Curated OER
Landform Dictionary
Third graders use a word processing program to create a working dictionary, including definitions and pictures, of physical land forms used in the study of different regions of the world.
Curated OER
Water Works Wonders
Students examine where water is found in the world, how we use it, and the various forms it takes. They observe the refraction of light through a prism, record the day and night sky over a week's time, and create a topographic model of...
Curated OER
Winter Wonderland - Winter Olympics and the Water Cycle
After a concise introduction to the water cycle, junior meteorologists access NOAA's average snowfall data. They choose a city to examine in terms of precipitation. Then they look at historical snowfall data and use it to predict snow...
Curated OER
Lesson 2 Its a Small World (Day 2)
Students are able to explain how the water cycle recycles the earth's water supply. They are able to make use of the knowledge of land forms learned in social studies. Students are able to form a hypothesis on how/why the water cycle...
Curated OER
Landforms of Illinois
Fifth and sixth graders are introduced to the primary landforms of Illinois and discover how they were created. Landform cards are made for each pupil. They use the twenty-questions format until they have identified each one. Then,...
Curated OER
Land Assessment
Students work in small groups on a problem based learning activity. Students are presented with a problem of buying land to use for educational purposes only and must determine if it is feasible to buy it based on soil analysis and plant...
Curated OER
Ozark Karst: A Fragile Landform
Young geologists become familiar with the Karst Topography in the Ozark Mountains. They study how human activity has affected the cave ecosystem. They conduct a simulation in which a large development is proposed in the area, and they...
Curated OER
The Land and the Water
Third graders read "The Land and the Water," a fictional short story and an article about John F. Kennedy, Jr. and compare and contrast fictional tragedy to a non-fiction tragedy. They fill out a Venn diagram and write an essay using...
Curated OER
Water Creates a Cave
Students study the role of water in limestone cave formation and create a cave on karst-like grid on paper.
Curated OER
Wet Water, Dry Land
Students observe and examine relationship between landforms and bodies of water, recognizing differences between them. Students then define island, peninsula, isthmus, archipelago, lake, bay, straight, system of lakes, and identify land...
NASA
How Does a Hurricane Form?
Young meteorologists examine the formation of a hurricane in a resource focused on severe weather conditions. Once they learn that a hurricane is also a tropical cyclone, and detail the different levels associated...
Curated OER
Slip Slidin' Away
Students investigate mechanical weathering as a form of erosion. In this erosion lesson, students, define weathering and erosion before determining how the Earth's surface is in a constant state of change. They watch a video, access...
Ocean Explorer
Easy as Pi
Seamounts are large, extinct volcanoes that rise up from the bottom of the ocean floor. They are a relatively new landform in the scientific community, and this lesson plan invites students to learn about the amazing diversity of life...
Curated OER
Tall as a Mountain, Flat as a Plain
Students examine a variety of landforms that are found on the Earth and compare and contrast the distinguishing qualities of these forms. A topographical model of the landforms is made.
Carnegie Mellon University
How Power Plants Work 1
First of three lessons, this is a great start to a unit on energy. As you demonstrate, learners discover different types of energy and how it is converted from one form to another. They then focus in on the generation of electricity by...
Curated OER
What Happens When Sea Level Rises or Falls
Students examine the impact of sea level on land formations. In this geography and map lesson, students construct a contour map model illustrating how much of the clay "coastline" is covered as water is added. Metric measurement is...
Curated OER
Landforms of Illinois
Learners discover the primary landforms of Illinois. They examine how those landforms were formed as well. In groups, they research one of the landforms from their vocabulary list. They create their landform in a shoebox and present it...
Curated OER
Can You Catch the Water?
Students work together to construct a model of a water catchment basin. They survey water patterns and complete experiments to see where rain travels and collects. They discover how engineers design structures that help with drainage.
Curated OER
I Love the Mountains
First graders discuss and define different landforms. They read the book "Our Land", sing a landform song and perform it with motions and then complete a worksheet.
Curated OER
Bhutan, the Last Shangri-La: Sandwich Squash: How the Himalayas Were Formed
Students create and record a model of mountain formation. They identify major mountain building formations. Students understand how the Himalaya Mountains were formed, why they are located near Bhutan, and why they are becoming larger.
Curated OER
Landforms By Hand: Geography, Map Skills
Pupils experiment with landform vocabulary by using their own hands and a bar of soap as media.
Curated OER
How Islands Form
Students how islands form, rising water levels, growth of coral, and volcanoes. They complete Island Investigation worksheets after researching island formation on various Internet websites.
Curated OER
Sinkholes in a Cup
Students create sinkholes and learn about the formation of sinkholes by using water, a foam cup, sugar, sand, and a sponge. For this sinkholes lesson plan, students also answer short answer questions.
Curated OER
Rain On
Fourth graders study the water cycle and clouds. In this water cycle and cloud lesson plan, 4th graders determine the definition of condensation and watch a demonstration in which the teacher makes a cloud in a bottle. They discuss the...