Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth's Just Peachy!

For Teachers K - 4th
Students are introduced to the various layers of the Earth. Using fruit, they discover each layer and discover the use of similies in describing it. They watch a video to better describe each layer of the Earth and its purpose.
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.
Unit Plan
Core Knowledge Foundation

Rocks & Minerals

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
Take young geologists on an exploration of the rock cycle with this six-lesson earth science unit on rocks and minerals. Through a series of discussions, demonstrations, and hands-on investigations your class will learn...
Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

Planet X

For Students 8th Standards
How did the earth become the mass that it is now? Your young scientists explore this question through the concept of density. Their inquiries consider the impact of gravity on the formation of planets. The culminating activity of the...
Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

Diversity of Living Things

For Teachers 8th Standards
Here's a topic classes can really dig—the fossil record. Use the well-organized and thoughtful road map to take eighth graders back in time to unearth the answer. Learn how our climate has changed, and how organisms have...
Lesson Plan
3
3
Chicago Botanic Garden

Calculating Your Carbon Footprint

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Unplugging from technology for one day per week will decrease your carbon footprint—are you up to the challenge? Part two in a series of three allows individuals to explore their personal carbon footprints. By first taking a quiz at home...
Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

Keeping It Hot!

For Teachers 7th Standards
Hot off the presses, this collection of thermal energy activities, lessons, and printables is sure to amaze. Demonstrate how thermal energy moves about in a system using simple materials. Pupils demonstrate their understanding...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water in the Biosphere

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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...
Interactive
Weber State University

The Sun and the Seasons

For Students 9th - 12th
Why is there more daylight in June than in December if you live above the equator? How does the angle of sunlight shift throughout the year? Answer these questions and more with an interactive article about the sun, its path through the...
Unit Plan
Intel

Biomes in Action

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
A STEM project-based learning lesson, number four in a series of 10, focuses on human impacts to biomes around the world. Groups work together as environmentalists to research a specific biome, investigating human impacts on it. From...
Handout
National Institute of Open Schooling

Occurrence and Extraction of Metals

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Steel is a man-made alloy or a mixture of metals. Lesson 18 in this series of 36 focuses on metals and their extraction from Earth. Individuals read about, discuss, and answer questions after learning how people find most metals, the...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Chicago Botanic Garden

The Carbon Cycle

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
There is 30 percent more carbon in the atmosphere today than there was 150 years ago. The first instructional activity in the four-part series teaches classes about the carbon cycle. Over two to three days, classes make a model...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Climate Change

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The young scientists in your class will appreciate a resource about different elements of climate change. The packet includes factual materials, informational text, and clear visuals, perfect for sharing with your environmental...
Unit Plan
Intel

Beat the Heat

For Students 6th - 8th
Explore greenhouse effect and climate change through a 15-day unit. Scholars learn about these STEM concepts by researching, conducting surveys, experimenting, and collaborating with experts in the field. They frequently communicate...
Lesson Plan
Wilderness Classroom

Pollution

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Educate scholars on pollution—air, water, and land—with a series of lessons that begin with a thorough explanation of each type. Learners then take part in three activities to reinforce the importance of reducing pollution. They...
Activity
NorthEast Ohio Geoscience Education Outreach

Hydrology and Landforms

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Three days of erosion exploration await your elementary geologists. Learners begin by examining rivers via Google Earth, then they model water flow in sand, and finally, they identify resulting landforms. This lesson is written...
Worksheet
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

Recycled Water: A Smart Way to Reuse Water

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
Learn about wastewater and recycled water with a science reading activity. After learners finish a two-page passage about conserving the water supply, they answer six comprehension questions about what they have read.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 5: Technology: Conveniences and Consequences

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students identify positive and negative impacts of technology. In this technological advancements instructional activity, students consider how toxic pollution affects the Earth and its inhabitants. Students participate in 3 activities...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Day and Night

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders investigate the Earth's rotation and revolution and the moon's orbit around the Earth. They participate in a class discussion about how night and day occur, and take notes. Next, they watch a video about the solar system...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students study the earth in relation to the solar system.  In this planetary lesson plan students complete several investigations into the measurement of the earth and its magnetic field.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weather and Oceans: Uneven Heating of the Earth

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Learners investigate what causes the heat on Earth.  In this Earth heating instructional activity, students experiment with different heat sources and determine where the Earth gathers the most heat.  Learners explore...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Moon Phases, Day/Night

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders observe a demonstration that shows how the alignment of the sun, moon, earth relate to the phases of the moon that occur each month. They describe the moon's phases after experimenting in a small group setting and recording...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Earth's Rotation

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students see a model of a globe to watch the Earth rotate. In this Earth lesson plan, students rotate the globe and shine a flashlight to see where the sun shines and how it rises and sets. They create a diagram and explain day and night...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Four Seasons - Earth's Axis

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discover that it is the tilt of the earth's axis that results in the seasons. They clarify common misconceptions about the earth's orbit around the sun.