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Activity
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NOAA

The Great, Glowing Orb What You Will Do: Make a Solar Heat Engine

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
How is solar energy able to move wind and water to control the climate? Scholars explore the concept of solar energy in the first of 10 activities in the Discover Your Changing World series. They follow instructions to build homemade...
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Let's Map the Earth

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Before maps went mobile, people actually had to learn how to read maps. Pupils look at map elements in order to understand how to read them and locate specific locations. Finally, young cartographers discover how to make aerial maps.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth/Globe (poles & equator)

For Teachers 1st
First graders create his/her own paper mache earth and label the poles and equator. The land masses can be added and labeling of specific bodies of water. The paper mache earth can then be used to discuss the sun, moon, and the earth and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading and Writing about the Solar System

For Teachers K - 2nd
A superb interdisciplinary approach highlights this lesson plan which incorporates space science knowledge and narrative skills. After reading The Magic School Bus, two excellent poems, and watching a video, all about our solar system,...
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Lesson Plan
Signing Time Foundation

What is the Water Cycle?

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Dive into an exploration of the water cycle cycle with this simple earth science activity. After first discussing where rain comes from, young scientists define the terms condensation, evaporation, transpiration, and precipitation as a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bible (Day 7) Redemption and Caretakers

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Whether you are religious or not, humans can be caretakers of the Earth. Students will discuss recycling, how their wasteful actions effect the Earth, and the Alaskan oil spill. They then have small group discussion and write about how...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Poetic Planet - Writing Poems about the Earth

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
As a way to combine language arts and science, try this lesson on writing cloud poetry. Begin by showing a PowerPoint presentation and images of cloud types. Take meteorology masters outdoors to explore the sky using the provided "Cloud...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Water We Going To Do? Floodplains And Watershed Management

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
How has human activity affected Earth's watersheds? An action-packed lesson plan, part of the K20 Center, examines water's ability to go with the flow regardless of what is in its path. Scholars build model watersheds, examine time-lapse...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Big is Your Footprint?

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students create awareness for ways in which the "Western" lifestyle negatively impacts the Earth. They create awareness for alternatives to our current ways of living, eating and traveling. Students are challenged to talk with their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Day And Night

For Teachers 1st
First graders examine how the earth experiences day and night by using a flashlight and a globe as a model.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Night Sky

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders develop questions they have about the solar system. After being read a book, they view and discuss different constellations in the sky. In groups, they are given a piece of butcher paper and glow in the dark crayons in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Now We Teach Six Rs

For Teachers K - 4th
Students explore recycling.  In this ecology lesson, students sort classroom garbage into items that can be reused, reduced, or recycled.  Students brainstorm ideas for reusing items and discuss ways to celebrate Earth Day at home.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plate Tectonics & Land Forms

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders discuss the different interactions of plates and the ways mountains are created.  In this plate tectonics lesson students complete an activity in groups.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Structure of the Earth

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders define atmosphere and hydrosphere, explore through experimentation how the atmosphere was formed, and describe the layers of the Earth's atmosphere and their distances.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Hurricane Shapes: Spatial Patterns on Satellite Images

For Students 7th - 9th
In this earth science activity, students match 21 hurricane satellite images to their appropriate shape. They also answer 4 short answer questions about hurricane shape classification.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Flowers and a Beautiful World: Earth Day (1st)

For Teachers 1st
First graders discuss Earth Day and making the world more beautiful. In this world beautification instructional activity, 1st graders participate in an interactive read aloud of Barbara Clooney's, Miss Rumphius. They talk about how...
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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Take Your Class to the Moon

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Get your kids talking about our lunar neighbor with these hands-on lessons.
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Lesson Plan
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University of Wisconsin

Measuring Slope for Rain Gardens

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
The slope of the land is an important feature when considering the erosion that will occur. In this resource, which is part of a rain garden unit, learners calculate the slope of the proposed garden site. Even if you are not planning a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Class, Our Earth day

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students understand the importance of participating in recycling and clean-up efforts in the community. In this recycling lesson, students respond to questions after reading "The Wartville Wizard" by Don Madden. Students articulate...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Watercolor Ways

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students investigate the concept of being part of a global community. In this global community lesson, students learning the definition of stewardship as it relates to taking care of the Earth. They listen to the lyrics of the song,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Particulate Matter: The Lorax

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd
Students explore air pollution. In this ecology lesson, students participate in an experiment in which 5 numbered jar lids are placed outside. Students bring one lid a day in until all jars are inside. Dirt specks are counted, observed,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Giving Tree

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore wants and needs. In this ecology and economics lesson, students listen to the story The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein and compile a class list of what the boy got from the tree. Students categorize these items as...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comprehension: Compare and Contrast Topics in Two Texts

For Teachers 3rd
A scripted lesson can be a big help for new teachers. This fully scripted three-day learning activity provides teachers with the means to demonstrate how to compare and contrast two topics in two texts. Learners will work as a class to...
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Lesson Plan
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University of Colorado

Planetary Distances on the Playground

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Earth is 149,600,000 km, or 92,957,130.4 miles, from the sun. Young astronauts create an interactive model to learn the distances between planets. Nine groups, each representing a different planet, are spread around at class-calculated...