Curated OER
Are You an Energy Efficient Consumer?
In this energy consumption activity, students use on line resources to explore the energy use by different countries around the world. Students compare the amount of light emitted by different countries and their carbon dioxide...
Virginia Department of Education
Molar Heat of Fusion for Water
How can you describe heat of fusion in a way the class understands and relates the importance of this concept to present day issues? In this third lesson of the series, learners conduct an experiment, demonstrating the flow of heat...
National Academy of Sciences
CO2 and Temperature
Scientists can model global surface temperature with and without considering human emissions, but does do these factors really make a difference? Two interactive graphs demonstrate some factors that affect climate change. The first graph...
Curated OER
Costa Rican Ecosystems
Students read about the Cloud Forests in Costa Rica and then answer critical thinking questions about how to prevent loss in this forest and how to slow down global warming.
Curated OER
Evidence of Climate Change
Sixth graders examine climate change in the state of Colorado. In this climate lesson, 6th graders watch 2 video clips regarding the topic and research the subtopics- snow pack, precipitation, temperature, forest fires, river flow,...
Curated OER
In the Forecast, a Flurry of Concerns about Snow
Students consider the effects of climate change on snowfall and how a lack of data in snowfall collection impair climate change research. They, in groups, investigate different effects of snowfall and make recommendations to lobbyists.
Curated OER
Drought Threatens Huge Man-Made Lake
Students locate Lake Mead, then read a news article about Lake Mead drying up and how that would effect water and power supplies to the region. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a map and vocabulary...
Curated OER
Earth in the Hot Seat
Learners identify the different viewpoints on the issue of global warming. While watching a video, they take notes on the issues presented to them and answer questions about what Alaska, Peru and East Africa are doing to prevent global...
Curated OER
Assigning Roles: Becoming Advisors to Individual Nations and Assembling Country Profiles
Pupils role play the role of advisors to countries on the issue of global warming. In their groups, they identify the main issues affecting their country along with any opposing viewpoints. They use the internet to research the country...
Curated OER
Environment: Climate Change
Students explore climate change and the greenhouse effect. Using provided definitions, they assess local weather conditions and analyze long term climatic data for their areas. Once they explore the concept of and connection between...
Curated OER
A Comparison of Cloud Coverage Over Africa
Students use a NASA satellite data to contrast amounts of cloud coverage over different climate regions in Africa. They explore how Earth's major air circulations affect global weather patterns, and relate to local weather patterns.
Curated OER
Arkansas: A Changing Climate, a Changing Land
Here is a instructional activity on the climate zones and geography of Arkansas. In it, learners look at maps (embedded) of different climate zones found throughout Arkansas. They engage in discussions regarding how global warming and...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Oh, What's the Next Crisis?
As scholars examine a simple political cartoon, they consider some of the crises of 2009: oil, foreign wars, energy, global warming, Swine Flu, etc. A list is provided for background information, and 3 talking points (or writing points)...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Faces of Climate Change
You know global warming is real when your squirrel feeder is full of popped corn instead of kernels! Activity two in a series of five allows learners to explore climate change through the eyes of another. After briefly analyzing their...
NASA
Geographical Influences
"If global warming is real, why is it so cold?" Distinguishing the difference between weather and climate is important when it comes to understanding our planet. In these activities, young scientists look at the climate patterns in a...
NASA
Climate Change Online Lab
What are the key indicators that show scientists that our planet is in the fastest warming trend ever? Learners go on a WebQuest to examine the evidence for themselves. Following several links to NASA sites, kids see how the global...
Polar Trec
Permafrost Thaw Depth and Ground Cover
The thaw depth of tundra creates a positive feedback loop with both global warming and the carbon cycle. Scholars sort photos and develop a hypothesis for ground cover and permafrost depth. Then they review the data and measurements...
NOAA
Where Have All the Glaciers Gone?
What happens when ice melts? Well ... water happens. When that melting ice is a glacier, the amount of water that results produces change throughout the world. Middle school science sleuths uncover the truth about global...
It's About Time
Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Emerging biochemists more fully understand the flow of energy in ecosystems as they explore the laws of thermodynamics and relate them to energy transfer in food chains. They also investigate heat loss from the human body and how...
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
What is Drought? No Rain, No Water
How can climate change affect our water supply? Have kids read a passage about the water cycle and water conservation, which includes six questions that challenge them to use context clues.
Curated OER
Trading Nations
Students analyze the impact of a global economy on the workers, business leaders and governments of China and the United States.
Curated OER
El Nino
Explore the properties of water and the affects of El Nino. Middle schoolers will learn about the devastation an El Nino can cause as well as the definition of El Nino. Additionally, they will discover the cause of El Nino along with the...
Discovery Education
STEM Camp—Urban Infrastructure
Build a bridge to learning in a STEM-aligned unit about urban infrastructure. Young engineers explore the many aspects of civil planning and design in a five-day unit. Content includes the challenging aspects of balancing building with...
National Wildlife Federation
Quantifying Land Changes Over Time in Areas of Deforestation and Urbanization
Is qualitative or quantitative research more convincing when it comes to climate change? In the eighth lesson during this 21-part series, scholars begin by performing a quantitative analysis of deforestation and urbanization. Then, they...