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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Water Cycle

For Teachers 9th
Observe the stages of the water cycle by completing 3 activities. To help understanding of the water cycle your students can observe evaporation, the formation of frost, vapor and water and the process of distillation which is used to...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Exploring the Water Cycle

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The water cycle is one of earth's most easily observable processes, but demonstrating each step within classroom walls can be a challenge. Through a series of videos and quick demonstrations, cover each aspect of the hydrologic cycle in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water in Earth's Hydrosphere

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Environmentalists test stream water for temperature, pH, and turbidity. Each group shares their information and then the class makes an overall evaluation of the water quality. A slide show sets the backdrop for the teaching portion and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating the Effect of Salinity on the Density and Stability of Water

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Water with varying amounts of dissolved salt are dyed and then used to compare densities. The objective is to discover the effect of salinity, and therefore density, on ocean water on the stability of the ocean. Many branches of science...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Planet: Ocean Acidification - the Chemistry is Less than Basic!

For Teachers 7th - 10th
A video and laboratory investigation are highlights to this instructional activity on acidification of ocean water due to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. Using bromothymol blue (BTB) as an indicator, pupils analyze the amount of...
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Lesson Plan
Centers for Ocean Sciences

Ocean and Great Lakes Literacy: Principle 1

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Is your current lesson plan for salt and freshwater literacy leaving you high and dry? If so, dive into part one of a seven-part series that explores the physical features of Earth's salt and freshwater sources. Junior hydrologists...
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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...
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Lesson Plan
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NOAA

Ocean Layers I

For Teachers 9th - 12th
How is it possible for ocean water to have layers? The sixth installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program investigates factors that cause different water densities to occur. Experiments...
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Activity
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National Park Service

The Water Cycle Game

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
Take young scientists on a trip through the water cycle with this interactive science activity. After setting up a series of ten stations representing the different places water can be found, children use the included printable dice to...
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Lesson Plan
2
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American Chemical Society

Why Does Water Dissolve Salt?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Individuals explore solubility by modeling how water dissolves salts. They then view a video and compare how well water and alcohol dissolve salts, relating their comparisons to the structure of each molecule. 
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Activity
Discovery Education

Motion in the Ocean

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
How do temperature changes affect ocean currents? Scholars explore convection currents by demonstrating the flow of water in a baking dish. They use ice, heat, and food coloring to see currents. Then, they draw conclusions about their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan #3 ~ Ocean Currents

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders experiment to understand the ocean's currents.  In this ocean current lesson, 6th graders complete an experiment with two bottles of water and an index card to discover information about the ocean current.  Students...
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Activity
DiscoverE

Water Pollution Cleanup

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
How do scientists determine the best method for removing pollutants from our water sources? Environmental scholars experiment with pollution clean-up options to discover which are the most cost-effective, fastest, and most thorough....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Movement of Water

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Here is an excellent lesson plan on the water cycle and the states in which water exists. Learners identify the features of the water cycle, describe how water changes form, and look at ways that people affect the natural movement of...
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Activity
NOAA

Why is Hawaii's Ocean Important?

For Students 3rd - 5th
Studying the oceans? Focus on Hawaii's ocean with a resource packed with activity-based worksheets. Everything from products that come from the ocean to the abundance of plants and animals that call the ocean their home, Hawaii's ocean...
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Activity
Exploratorium

A Splash of Color - Is Pure Water Colorless?

For Students 6th - 12th
What makes the ocean blue but a glass of ocean water nearly colorless? Investigators prepare tubes of water to examine the color of water. Scholars discover the relationship between light absorption, color variations, and water depth as...
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Activity
It's About Time

How Do Plate Tectonics and Ocean Currents Affect Global Climate?

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
What do plate tectonics and ocean currents have to do with global climate? This fourth installment in a six-part series focuses on how plate tectonics and ocean currents affect global climate, both now and in the past, outlines an...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

A Laboratory Simulation of Ocean Surface Currents

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Stimulate interest in ocean currents with a simulation. The first installment of a five-part middle school series teaches future oceanographers about the forces that interact to cause ocean currents. A simulation shows how wind and the...
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Lesson Plan
Carnegie Mellon University

Ocean Acidification

For Teachers 9th - 12th
After brainstorming what they know about ocean acidification, youngsters place eggs in acid to determine the effects on calcium-containing organisms, and add carbon dioxide to solutions with sea shell material to discover the impact on pH. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Conservation

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Open learners' eyes to the challenge of finding safe drinking water – something we often take for granted in our country. The PowerPoint presentation includes images, graphs, diagrams, and even a video to stimulate discussion on how we...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

Mapping the Deep-Ocean Floor

For Teachers 7th - 8th
How do you create a map of the ocean floor without getting wet? Middle school oceanographers discover the process of bathymetric mapping in the third installment in a five-part series of lessons designed for seventh and eighth graders....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Water Cycle

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Your class sets up a mini water cycle model to examine the process. Then they watch an animation, following a water molecule through the cycle. A well-developed lab sheet guides learners through the lesson and a PowerPoint presentation...
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Lesson Plan
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NOAA

The Cycle of Water

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Help young scientists get to the bottom of the water cycle with this comprehensive earth science lesson plan. After first viewing and discussing presentations about the states of water and the water cycle, the class performs a series of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water in the Biosphere

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Environmental explorers examine the campus and take note of living organisms. Introduce them to the biosphere and the questions of the day: How much water can be found in the biosphere? A slide show helps you along, and even contains a...