Curated OER
Atmosphere Molecules
Students use foam packing pieces to represent molecular positioning inside the four layers of earth's atmosphere. This lesson help students visualize that molecules become thinner as one ascends higher in the atmosphere.
Curated OER
Interplanetary Travel Guide
In groups of six, middle school space scientists create an imaginative travel brochure for attracting visitors to the planet Mars. Information must include surface features and atmospheric conditions. Although time-consuming, this is a...
Curated OER
Homemade Barometer
To reinforce the action of air pressure, have your meteorology pupils construct a barometer. They place the barometer into a closed system, a miniature atmosphere if you will, and notice the movement of the needle on the homemade...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Your Own Greenhouse
Young science learners construct a greenhouse out of a plastic bottle. They use a nail to punch a hole through which a thermometer will be inserted to monitor the temperature. This simple experiment easily demonstrates the greenhouse...
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Biomass: Biogas Generator
It's a gas. Middle schoolers build a biogas generator following the directions in this resource. After a few days of observation, they demonstrate that the gas given off by the decomposing manure is flammable. The activity concludes as...
Curated OER
(S-1A) Weather and the Atmosphere
Students discuss the way vertical convection transports heat from the surface upwards, and associated pressure and temperature profiles of the atmosphere.
Chicago Botanic Garden
GEEBITT (Global Equilibrium Energy Balance Interactive TinkerToy)
Students 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...
University of Colorado
Can Photosynthesis Occur at Saturn?
In the 19th activity of 22, learners determine if distance from a light source affects photosynthesis. Participants capture oxygen in straws and find that the amount of water the gas displaces is proportional to the rate of photosynthesis.
Chicago Botanic Garden
Historical Climate Cycles
Ice core samples give scientists access to climates of old—those from more than 800,000 years ago. Through an analysis of various temperature graphs from ice cores, tree rings, and weather stations, scholars compare historical climates...
NASA
Climate Change Inquiry Lab
With global temperatures on the rise faster than ever recorded, the effects of a heating planet could be devastating. Allow learners to discover just what the world is in store for if the warming continues through a series of videos, a...
Energy for Keeps
Getting Current: Generating Electricity Using a Magnet
Give your class a magnetic charge with this creative experiment designed to teach emerging scientists about electromagnetism. Pupils construct a model that demonstrates the function of an electrical generator and test this creation in a...
Colorado State University
Can it Really Rain Fish and Frogs?
You've heard of it raining cats and dogs ... but what about fish and frogs? It turns out, one scenario is much more likely than the other! Intrepid weather investigators examine the curious behavior of waterspouts using a leaf blower,...
Missouri Department of Elementary
What are Comfortable (Good) and Uncomfortable (Bad) Feelings?
Two puppets open a discussion about comfrotable and uncomfortable touches. Scholars add to the discussion information they remember from a previous lesson, then delve deep into three problem-solving safety rules, and explore...
Curated OER
Paleoclimate of the Hudson Valley
Young scholars recognize how the climate of the Hudson Valley has changed since the last glaciation and be able to explain these changes. They reconstruct the paleoclimate of the Hudson Valley.
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Environmental Sciences
Whether you are teaching environmental science in junior high or studying recycling in kindergarten, there is something for all in this set of lessons designed for environmental education. The 110-page packet comes with tips for...
Teach Engineering
Building a Barometer
Forget your local meteorologist — build your own barometer and keep track of the weather with an activity that provides directions to build a barometer out of a narrow necked bottle, a glass, and some water. Using their barometer,...
National Arts Centre
Create a Set Design
Groups create a set for a play or story they select, build a model, and share their stage with the class. The team explains the rationale for their choices and the mood they feel their staging creates.
Curated OER
Where in the World Is All the Water?
Students investigate the distribution of the earth's water. They conduct a demonstration of water distribution, and create a pie graph to display the results.
Curated OER
What's Up?
Students examine the vocabulary and objects associated with objects in the sky and weather. They observe the sky outside of their classroom and create a list of things in the sky. Students then analyze a poster, read and discuss key...
Curated OER
How Much Oxygen Is In The Air?
In this science worksheet, students take a close look at the composition of air while focusing on the content of oxygen. They use clay to model the amounts.
San Diego Museum of Art
Atmospheric Perspective Watercolor Painting
How do artists create the illusion of depth and distance on a flat surface? Young landscape painters explore techniques like color saturation and detail placement that create atmospheric perspective.
NASA
Producers Make Their Own Food
During an inquiry-based lesson, scholars decide which variable to test and then design an experiment to determine the needs of producers. After two weeks, they complete a full analysis and research paper.
Curated OER
Atmospheric Processes -- Convection
Students work together to discover how temperature changes can affect the density of water and air. They make predictions on what they believe is going to occur. They answer questions to complete the lesson.