Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Climate Control

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the locations, characteristics, and natural and human dangers to the Earth's biomes to better explain the relationship between daily life and the environment.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Idaho Earthquakes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine the types of earthquakes that occur in Idaho. In groups, they compare and contrast the types of energy released and how they affect the movement of the Earth. To end the instructional activity, they analyze a map...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Different Kind of Rock Star: Part 2

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students examine our society's fascination with Mars.  In this journalism lesson students read an article that outlines the various ways Mars has captured our imagination and are given topics for discussion and a chart to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Can You Find a Solution?

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore the topic of public conservation. In this Florida panthers lesson, students read a scenario about the endangered panther and collaborate to plan a way to protect the panther population. Students also participate in a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Does Water Come From: The Water Cycle

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore the water cycle. In this water cycle lesson, students read the book The Magic School Bus Wet All Over and summarize the steps of the water cycle. Students label a picture map of the water cycle.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Natural Resource Awareness

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders design a collage that shows natural resources or things made from natural resources. They discuss the collages and decide how they use natural resources at home and school. They listen to a read aloud of a Native American...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introducing NatureMapping

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners model the NatureMapping program in order to study habitats and biodiversity.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science: Trouble in the Troposphere

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research a NASA Website and record information about an assigned city's tropospheric ozone residual monthly climate. In groups, they graph the information for the past year. They form new groups and compare their city's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Radiation Comparison Before and After 9-11

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Using the NASA website, class members try to determine if changes could be detected in cloud cover, temperature, and/or radiation measurements due to the lack of contrails that resulted from the halt in air traffic after the attacks...
Lesson Plan
PHET

Where to See an Aurora

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Where can you see an aurora in North America? After completing an astronomy activity, scholars can locate the exact coordinates. Pupils plot points of the inner and outer ring of the auroral oval and answer questions based on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plate Tectonics Day 3 Sea Floor Spreading: Evidence for Continental Drift

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners are introduced to Sea Floor Spreading and how it provides evidence for Hess's and Deitz's theory of Continental Drift. They use paleomagnetic data to calculate the rate of Sea Floor Spreading.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sea Water Mixing and Sinking

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the role of temperature and salinity in determining seawater density. They use a Temperature-Salinity Diagram to examine the effects of mixing on density.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Differences Between Ground and Air Temperatures

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the differences between air temperature and ground temperature.  In this investigative lesson students find NASA data on the Internet and use it to create a graph. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read the story, "Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt" and discuss slavery. After answering questions about the story, 3rd graders sing "Follow the Drinkin' Gourd" and explore the clues in each verse that allowed the slaves to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Why Do We Have Day And Night?

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders demonstrate knowledge and appropriate use of hardware components, software programs, and their connections. After a lecture/demo, student groups utilize raisins and apples to demonstrate day and night. They put togethre a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Snow Cover By Latitude

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students create graphs comparing the amount of snow cover along selected latitudes using data sets from a NASA website. They create a spreadsheet and a bar graph on the computer, and analyze the data.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cartography

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students research about cartography and how to be a cartographer. In this math lesson, students draw a map of their classroom. They use a robot to explore navigation using a compass rose.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Migration of the Neo-Tropical Songbirds

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders plot the migration of birds using Google Earth. In this lesson on bird migration, 5th graders work in groups to plot the migration of a group of birds using Google Earth. Students present and discuss their findings and look...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Meet the Weather Scientist

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders collect, record and analyze data using simple weather instruments or use weather resources to comprehend weather. They comprehend that scientists are very important people in today's world. Pupils look at cloud types to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weather: Piecing It All Together

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders collect, record, and analyze data using simple weather instruments and a variety of weather resources to investigate weather. They observe the teacher demonstrate how a rain gauge functions, record the weather for five...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

GIS and Agriculture

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers are introduced GIS systems and how they operate. Using a GIS system, they locate and map the various types of agricultural products grown in Oregon. They rank each county based on the amount of agricultural products...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dirty Pictures

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Students investigate how food, clothing and shelter come from soil after they examine soil from their own backyards. They map soils on the color wheel before making glue and soil pictures and tie-dying T-shirts in red soil.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Our Watershed System

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars study watersheds and examine how they are composed.  In this watershed system lesson students explain how water enters a watershed and the concept of stream order. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science: Reading a Compass

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners demonstrate how to take bearings using a compass. In pairs, they select objects in the classroom then write down its first initial and bearing. They exchange papers and try to disciver their partner's object.