Pupils examine the earth's atmosphere. In this hands-on science lesson, students follow the outlined steps to create clouds in 2-liter bottles.

Learners interpret the Earth's history from models.  In this investigative lesson students create sedimentary deposit models. 

Students examine and calculate the percentage of potable water remaining on the earth. In this ecology and geography lesson plan, students brainstorm the main factors affecting water distribution. Students use mathematical problem...

Learners study the amount of potable water on the Earth. In this water instructional activity, students examine the amount of potable water as compared to all the water on the Earth. They discuss why many parts of the world do not have...

Through a PowerPoint presentation and the embedded animation and video, earth science enthusiasts find out about the moisture in the soil beneath our feet. In the animation, follow a water molecule on its path through the water cycle. As...

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...

As an anticipatory set, young environmental technicians watch a video about how ocean temperatures seem to be changing along with the global climate. They perform a laboratory demonstration with the purpose of observing what happens to...

Here is a plate tectonics interactive that will really move your class! The first of a 13-part series introduces young geologists to the fundamental concepts and vocabulary they need to understand the interactions between...

Junior geologists, hydrologists, or meteorologists simulate what happens during the flooding of a river and demonstrate factors that contribute to flash flooding. This outstanding resource provides a vocabulary list, online resources,...

Young scholars explore landscapes and create their own in a creative project.

Young geographers view an excellent description of how compasses work, then work in partners to make a compass of their own. There is a heavy religious component in this lesson; for example, as closure, the teacher reads a verse from the...

Demonstrate the movement of lithospheric plates due to convection in Earth's mantle. Learners then model the movements that occur along plate boundaries using colored clay. 

Take young geologists on an exploration of the collection of rocks and minerals that we call Earth with an upper-elementary science lesson. Through a series of class discussion and hands-on investigations, students learn about the...

Pupils use a concrete model of the Sun and Earth to observe and manipulate a 3-D model of the Sun and Earth.

Students experience the rotation of the Earth and the Sun and the Earth's revolution around the Sun, using a playground mode.

Students research the demands or limitations on Earth scientists. In groups, they design and build a model that would be useful to them in the lab or field. They share their model and their ideas behind it to the class and answer any...

Sixth graders define atmosphere and hydrosphere, explore through experimentation how the atmosphere was formed, and describe the layers of the Earth's atmosphere and their distances.

Young scholars research the four geologic eras of Earth's history. In this extension on a fossils lesson, students research the different eras of Earth's history. Young scholars use AppleWorks to create a bar graph containing information...

Second graders read THe Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System. In this language arts and science lesson, 2nd graders explore the four inner planets. Students view the inner planets using Google Earth.