Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seasons and Shadows: Investigate How Shadows Shift Throughout the Year

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine their shadows and why they are different in the summer and winter.  In this seasons lesson students complete an activity to see how the earth's tilt on its axis changes the length of shadows. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reasons for Seasons

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students investigate a model of the tilt of the Earth in its relationship to the Sun during the different seasons of the year. They study the solstices and equinoxes, while determining how sunlight hits the Earth with different angles in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Reasons for the Seasons

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders conduct a controlled investigation to determine the length of the sun's shadow on a fixed object (i.e., flagpole, telephone pole, etc.) over a three-day period (one day in the fall, one in the winter, and one in the...
Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Climate Zones

For Teachers 5th - 11th Standards
The climate at the equator is hotter than the climate at the poles, but why? The lesson goes in depth, explaining how the angles of illumination relate to the heating rate at different latitudes and seasons. Scholars use a strong lamp,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Celebrating the Solstice and Equinox

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders graph the number of daylight hors throughout the year and examine why day length varies. They discover that seasonal changes and latitude on Earth affect the number of hours of daylight in each day. Students listen to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Sun and the Four Seasons

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Learners discover the relationship between the sun and Earth.  In this weather lesson, students examine the effect of the sun on the Earth's seasons.  Learners complete a weather activity using props to simulate the sun and...
Interactive
Curated OER

Student Exploration: Summer and Winter

For Students 3rd - 4th
In this recognizing the seasons online/interactive instructional activity, students explore the Earth's positions and determine the summer and winter season. Students answer 21 short answer questions
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sundials and Shadows - What Can They Teach Us About Seasons?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students collect and analyze data relating to seasonal changes. They view a video, research web sites and build a sundial to collect their data.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Tilted Earth

For Students 5th - 8th
What causes Earth's seasons? Find out through a series of anticipatory questions, an easy yet powerful activity representing the sun-Earth system, a diagram to label, and follow-up questions. Dispel the misconceptions about Earth being...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Angle on Cooling: Effects of Distance and Inclination

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers discuss what heat is and how it travels. They discover that one way to cool an object in the presence of a heat source is to increase the distance from it or change the angle at which it is faced.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Orbit, rotation, revolution of Earth

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders define orbit, rotation and revolution. They demonstrate the orbit, rotation and revolution of the Earth. Students identify the types of measurements and the instruments that used for orbit, rotation and revolution. They...
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Summer Midnight Sun

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Sunlight hours and climate have a clear connection. Young researchers collect data about the sunrise and sunset times in an Arctic climate as well as the average temperatures. They then graph their data to make connections between the...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Globe Lesson 15 - The Changing Seasons - Grade 6+

For Students 6th - 8th
In this changing seasons worksheet, students read about the geography concept of changing seasons and then respond to 9 short answer questions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Winter Season

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students recognize the relationship between Earth's tilt and the Winter season. In this Winter lesson, students work in pairs to complete make frost and design snow goggles. Students experiment a hand lens to study the frost created....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth's Movement in Space

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students explain how the Earth's tilt and rotation causes night and day. In this earth science lesson plan, students determine how seasonal changes are caused by Earth's revolution. They play a jeopardy team game at the end of the unit...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Why is Summer Hot?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners examine how variations in temperature are due to the Sun and length of day.  In this solar lesson plan students complete a lab activity using thermometers and artificial sunlight to see how the earth is heated.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Earth's Atmosphere and Temperature

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students describe and compare the layers of the atmosphere. They explain how to measure the temperature of the atmosphere and discover what causes the atmosphere to heat up in some places more than in others.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Causes the Seasons?

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders investigate why the seasons occur throughout the year. They read a traditional wisdom story pertaining to the seasons. They create their own wisdom stories about the seasons and act them out for the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water and Ice: Part 1

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students observe the state changes in water. In this matter lesson, students observe, measure, and describe water as it changes state. Students explore how water can change from a solid to a liquid then back again. They journal their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Four Seasons - Earth's Rotation

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students identify characteristics in correlation with each season and identify dates of the changing seasons. They identify and describe how the Earth rotates around the sun and its effects on the temperatures of the earth.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Season's Greetings

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore Earth's seasons using an interactive website. In this earth science lesson plan, students watch video segments and explain Earth's seasonal milestones. They discuss the factors that causes seasonal changes.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heating the Earth

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars explore how the angle of sunlight affects the Earth's temperature and seasons and then apply this understanding to their local situation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seasons and Cloud Cover, Are They Related?

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students use NASA satellite data to correlate cloud cover over Africa to the solar declination.
Worksheet
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Curated OER

Mars

For Students 4th - 7th
After reading a short excerpt about the planet named after the Roman god of war, Mars, your class will answer four comprehension questions. The activity challenges them to fold over the paper and answer the questions without referring...