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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Contains Carbon?

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students explore elements by analyzing everyday objects and materials in class. In this carbon instructional activity, students define several vocabulary terms such as carbon dioxide, hydrocarbon, and carbonate. Students view a group of...
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Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Greenhouse Gas Emissions — Natural and Human Causes

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
What impact do humans have on greenhouse gas emissions? What are the natural causes of these gasses? Thanks to the carbon cycle, carbon dioxide eats away at the earth's atmosphere with the intensified help of humans. Young scientists...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How To Make an Apple Pie and See the World

For Teachers 5th - 11th
Students have a class discussion on how the variety of foods we use on a daily basis come from all over the world. They identify foods that they are familiar with that come from other places.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Blowin' in the Wind

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students discover how wind is created on earth: changes in temperatures and air pressure. They list good and bad effects of the wind and make a weather vane and practice using it for 2 weeks.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mission to Mars

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students consider the affects of space travel on the human body. In this human physiology lesson, students compare how the 5 different body systems work on Earth and in Space. Students then design a product that an astronaut could use as...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Planet: Melting Glaciers

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Resource links to a video, satellite images, data, and photographs of glaciers provide emerging earth scientists the opportunity to examine how the ice has been retreating over the years. A data table is included for pupils to record...
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Activity
US Environmental Protection Agency

Building an Model Aquifer

For Teachers 9th - 12th
With almost half of Americans relying on groundwater supplies, it is more important than ever to protect aquifers from possible contaminants. Working in small groups, young environmentalists explore this problem as they create an aquifer...
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Lesson Plan
Messenger Education

Cooling with Sunshades

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Messenger's sun shade measures 8 ft x 6 ft and will have temperatures reaching 700 degree Fahrenheit on the outside while maintaining a cool 70 degrees underneath. In the third activity of four, groups discuss the basic properties of...
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Lesson Plan
NASA

Data Literacy Cube: Global Atmospheric Temperature Anomaly Data

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Evaluate global temperature anomalies using real-world data from NASA! Climatologists analyze a data set using a literacy cube and differentiated question sheets. Team members evaluate global temperature anomaly data with basic...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hydrothermal Vent Challenge

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Give our ocean voyagers the "Hydrothermal Vent Challenge!" It is a worksheet that guides them through an exploration of hydrothermal vents and the chemical reactions that occur when lava meets seawater. Using a collection of websites,...
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Lesson Plan
Center Science Education

Field Projects: Science in Action

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Cooperative groups select from one of four scenarios regarding hurricanes, greenhouse gases, thunderstorms, or the global climate domino effect. They discuss what kind of research needs to be conducted to address their chosen scenario...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Biogeochemical Cycles Study Guide

For Students 9th - 12th
The four cycles in Earth's biogeochemical system are covered in this learning exercise. Science stars fill in the blanks or define vocabulary terms pertaining to the hydrologic, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous cycles. This resource...
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Lesson Plan
Wild BC

Carbon Sinks and Sources

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Earth or environmental science pupils are assigned to be carbon sources or sinks. They ask yes-or-no questions to try to figure out which one they are. Then they discuss ways people can have positive effects on the changing climate by...
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Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

Constructive and Destructive Geologic Processes

For Teachers 8th Standards
Show the class the world as they've never seen it before—from way above! Learners try to unravel the mysteries presented by rich satellite imagery, learn to interpret topographic maps, and study erosion by constructing their very...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Smart Growth Can Reshape Communities

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore the concept of smart growth development. They create a class list highlighting the benefits of smart growth and then research, discuss, and present their findings on the benefits of smart growth and how it...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Photosynthesis

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders work in small groups to brainstorm responses to a problem related to some disaster that wipes out half or all plant life on earth. Groups complete a graphic organizer to compare and contrast their ideas. Students select...
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Lesson Plan
Green Learning

Build Your Own Solar Oven

For Teachers 6th - 12th
This is not exactly a lesson plan, but rather a six-page document detailing how to build a solar oven. A bit of background information, materials list, diagrams and photos, and clearly-written procedures are all included. There are no...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Coal Derivatives by Destructive Distillation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Chemists use the destructive distillation technique to produce three derivatives from a sample of bituminous coal. You will find background information, a materials list, procedures, and sample follow-up questions that you can use in...
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Lesson Plan
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Chemical Signatures of Asteroid Impacts

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What killed the dinosaurs and how do scientists know? Your high schoolers can examine these fascinating questions with a geochemical lens using the engaging 33-minute video, the accompanying data interpretation, and some thoughtful...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Greenhouse Gases

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Although the worksheet for the lab activity is not included, this is an activating activity for your class to do when learning about the greenhouse effect. They lay three thermometers underneath a lamp: one out in the open, one under a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fault Features

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students discuss the different kinds of faults in the earth's crust and examine photos of the San Adreas Fault. Working in groups, they experiment with fault making by placing fabric in a pan and filling the inside with wet dirt. When...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water 1: Water and Ice

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore the states of water. In this science lesson, students use observation, measurement, and communication skills to describe water as it changes from a solid to a liquid.
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Lesson Plan
Science Friday

How Boulders Are Born

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Want your class to rock? Then try this boulder activity. Pupils learn about a specific boulder field and use edible materials to demonstrate the geological processes that formed this unique feature. Weathering, erosion, and mass...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Solar System Model

For Teachers 9th - 12th
How many planets can you name? Did you get all 13 in our solar system, including the dwarf planets, or were you surprised when you read there are 13 planets? The lesson helps scholars understand the scale of the universe including the...