Activity
It's About Time

Renewable Energy Sources - Solar and Wind

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
There has been a huge solar energy spill! Let's go outside to play in it. This lesson includes multiple experiments showcasing solar and wind energies. Scholars build a solar heater and an anemometer before testing the results. The...
Lesson Plan
Polar Trec

Playground Profiling—Topographic Profile Mapping

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Kuril islands stretch from Japan to Russia, and the ongoing dispute about their jurisdiction prevents many scientific research studies. Scholars learn to create a topographic profile of a specific area around their schools. Then they...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Science: Matter and Energy

For Students 11th - 12th Standards
Designed to use when teaching adults preparing for their high school equivalency exam, the resource integrates reading practice, writing, and analytical thinking in every lesson. The unit covers 23 topics, but it only includes three...
Lesson Plan
National Geographic

Mapping the Shape of Everest

For Teachers 4th - 6th
With Mount Everest as the motivator, your earth science class learns about topographic maps. Begin by showing a film clip from The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest, featuring fearsome virtual imagery of a path up world's tallest...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Radiation Comparison Before and After 9-11

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Using the NASA website, class members try to determine if changes could be detected in cloud cover, temperature, and/or radiation measurements due to the lack of contrails that resulted from the halt in air traffic after the attacks...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plotting A Hurricane Using latitude and Longitude

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore map and plotting skills by tracing the movement s of hurricanes through the Earth's systems. a hurricane map is developed from daily media reports.
Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

How To Travel On Earth Without Getting Lost

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Have you ever wanted to travel the world? Take a virtual trip with a geography lesson that uses longitude and latitude, the position of the sun, an astronomy app, and a classroom globe.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Itaipu Dam and Power Plant (Brazil and Paraguay)

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners study South America's Itaipu Dam and Power Plant in order to gain an understanding that hydroelectric power is a major means of generating electricity throughout the world. They also look into the environmental impacts that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

NIGHT AND DAY: DAILY CYCLES IN SOLAR RADIATION

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine how Earth's rotation causes daily cycles in solar energy using a microset of satellite data to investigate the Earth's daily radiation budget and locating map locations using latitude and longitude coordinates.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Differences Between Ground and Air Temperatures

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the differences between air temperature and ground temperature.  In this investigative lesson students find NASA data on the Internet and use it to create a graph. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping The Ocean Floor

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Young scholars explore and analyze the bottom structure of underwater habitats. They describe and explain what can't see through the collection and correlation of accurate data. Learners assess that technology is utilized as a tool for...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's Your Temperature?

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Learners take a look at the local newspaper and focus on the weather section. They get into small groups, and each one looks at the same map, but of a different part of the country. They must prepare a presentation that shows how...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Where in the Latitude Are You? A Longitude Here.

For Teachers 5th
Students distinguish between latitude and longitude on the map. In this mapping lesson, students participate in mapping skills to recognize spatial relationships, and where to find natural resources on the map. Students create...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

LAND USE ISSUES

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students relate math with real life situations. They identify and plot points on a grid map. They identify and locate the Drop Box Sites.
Lesson Plan3:32
Orange County Water Atlas

Location, Location, Location…

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Young geographers discover not only how to read and recognize coordinates on a map, but also gain a deeper understanding of latitude and longitude and how climate changes can vary significantly across latitudes.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Separate Vacations

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers plot the migration paths of birds using latitude and longitude data from a table.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hurricanes As Heat Engines

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine sea surface temperatures to see how hurricanes get heat from the oceans surface.  In this hurricanes instructional activity students use the Internet to find data and make line plots. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Storm Clouds-- Fly over a Late Winter Storm onboard a NASA Earth Observing Satellite

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students study cloud data and weather maps to explore cloud activity.  In this cloud data activity students locate latitude and longitude coordinates and determine cloud cover percentages. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Vegetation, Precipitation, and Surface Temperature to Study Climate Zones

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars begin their examination of the climate zones found around the world. Using a software program, they identify the relationship between the vegetation, climate and temperatures of the different zones. They also plot...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Recent Volcanoes And Earthquakes:

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students investigate the current model for the structure of the Earth. On a world map, they mark areas where they think earthquakes and volcanoes occur and compare those areas with earthquake and volcano location patterns.
Lesson Plan
PHET

Where to See an Aurora

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Where can you see an aurora in North America? After completing an astronomy activity, scholars can locate the exact coordinates. Pupils plot points of the inner and outer ring of the auroral oval and answer questions based on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

TE Activity: Nidy-Gridy

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students make a grid and coordinate system map of their classroom as they investigate why it is important to have a common map making system. They look at how landmarks are used for navigating an area.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Quad Squad

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students pretend they have visited a forest research station on an overnight field trip. They study forest fires, use compass directions, read maps, interpret imagery, and think about the impact of fire on ecosystems.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Topo Triangulation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate how to read a topographical map and triangulate with just a map. They convert a compass measurement to a protractor measurement, reverse a bearing direction, and using a worksheet take a bearing of certain landmarks...