Curated OER
Planets in Proportion
Students apply estimation strategies and proportional reasoning to determine a scale comparing the planetary bodies to Earth. They convert measurements of time and distance using scientific notation. Both the metric and customary units...
Curated OER
Sun and Shade
Learners explore the ways that plants adapt to their environments. They examine plants that thrive in the shade, versus plants that thrive in direct sunlight. Special attention is devoted to the shape of leaves on respective sun and...
Curated OER
A Comparison of Land and Water Temperature
Learners use the NASA website's Live Access Server to create a graph of surface temperature at two locations on earth. They analyze the data and then answer specific questions provided in this instructional activity. They also examine...
Curated OER
Effect of Daylight Hours on Human Activity
Students determine the average hours of daily sunlight for each month of the year by constructing a bar graph. They develop a understanding of how the amount of daylight hours varies by month and how that affects both temperature and...
NASA
Next Generation Spacecraft - Orion
Emergine space engineers discover the area of complex geometric shapes. They find that, just as a spacecraft is composed of many smaller parts, so can polygons be broken into smaller shapes.
Curated OER
Salt: White Gold
Learners examine the importance of salt for trade routes and the economy of a community.
Curated OER
Weather Observation Journal
Learners record weather for a period of one month. In this weather lesson, students observe weather for one month on a large pictograph. Learners record clouds, wind, temperature and any other weather conditions they observe. Students...
Curated OER
The Power of Compounding
Sixth graders examine the concept of compounding interest on invested money. They explore how much interest their money would earn through compounded interest. Students conclude that they should invest early and often.
Curated OER
Every Tree For Itself
Fourth graders play a game where they are trees gathering sun, water, and nutrients and CO2 represented by pieces of paper or poker chips. They record their collected requirements and graph how they grew as a forest.
Curated OER
South Dakota Quarter Reverse: Four Famous Faces
Young scholars recognize the faces of the four presidents on the South Dakota quarter reverse. After discussing the duties and responsibilities of presidents, they list the contributions of the four presidents. They decide which...
Curated OER
How Oceans Affect Climate
Students draw conclusions about how the ocean affects temperature. In this weather lesson, students use the Internet to gather data to help them come to a conclusion about how the climate in a certain region is directly affected by the...
Curated OER
What Is In The Water?
Students investigate the biotic and abiotic factors that are found in an aquatic ecosystem. The emphasis is upon the investigation of present an projections of future water quality. Then students visit a local body of water to gather...
Curated OER
TE Activity: A Roundabout Way to Mars
Students investigate Hohmann orbit transfers using cardboard and string while focusing on the orbits of Earth and Mars. They look at the planets orbits around the sun and transfer orbit form one planet to another to determine what a...
Curated OER
Understanding Distance in Space
Students discover the vocabulary used for distances in space and review measurement units and instruments before creating a scale model of the planets. They determine how to calculate the relative distances between the planets using a...
Curated OER
Rain Reasons
Students explore how climatic factors influence the growth of plants. They create an experiment to find how variations in water, light, and temperature affect plant growth and describe how precipitation and geography can affect the...
Curated OER
Keep It Cool
Students complete a science experiment to study insulation, heat transfer, and permafrost. In this permafrost study lesson, students design and test a soda insulator. Students graph their class data and discuss the results. Students...
Curated OER
Interstellar Real Estate - Defining The Habitable Zone
Students explore the orbital characteristics a planetary home needs to support Earth-like life forms. They develop an understanding of critical planetary mass to determine which newly discovered planets might be capable of supporting life.
Curated OER
Understanding Cloud Formation
Learners view a demonstration that simulates cloud formation. They read a poem about clouds, participate in a class demonstration using warm water and ice and write a paragraph summarizing their observations.
Curated OER
Sextant Measurements
Pupils create a sextant. Using their sextant, students measure the height of tall objects. Pupils explore how sailors used sextants to identify their location on the ocean. They research how sextants are created.
Curated OER
Last Year on Pluto
Students examine the astronomical concept of a year. They relate the passage of time on planets to historical events in the USA.
Curated OER
Astronomical Scales
Students describe the different units of measurement. In this space science lesson, students calculate astronomical distances using a scale. They explain the significance of using scientific notation in expressing very small or very...
Curated OER
Nature's Air Conditioner
Students observe the process of transpiration in leaves. They measure how much water a leaf gives off in a 24-hour period, calculate the volume, and answer discussion questions.
Curated OER
A CEENic Galaxy Quest!
Young scholars research the distances between objects in the Milky Way. In this astronomy lesson, students calculate the time it would take for a robot to travel from Milky Way object to another. They create a travel package for...
Curated OER
TE Activity: Space Shelter
Students simulate that they need to develop a new home on a different planet. They design a shelter that will ensure their survival after researching the characteristics of the other planet. They write an essay about their home design.