Curated OER
A New Slant On The Seasons
Students identify how the tilt and position of the Earth causes the seasons. After a discussion of the seasons and when they begin. Using themselves as the objects in the universe, they role play how the rotational movement of the...
Teach Engineering
Solar Angles and Tracking Systems
The sun will continue to rise in the east and set in the west, no matter what. The first lesson in a series of eight introduces the class to solar angles. It makes connections between a person's latitude and the angle of position of the...
Curated OER
Vocab-u-lous! Build a Fabulous Vocab: December Holidays
Find a celebration of winter holidays in a versatile and straightforward worksheet. Learners read a bank of holiday-themed words, including asceticism, solstice, and myrrh, and use context clues to place them in the correct sentences.
S2tem Centers SC
Seasons
Winter, spring, summer, and fall—take the learning of the seasons beyond the elementary level to the middle school classroom. Curious learners begin by watching videos about the seasons and the rotation of planet Earth. Then, they...
Curated OER
The Seasons
Discover the change of the seasons by modeling the Earth-Sun system. Learners model the orbit of the Earth around the sun and explore how and why the patterns of winter and summer occur.
Curated OER
Celebrating the Solstice and Equinox
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...
Curated OER
Weather and Climate
It's hot today, but is that the weather or the climate? This colorful presentation isolates both concepts to allow for better understanding by covering the positioning of the planet, making comparisons of land versus water, and looking...
Core Knowledge Foundation
A Time for All Seasons - Summer
The sun is shining and the birds are singing, what better time to teach young learners about the fun season of summer. In this week-long science series, children learn how the rotation and orbit of the earth influence the days and...
Curated OER
Seasons' Journey: As the World Turns
Fourth graders explore the earth's revolution around the sun and the changes in weather that follow this motion.
Curated OER
Orienting a Photovoltaic Cell
Students explore the optimum angle for orienting a solar collector relative to the rays of incoming sunlight. They review equinoxes, solstices, and various locational ideas before students investigate using meters, light sources, and...
Curated OER
Stargazers and Skywatchers
Students are introduced to the apparent motion of the Sun across the sky and the way it changes in summer and winter.
Curated OER
The Reasons for the Seasons
Young scientists use a globe and a light to simulate the rotation of the earth and sun to show the seasons. Additionally, they simulate direct sunlight and indirect sunlight showing intensity of the sun, and answer questions based on...
Curated OER
What Causes Day and Night?
Why do we have four seasons? A series of questions about the Earth's orbit and its impact on seasons challenge Earth science students.The second page of the resource has nine multiple choice questions, such as "One year on Earth is one...
Polar Bears International
Top of the World
Learn about polar bears and the Arctic circle with a lesson about the countries and conditions of the region. After examining how the area differs from Antarctica, kids explore climates, animals, and geographical position of countries in...
Curated OER
From Light to Dark and Back
Experiment with light and dark in a series of interactive activities that lead up to reading and writing poetry. Class members have the opportunity to observe their feelings while sitting in the light and dark and to play with shadow...
Curated OER
Jeopardy - Earth Sciences
Questions about water, weather, geology, astronomy, and the scientific process make up this Jeopardy game. It is a pretty well-rounded set of slides, although you may want to be aware that a few of the questions are specific to the state...
Yummy Math
Happy 14th B’ak’tun, the start of the next Great Mayan cycle
The ancient Mayans had a complex calendar and number system with a rich history. In fact, the date 12/21/2012 was the center of much controversy as to whether or not it was the end of time. It wasn't the end of time, but it was the end...
Curated OER
Fall Lesson Plans
Fall lesson plans can combine science, history, and writing into an enticing combination.
Curated OER
Christmas Lesson Plans
Students learn about the Christmas season through music, research, and other activities.
Curated OER
Reasons for Seasons
Young scholars track photoperiod (daylight hours) over time and predict how daylight change during different seasons. This helps build their understanding that ever-changing daylight is the driving force for migrations and all other...
Curated OER
Was Kepler Correct?
Students investigate the elliptical orbit around the Sun. They use the information gathered to measure the distance to the Sun from the closest orbital point and the farthest orbital point.
Curated OER
Geology Word List
In this science worksheet, students review the vocabulary words for the separate categories related to the concept of geology.
Curated OER
Weather Word Problems
In this weather activity, students complete 5 short answer questions comparing and contrasting daylight hours at different locations around the world.
Curated OER
How Much Longer is the Day?
For this daylight hours worksheet, learners use pictures given to write a number sentence and calculate the answers. This worksheet has 3 word problems.