Curated OER
Motion in the Ocean
How does the formation of currents and waves in the ocean happen? High schoolers will learn about the primary causes for ocean currents and waves by calculating a wave's amplitude and nautical mile speed. Then they will complete a...
Curated OER
Climate Shifts
Eight slides of information related to shifts in the climate make up this presentation. The vocabulary and concepts displayed are geared toward high school meteorology learners. Content is not cohesive from slide to slide, but the...
Curated OER
Great Rivers 2: The Ups and Downs of River Flooding
Second in a three-part lesson on rivers, this lesson focuses on the flooding that occurs in riparian locations. First, learners take a look at facts about the Amazon River. They read online materials and fill in a worksheet as they...
Curated OER
Parachute - Land and Weather
Students use different parachute activities to study weather and land patterns and formations. Tornados and hurricanes can be discussed as students make large waves (move from very high to very low) that mimmick these two weather...
Colorado State University
Why Do Hurricanes Go Counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere?
Test your class' coordination as they model the Coriolis Effect. Forming a large circle, learners move to the right as they try to toss a ball to the person across from them. The movement of the circle represents the rotation of the...
PBS
Blow the Roof Off!
Blow the minds of young scientists with this collection of inquiry-based investigations. Based on a series of eight videos, these "hands-on, minds-on" science lessons engage young learners in exploring a wide range of topics...
Curated OER
Landforms in a Tub
Fifth graders use common household items to build landforms and simulate weathering and erosion.
Curated OER
Blame It On El Nino
Young scholars understand what the weather phenomenon El Nino is and what causes it. Students recognize how remote sensing technology can detect and predict El Nino. Young scholars discover how El Nino effects weather conditions...
Curated OER
Making a Rainstick
Young scholars construct a rainstick. In this music lesson, students investigate the history of the rainstick by reading the book Bringing the Rain to the Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema. Young scholars express their feelings about the...
Curated OER
Clear Day, Cloudy Day; Weather, Cloud Types and Formations
Students explore the formation of clouds and different cloud types. Students simulate a cloud formation within a bottle.
Curated OER
Conditions at Sea Introductory Activity, Making Waves
Students explore waves and wind. In this physical and earth science wave activity, students participate in a wave making activity with an aquarium and a hair dryer. Students complete a data chart recording wave height and related...
Curated OER
Using SWMP Data
Students are introduced to the SWMP system which tracks short-and long-term changes in water. Using this data, they plot and interpret the data on a graph to determine how human activities are lowering the water quality. They also...
Curated OER
Regolith Formation
Students explain the difference between regolith formation on Earth and the Moon. In this space science lesson, students model the different factors affecting regolith formation on Earth. They identify the different types of weathering.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Eyes on Dissolved Oxygen
Learn about the factors that affect the way oxygen dissolves in salt water with a chemistry lab. After studying the molecular structure of water, young scientists figure out how aeration, temperature, and organic waste affect...
Curated OER
Home in the Desert: Lesson for Use with This House is Made of Mud
Third graders examine how a family modifies their environment to create a home out of mud. They read the book "This House is Made of Mud" by Ken Buchanan, and write a description of their own home that compares the home of mud to their...
Curated OER
Observation and Inference
Assess your young scientists' understanding of the difference between observation and inference with this 20-question multiple choice quiz. It reviews a variety of physics and astronomy concepts, such as solar eclipses and sunspots, the...
Curated OER
Interpreting Your Data
For this water quality sampling worksheet, learners organize and analyze their data from samples they have collected. After analyzing based on 9 guide questions, they complete 18 short answer questions about fish, benthic, and plant...
Curated OER
Meteorology (Condensation)
Second graders define condensation and evaporation. They identify and describe the steps in the water cycle. They ask questions to end the lesson.
Curated OER
Fantasy / Art Maps
Ninth graders analyze a fantasy art map by Jeremy Anderson, paying careful attention to the way the topographic features of the land are represented. They create a similar map of Sacramento that includes topographical features as well as...
Curated OER
Thunderstorm Outflow
Students list at least three physical characteristics of a thunderstorm outflow. They explain what physical process occurs in a thunderstorm to create the storm's outflow, and locate the thunderstorm's outflow.
Curated OER
Air Pressure
Learners participate in a series of demonstrations about Bernoulli's principle. They explain how air pressure varies with air speed. They write a detailed lab report about the activity. This is a great way to explore this concept.
Curated OER
Analyzing Tree Rings to Determine Climate Change
Students examine how to locate and access data sets. For this climate change lesson students import data into Excel and graph it.
Curated OER
Curricular Correlations
Here is a terrific way to teach your oceanographers about the effects that the ocean have on the weather and climate found throughout the world. In it, pupils engage in a science experiment designed to emulate how the ocean affects...
Curated OER
Tissue Paper Geography
Students explore geographic features of the desert and apply their understanding of the topography of the desert by creating a tissue paper painting.