Students are introduced to NASA's Connect Series and Flight Direction programs. They explore the world of aeronautics and their missions. Students receive a front role set to the concepts and skills involved with the various NASA programs.

Students study the difference between weather and climate.  In this climate systems instructional activity students search the Internet for the parts of the Earth's system, gather climate data and complete a challenge scenario. 

Fourth graders conduct an experiment demonstrating the effects of water and air temperature on precipitation. They create graphs demonstrating their findings using Claris Works for Kids.

Students identify how models are powerful tools of exploration and that the sizes of the planets and distances between the planets in the Solar System span a large range. They make a sign for each planet they have created in the lesson...

Eighth graders visit the Virtual Earthquake Web site and complete activities that demonstrate how geologists locate the epicenters of earthquakes. The site uses actual data from historic earthquakes.

Students study the basic concepts of the Global Positioning System and how it increases the accuracy of navigation. They examine trilateration and how the speed of light is used to calculate distances.

Students use and develop their spatial-visualization skills to represent features and physical objects on their playground. Working in groups, they use everyday classroom materials (blocks, crayons, counters, etc.) to build a simple...

Students investigate why some sunrises and sunsets are unusually bright red.

Learners explore the expanding universe.  In this science lesson plan, students use balloons to model the expansion of the universe. Learners take measurements of the balloon expansion and answer questions directed to develop...

Students explore how landscapes undergo constant changes with urban development. They plan and build their own "city" by including features that have minimal resource demands to sustain the city itself.

Sixth graders compare distances between objects in the solar system. They investigate how light years are measured and when using them to measure how distances compare with one another. They write an essay exploring the possibility of...

Students are divided into a group of hormones and a group of receptors. The hormones have to find their matching receptors, and the pair, once matched, perform a given action. This activity helps students examine the specificity of...

Students view a video and discuss different kinds of feet found in the animal kingdom. They make prints using paint, rubber stamps and their own feet and then measure and compare the tracks.

Students investigate the motion of water currents by mapping the possible movement of messages cast into the ocean in bottles.They accurately plot the appearance of bottles on a world map and illustrate the flow of an ocean current...

Young scholars identify the characteristics of aerosols. Using remote sensing, they participate in an experiment in which they determine how the sun's radiation and elements in the atmosphere interact with one another. They also...

Students watch programs from a series titled "Planetary Landers". As a class, they view a poster of various vehicles that have made their way into space. In groups, they brainstorm the characteristics that should be included when...

Young scholars build a model of their school playground. They view models from the classroom (such as a globe, doll house, or cars). Students share observations about the models. They use a paper mat to represent the playground and use...

Learners study the nature of a satellite's orbit around the Earth.

Ninth graders use model-building to help comprehend the forces and phenomena at work in the world around them. They describe gravity as a universal force that pulls everything toward the center of the earth. Students distinguish between...

Students identify the sources of pollution and waste in their community. They examine the process of recycling and how to eliminate some of their family waste.

Students use maps and mathematics to determine the appropriate panther population in a given area. In this Florida ecology lesson, students research the area requirements of male and female panther and use a map to help calculate how...

Eleventh graders practice the Quadrat Survey Technique to analyze the biodiversity of a local plant community. They compare its biodiversity with the documented changes in biodiversity of the tallgrass prairie over time.

Students use yearly averages over a five-year period to understand weather trends for a specific area.

Students create maps of snow cover for each continent by conducting Internet research. After estimating the percentage of continental snow cover, they present their findings in letters, brochures or Powerpoint presentations.