Curated OER
Interior of the Earth
Sixth graders identify and describe the composition and physical properties of the layers of the Earth. They also explain how scientists used the scientific process to know about the center of the Earth. Finally, 6th graders read a...
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Eyewitnesses to Change
Students explore recent changes in the Artic's climate that have been observed by Artic residents. They watch videos, take notes and create a concept map. They also look at historical weather data from a specific Artic community. The...
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Severe Weather
Ninth graders investigate the cause and effect of severe weather. In this Earth Science instructional activity, 9th graders use a learning contract and a rubric to develop a presentation about severe weather.
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Ocean Floor
Students identify ocean floor features. In this earth science lesson, students predict the object inside a close box to make them realize the difficulties scientists faced then. They label the different zones of the ocean floor after the...
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Stratigraphy -- Layers of Time in the Earth
Students are introduced to the process of stratification. Using the internet, they read about the Richard Beene archeological site near San Antonio. Using a map, they color code the different layers present at this site and answer...
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Orientation of the Earth in Space
Students hypothesize the location of the sun in the sky at diferent times of day and at different latitudes. They perform several experiments to provide evidence for their hypothesis. Experiments including observing the sun's position at...
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Where Does Earth's Heat Come From?
Students try to determine how the Earth is heated by the sun and other sources. In groups, they identify the other sources of energy and discover why different parts of the world are heated differently during the year. They complete an...
Orange County Water Atlas
Location, Location, Location…
Young geographers discover not only how to read and recognize coordinates on a map, but also gain a deeper understanding of latitude and longitude and how climate changes can vary significantly across latitudes.
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Weather Analysis - Lab Activity
Ninth graders perform research in the subject of weather to answer several key questions to increase comprehension of concepts. Students use weather prediction as an application for the research.
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Get the Drift?
The anticipatory set is clever: give groups five minutes to work on the puzzle and then discuss what strategies they used to match the few that connected. This introduces middle schoolers to the concept of continental drift. A portion of...
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Harvesting Water from Fog
Students analyze the water issues of Cape Verde in the Peace Corp lesson. In this water resources lesson, students analyze the concept of water being harvested from fog. Students explore the Peace Corps project site by watching...
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Probes, Exploration and Application
Students examine the benefits of the space program to our life on earth. In this space exploration lesson students participate in a lab, answer questions and study radar mapping.
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Weather Forecasting Basics
Eighth graders analyze weather diagrams and weather maps. In this earth science lesson, 8th graders explain why it is important to know the weather. They complete a handout at the end of the lesson.
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What are Igneous Rocks and How are They Formed?
Crystals form before your very eyes! What sixth grader wouldn't enjoy this lesson on igneous rock formation? Using hot Salol, junior geologists observe the crystal formation process as the material cools. This comprehensive lesson plan...
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The Water Cycle and Watershed
Students summarize the steps in the water cycle. In this earth science lesson, students create a skit, song or poem showing the various components of the cycle. They identify the different watersheds in their area.
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RIDING THE WIND
Students locate the Trade Winds, Westerlies and Polar Easterlies on a map, explain the impact of the rotation of the Earth, and plot a route for a round trip voyage from New York to London.
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Continents and Oceans on the Move
Young scholars create an awareness of the vast percentage of water covering the earth. They relate similarities/differences between topographical maps and other maps of various time periods. Students examine how to use a topographical map.
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Geology Word List
In this science worksheet, students review the vocabulary words for the separate categories related to the concept of geology.
Space Awareness
The Big Meltdown
Explore the world (our world) of melting ice caps. Why are these caps melting? What is the effect of melting ice caps? Dive into the ever-present issue of global warming with a resource that has learners looking at data and participating...
NASA
Tools to Study Tornadoes and Galaxies
Take your class on an intergalactic journey as they explore the galaxy and various meteorological events taking place in our atmosphere each day. Learners investigate electromagnetic waves and the Doppler Effect before gathering radar...
Messenger Education
Exploring Exploring
The reason people first began trading was because of their desires for objects other societies possessed. In the activity, classes discuss why exploration has been a common thread in all societies and where these desires have taken...
Curated OER
Climb a Mountain, Raft a River on Your Own Land
Students are introduced to the characteristics of a map. As a class, they discuss the uses of public lands in their community and develop symbols for each feature. They use the symbols to create a map showing the recreational uses of...
Curated OER
Exploring the USA and the World with Cartograms
Students investigate cartograms in order to explore the different countries on Earth. In this world geography lesson, students use the Internet to analyze data on different cartograms. Students compare data, such as population density,...
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Design an Island
Students make a map of an imaginary island using the topographic symbols provided from a worksheet. Students place lakes, dwellins, reefs, etc. in areas where they would logically be located from understanding how the topography of an...