Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Magic School Bus Wet All Over

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd
Students observe the water cycle and experiment with cleaning water. For this hands-on hydrology lesson based on a Magic School Bus book, students conduct two experiments to see the how water moves through the water cycle and then they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change

For Teachers 1st - 12th
Students analyze the impact of climate variability and change utilizing a broad span of topics over a wide range of grade levels. This three lesson plan unit is easily adapted for the various instructional levels listed.
Lesson Plan
Berkshire Museum

The Three Life-Giving Sisters: Plant Cultivation and Mohican Innovation

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Children gain first-hand experience with Native American agriculture while investigating the life cycle of plants with this engaging experiment. Focusing on what the natives called the Three Sisters - corn, beans, and squash - young...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Cycle Boogie

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students explore the water cycle. They learn the "Water Cycle Boogie." Students create hats to represent the different parts of the cycle and learn hand motions to go with the words of the song. Students practice singing the song and the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Activity Plan 5-6: Where Does the Water Go?

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students perform an experiment to discover what happens to water as it evaporates. In this early childhood lesson plan, students observe evaporation as they conduct an experiment. Students fill cups with water, then check it daily for...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Around Us

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students create a collage of human land use activities around a body of water. Students evaluate the effects of different kinds of land use on wetland habitats, and create a list of pros and cons for each land use.
Lesson Plan
Kenan Fellows

Designing a Water Treatment Plant

For Teachers 8th - 12th
How does dirty water get clean enough to drink? After viewing a PowerPoint that outlines the process water goes through at a water treatment plant, groups work together to design a chlorination chamber for a treatment plant.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Cycle -- Presentation Teaching Model

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars continue their examination of the water cycle. In groups, they present their findings to the class after researching a specific topic related to the water cycle. They spend the rest of the lessons asking questions and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Groundwater as Part of the Water Cycle

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders study the effects of soil and rocks on filtering groundwater.  In this groundwater lesson students complete a lab activity that includes sources of contamination. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Does the Sidewalk Drink Puddles?

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Learners participate in an experiment about evaporation. In this water cycle lesson, students use water, thermometers, and measuring tools to make a puddle and measure the size four times throughout the day. Learners discuss their data...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Watering Our Prairie Farms

For Teachers 5th - 8th
After reading an article about irrigation on Canadian farms, learners participate in a discussion. They individually write an opinion paper about the surrounding issues. A lesson like this can be used in an earth science class when...
Lesson Plan
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NOAA

The Dead Zone

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The fifth installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program defines dead zones and how they form. Pupils then examine data from the Gulf of Mexico to determine dead zone formation.
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Why Does It Rain?

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students investigate the water cycle. They observe a demonstration of the water cycle involving ice, water, bowls, and steam, explore various websites, and listen to the book, "The Magic School Bus: Wet All Over: A Book About the Water...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stream Ecology In Wisconsin and Puerto Rico

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify the different types of water and explain in what proportions they exist on Earth. They identify and correctly label the parts of the water cycle and how these parts interact with each other. Students identify the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Send in the Clouds

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars culminate a study of the water cycle by following step-by-step directions to make a three dimensional cloud. On the model, they draw a diagram of the water cycle and label it, and add a written report they completed in a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fueling Extreme Weather

For Teachers 1st
First graders identify the different stages in the hydrologic cycle. To study earth science, they investigate how sunlight affects the earth's temperature. They also discuss how the sun's energy is transformed.
Lesson Plan
NorthEast Ohio Geoscience Education Outreach

Carbon Cycle

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Using a jigsaw approach, earth science experts teach each other about the physical, biological, and geologic components of the carbon cycle, with a specific focus on the ocean. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Works Wonders

For Teachers K - 1st
Students examine where water is found in the world, how we use it, and the various forms it takes. They observe the refraction of light through a prism, record the day and night sky over a week's time, and create a topographic model of...
Lesson Plan
MENSA Education & Research Foundation

Ecosystems

For Teachers 5th Standards
Explore the Earth's different ecosystems through four lessons, an assessment, and extension activities. Lessons include informative text and step-by-step instructions to apply knowledge in interactive, and thought provoking ways; such as...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Effects of Photosynthesis on Plant Growth

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are able to draw a diagram of the light reactions and briefly describe what is occurring throughout the process. They are able to explain where each reactant/product in the photosynthesis equation comes from/goes during the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Water Cycle: Transpiration

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students identify and describe the stages in the water cycle. Using plants, they determine if they play a role in the cycle and measure the water the plants give off. They complete an experiment to determine if deciduous or coniferous...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Magic School Bus Dries Up

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students learn along with Ms. Frizzle's class. In this Magic School Bus lesson plan, students work in small groups to find out if foods they eat contain water.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Living Environment

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars explore the cycles of an ecosystem.  In this environmental science lesson, students work in groups to research the nitrogen cycle, the water cycle, or the oxygen-carbon dioxide cycle. Young scholars prepare a...
Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Teaching About the Hydrosphere

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders are introduced to the Earth's hydrologic system including the cycling of water in the atmosphere and the movement of water on the surface of the planet using the Great Lakes watershed as an example.