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Activity
Colorado State University

How Do Long and Short EM Waves Interact with the Earth's Atmosphere?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Things are about to heat up in your classroom! A kinesthetic lesson asks learners to play the part of the gases in the earth's atmosphere and interact with the sun's radiation. The focus is to learn the impact of the increasing...
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PPT
Science Geek

Earth's Atmosphere

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Ozone gas absorbs the harmful UV-B rays and helps protect humans. An informative presentation begins with the layers of the earth's atmosphere, the pressure and temperature in each of the layers, the ozone layer, the ozone cycle, and the...
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PPT
Mr. E. Science

Atmosphere

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Earth's atmosphere is full of different energies, from thermal to wind to electromagnetic radiation. Through the presentation, class members discover these energies and how they determine weather patterns.
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

I’ve Got the POWER! Solar Energy Potential at Your School

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Should every school have solar panels? The 19th lesson in a series of 21 has scholars research the feasibility of using solar panels at their school. They begin by gathering data on the solar energy in the area before estimating the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water in the Atmosphere

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
A slide show serves as the backdrop for a lesson on the moisture in Earth's atmosphere. Through it, mini meteorologists learn about the attributes of the atmosphere and actually use data-collecting weather tools to make observations and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Earth's Atmosphere and Temperature

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students describe and compare the layers of the atmosphere. They explain how to measure the temperature of the atmosphere and discover what causes the atmosphere to heat up in some places more than in others.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Connect the Spheres: Earth Systems Interactions

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Is everything really connected? Take your class on a walk outside, where they will make observations and write them down on a worksheet. Once they are back in the classroom, learners will work to determine if and how things like birds,...
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Interactive
PBS

Earth’s Energy Budget

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Is Earth's energy flow a little off balance? Explore our energy budget using a click-through interactive. Scholars discover the many factors that move solar energy around the planet and why the system is no longer in equilibrium.
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Global Warming of the Atmosphere

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
Scientists know the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today is higher than at any point in the last 800,000 years. Scholars learn about the amount of thermic radiation absorbed by air and what happens to the rest of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Relative Positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun Over Time

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Teacher pages for four different activities and three assessments are provided in this resource. Topics deal with how the sun's position and Earth's atmosphere affect the amount of solar energy reaching Earth's surface. The concepts and...
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Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

GEEBITT (Global Equilibrium Energy Balance Interactive TinkerToy)

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
Learners use the GEEBITT excel model to explore how global average temperatures are affected by changes in our atmosphere in part two of this series of seven lessons. Working in groups, they discuss, analyze graphs, and enter data to...
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Lesson Plan
NASA

Earth's Global Energy Budget

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Introduce your earth science enthusiasts to the earth's energy budget. Teach them using an informative set of slides that include illuminating lecturer's notes, relevant vocabulary, embedded animations, colorful satellite maps, and a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy in the Natural Environment

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students examine the flow of energy through the natural environment. In groups, they describe the effect of energy on the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. To end the lesson, they experiment with the chemical and physical...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Regents High School Examination: Physical Setting Earth Science 2008

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Throughout this earth science exam, high-school geologists complete a series of multiple choice and short answer questions about the solar system, atmosphere, and earth system. This is an amazing test, as are all of the exams developed...
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eBook
CK-12 Foundation

CK-12 Earth Science Concepts for Middle School

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Explore a variety of science concepts in an interactive textbook created for middle school scholars. A lengthy table of contents takes readers to pages comprised of a subject overview, outline, and summary. Follow links further to find...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Baylor College

Pre-Assessment: Earth's Energy Sources

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
A ten-question, multiple-choice quiz assesses what your elementary earth scientists know about the atmosphere both before and after a unique unit on global atmospheric change. Make sure to check out the activities and lesson plans...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Incoming Solar Radiation

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Demonstrate how the spherical shape of the Earth contributes to unequal heating of its surface and results in varying climates at different latitudes. This would be an illuminating addition to your meteorology lessons, especially when...
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Activity
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1
NOAA

I Didn’t Do It…Did I?: Make Your Own Greenhouse Effect

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
How do greenhouse gases affect the climate on Earth?  Pupils explore the concept by first building their own apparatuses to model the greenhouse effect. Then, they record data to measure temperature change and determine that the amount...
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Activity
1
1
NOAA

The Great, Glowing Orb What You Will Do: Make a Solar Heat Engine

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
How is solar energy able to move wind and water to control the climate? Scholars explore the concept of solar energy in the first of 10 activities in the Discover Your Changing World series. They follow instructions to build homemade...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Chicago Botanic Garden

Are Global CO2 Levels Changing?

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
According to the Mauna Loa observatory, carbon dioxide levels increased by 3 ppm in our atmosphere between 2015–2016. Individuals analyze carbon dioxide data from around the world and then share this with a home group in lesson three of...
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Lesson Plan
Science 4 Inquiry

The Ins and Outs of Photosynthesis

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The most important chemical process on Earth is photosynthesis. Scholars explore the changes in the gases in our atmosphere as life on Earth developed. They create a model of photosynthesis and consider simple questions.
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Interactive
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Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Paleoclimate: A History of Change

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Earth's climate changed drastically throughout the history of the planet, so why do scientists blame humans for recent changes? Observe data covering the history of the planet that proves the natural climate change patterns. Then, learn...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Mathematics of Convection: Nature's Model for Energy Production

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers conduct a series of experiments to investigate density, buoyancy and climate. In this math lesson, pupils design and build a hot air balloon to demonstrate convection. They research and write a paper about solar chimneys.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water in the Geosphere

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
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...