Colorado State University
If You Can't Predict the Weather, How Can You Predict the Climate?
Why is the weather man wrong so often? Young climatologists discover how chaos rules both weather and climate through a math-based activity. Using an iterative equation, the class examines how small day-to-day weather events total up to...
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Comparing Light Bulbs
An average home produces twice as many emissions as an average car. Teach your class how to reduce energy consumption by replacing standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. Perform an experiment to compare...
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A Simple Model for Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide
In this atmospheric carbon dioxide activity, students use two diagrams to solve 6 problems about atmospheric carbon dioxide. One diagram shows the Keeling Curve and the other shows sources of carbon and the natural and anthropogenic...
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Earth's Winds, Crust, and Atmosphere
This site provides a variety of activities and worksheets about the problem-based learning activity about Earth and its atmosphere. The lessons can be used separately or together in a geology unit. The resources and charts are very...
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Earth's Warming Climate: Are We Responsible
Students examine the atmospheric data for CO2. In this web-based atmospheric lesson plan, student follow instructions to examine and plot on-line scientific data about the CO2 levels in our atmosphere and analyze the changes found in the...
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The Measurement of All Things: Atmospheric Detectives
Students identify the characteristics of aerosols. Using remote sensing, they participate in an experiment in which they determine how the sun's radiation and elements in the atmosphere interact with one another. They also research the...
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T3 Lesson Plan: Number 3
Sixth graders investigate local water. In this water cycle lesson, 6th graders take samples from surrounding water sources. Students record data from the samples, compare and graph the results.
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Reading Graphs with a Logarithmic Scale
Guide high school meteorologists through a detailed examination of oxygen concentration data. The learners analyze a line graph containing logarithmic data and employ the use of a graphing calculator. A comprehensive worksheet and links...
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The International Space Station-Follow that Graph!
In this altitude change of the International Space Station instructional activity, learners observe a graph of the change in altitude of the space station over time due to the Earth's drag. Students solve 3 problems using the data in the...
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Sun's Impact On Earth's Temperature
Students view NASA images and movies of Venus, Earth, and Mars to deduce weather patterns and manipulate computer models to test competing hypotheses. They manipulate computer models to investigate the influence of solar distance and...
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What is Air?
Young scholars investigate air by participating in a class experiment. In this matter measurement lesson plan, students identify air as a gas which consists of mass. Young scholars utilize a windsock or balloon to measure oxygen and...
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Water Cycle
Young scientists explore Earth elements by conducting an experiment. They define water vocabulary terms such as condensation and precipitation. In addition, they conduct a water experiment in which they build a terrarium, so they can...
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Particulate Matter: The Lorax
Students explore air pollution. In this ecology lesson, students participate in an experiment in which 5 numbered jar lids are placed outside. Students bring one lid a day in until all jars are inside. Dirt specks are counted, observed,...
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NIGHT AND DAY: DAILY CYCLES IN SOLAR RADIATION
Students examine how Earth's rotation causes daily cycles in solar energy using a microset of satellite data to investigate the Earth's daily radiation budget and locating map locations using latitude and longitude coordinates.
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Single Event Upsets in Aircraft Avionics
In this aircraft avionics worksheet, science fans read about the first unmanned air vehicle that collects data about the Earth and is subject to damage by cosmic ray showers. Pupils analyze two graphs of data showing the neutron flux vs....
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WATER HERE AND THERE
Introduce the topic of water conservation with a little drama. Dressed as snowflakes, hail stones, or rain drops class members dramatize the events in a narration of the water cycle. The series of lessons that follow focus on...
Center for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching
Vectors
Investigate vectors and learn how to use them. Explore why size and direction, as well as knowing speed and distance, are important components of the vector problems you are trying to solve. This is an extensive instructional activity...
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What Contains Carbon?
Students explore elements by analyzing everyday objects and materials in class. In this carbon lesson, students define several vocabulary terms such as carbon dioxide, hydrocarbon, and carbonate. Students view a group of items,...
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Soil Scrolls
Third graders examine soil samples and explore the what happens in each layer of the subsoil. They work in cooperative groups to create a scroll that shows what takes place in each layer, and discuss why much of the activity is in the...
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Solar Isolation Changes and the Sunspot Cycle
In this sunspot cycle and solar irradiation activity, students use 2 graphs of daily total solar irradiance and sunspot activity to solve 3 problems. They find the average solar irradiance during a given time, they determine the...
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Storms and Extreme Weather
Young scholars explore hurricanes and tornadoes by conducting an experiment. In this weather pattern lesson, students define many extreme weather vocabulary terms and discuss the relationship with static electricity. Young scholars...
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Analyzing Meteorological Data From Mars
Students compare real-time Earth and Mars measurements for temperature, wind speed, humidity and atmospheric pressure by accessing Internet-data resources from NASA. They access real-time weather data and maps for their school location.
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High Mountain Retreat
Students explore and analyze atmospheric conditions for a high mountain retreat. They examine the relationship between altitude, atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity at a particular location. In addition, they write reports...
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The International Space Station
In this International Space Station instructional activity, students are given the altitude changes in the space station on a graph from 2000-2004. Students answer 5 questions about the trends in the graph, the changes in altitude, the...