Curated OER
Drifting Downward
Students study the effects of different salients and temperatures on vertical movement of an organism. In this experimental lesson students design different shapes of foil to simulate drifting planktonic organisms.
Curated OER
Diurnal Temperature Changes and Water Vapor Content
Students determine how much moisture in the air affects the diurnal temperature range. They investigate to determine the different climatological regimes of both the Southern Plains and the world. and greenhouse gases effect the earth's...
Curated OER
March of the Polar Bears: Global Change, Sea Ice, and Wildlife Migration
Learners study global change and how these changes impact wildlife. In this polar bears lesson students analyze maps and data to understand climate change.
Curated OER
Extreme Environments
Students examine extreme environments and the characteristics that make them. In this adaptation lesson students see how animals have adapted to these environments.
Curated OER
It's Just Right
Students conduct an experiment to determine the temperature tolerance of yeasts. In this biology lesson, students collect data and compare them by plotting graphs. They explain how extreme temperatures affect organisms.
Curated OER
X-Storms
Students compare and contrast 3 types of extreme storms. They obtain real-time and historical meteorological data regarding 2 specific storms and then analyze the data to determine what type of storm each was.
Curated OER
Survival: The Human Body in Extreme Environments
Students create a list of signs the human body gives during threatening weather conditions. They investigate the causes and conditions of dehydration, overheating, and hypothermia.
Curated OER
The Republic of Sakha (Yukutia)
Young geographers learn about the extreme temperatures found in the Rebublic of Sakha, and study the hardships caused by these temperatures. They look at why people choose to live in such a remote and rugged area. This incredible,...
National Wildlife Federation
I Speak for the Polar Bears!
Climate change and weather extremes impact every species, but this instructional activity focuses on how these changes effect polar bears. After learning about the animal, scholars create maps of snow-ice coverage and examine the yearly...
Curated OER
A New Phase In Town
Middle schoolers explore heat energy and how it is used to change the phase of matter, and discover that temperature does not increase or decrease until the phase change is complete. This extremely well-written plan is packed with great...
Science 4 Inquiry
Atmospheric Layers
Space diving refers to the act of jumping from outer space and falling through Earth's atmosphere before parachuting to land. Scholars learn about this extreme activity and study the layers of the atmosphere they must conquer in the...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Climate Change Around the World
It is unknown if cloud cover increases in response to carbon dioxide levels changing, helping climate change slow down, or if cloud cover decreases, allowing Earth to warm faster. Part four in the series of five lessons has classes...
It's About Time
States of Matter: Solid, Liquid, and Gas
Solid, liquid, and gas: they all matter. Scholars create an animation of the various states of matter, experiment with the temperature of water as it changes states, and observe carbon dioxide as it changes states. The lesson also...
Curated OER
Diving, Flying, & Climbing
Students explore Boyle's Law. In this Boyle's Law lesson, students complete problems involving Boyle's Law. They examine the effects of Boyle's Law upon the human body. Students use the Internet to complete a lab activity.
Yummy Math
Hot Summer. . . Cold Winter
A table of each state's record temperature reports data that middle schoolers can place on a number line for analysis. A written explanation of how to use this tool and the concept of absolute value are also included. Nine questions are...
Curated OER
Light Stick Chemistry
In groups of three with the lights off and the shades drawn, investigators place inactivated light sticks, in three beakers: one filled with ice water, another with lukewarm water, and the other with room temperature water. They wait...
Curated OER
Understanding Weather
A succinct set of slides covers the main points for your weather unit. From the factors that contribute to conditions, to fronts and extreme occurrences, to the different types of clouds, numerous facts are listed in bullets. The only...
Curated OER
Fueling Extreme Weather
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.
Curated OER
Extreme Heat
Students, in groups, investigage and demonstrate the science behind the development and characteristics of extreme heat.
University of Colorado
Is There Life on Earth?
To find life on another planet, scientists look for gases (atmosphere), water, and temperatures that are not extreme. In this activity, groups of pupils become "Titan-ians," scientists who want to explore Earth for possible life forms....
NOAA
Chemosynthesis and Hydrothermal Vent Life
What's life like in a hydrothermal vent? Find out in part five of a 13-part series. Learners journey to one of the harshest environments on the planet, the hydrothermal vent, to learn about the creatures that survive the extreme...
Centers for Ocean Sciences
Ocean and Great Lakes Literacy: Principle 1
Is your current lesson plan for salt and freshwater literacy leaving you high and dry? If so, dive into part one of a seven-part series that explores the physical features of Earth's salt and freshwater sources. Junior hydrologists...
Omaha Zoo
Monitoring Amphibians
What sort of shoes do frogs wear? Open toad sandals. If your scholars want experience collecting field samples, this is the lesson for you. After learning the proper way to collect field samples, pupils catch amphibians to test for...
Curated OER
Enzymes
With the help of this pair of slides, biology learners will be able to define enzymes and explain the optimal conditions for functioning. The first slide, with simple graphics, shows how enzymes function as catalysts for chemical...