Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Inroads On Erosion

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students investigate the concept of farming as found in Puerto Rico an focus on how to prevent erosion. They use a sand table to conduct an experiment to observe the process of erosion and how it is influences by natural factors like...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping Deep-Sea Habitat

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students create a two-dimensional topographic map and a 3-D model of landforms.  In this creative lesson plan students create 2 and 3-D objects and learn how to interpret the data from these things. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Antarctica I

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Young scholars explore exploring and expiditions then simlate their own on campus. They divide into small "expedition groups." Have each team report back to the class about their expeditions, using written, oral, or videotaped...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's the Weather Where You Are?

For Teachers K
Students create a weather map while traveling across the country on the train. They study the names of the states, letter recognition and the vocabulary of weather terms.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Elevation at its Peak

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students pretend they are hiking up a mountain. They practice making calculations on angles and elevation. They use topographic maps to estimate distances and trigonometric ratio methods.
Lesson Plan
Michigan Sea Grant

Exploring Watersheds

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Collaboratively, students partake in a hands-on activity in which they build models of a watershed. Each group member draws an elevation map—a bird's eye view—of their model and predicts how water will flow from the high to low points....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Listen to the Land

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students discover how we use land. They gain insight into the way we use the land, both for benefit and consequence. Students explore how to 'listen to the land' as they make decisions on how it should be used and the consequences of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ancient Ones, the Study of the Anasazi

For Teachers K - 3rd
Pupils explore relationships between man and nature. They examine the culture of the Anasazi and the importance of the natural resources around them. Students examine reasons for Anasazi people to leave this area.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping Puerto Rico

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students use maps to discover where Puerto Rico is located. In groups, they use the internet to research the vegetation. They also compare and contrast the relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico's government.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Ocean Floor

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders discuss the process of sedimentation and the continental drift theory. They locate major structures on the ocean floor and they identify life forms at each level of the ocean.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's Gettin' Hot In Here, So Transfer Energy

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Pupils study the means by which energy is transferred from the sun through the Earth's atmosphere. They examine radiation, conduction, and convection. They complete a lab to determine how the different transfers affect the atmosphere and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Middle Ages

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students read books about the Middle Ages. They discuss characteristics of the Middle Ages. In groups, students construct a castle and draw a map to scale. Pupils create a Venn diagram comparing rules in different countries in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ecological Pyramids

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students apply the ecological pyramids of numbers and biomass with an activity using topographic maps. In this trophic level lesson, students work in groups using a topographic map to determine the number of organisms that can live in an...
Worksheet
Curated OER

West Virginia: Reading Comprehension

For Students 4th - 6th
In this West Virginia reading comprehension worksheet, students read a 2-page selection regarding the state and then respond to 10 true or false questions
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weather Olympics

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students consider the effects of topography on climate patterns. For this earth science lesson, students research weather patterns and make inferences of how the land forms may create different climates. Students compare Celsius...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Climate

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders create two dioramas out of household materials to compare the influence of various factors that impact climate. Each group discuss how the change in factors influenced the climate, flora, and fauna of their area.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life on the Edge: Exploring Deep Ocean Habitats Cool Corals

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the basic morphology of Lophelia corals and polyps to determine the significance of these organisms. They detail the reasons that biological communities are focusing on the Lophelia corals as major conservation efforts.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reindeer Herders

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the life of of nomadic herders in Siberia. They read and discuss an article and maps from National Geographic, identify threats to this way of life, and write a letter to the Russian government identifying ways to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Landforms

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students begin their examination of landforms. Using a map, they locate and identify the major landforms on Earth. They discuss how landforms affect the lifestyle of the community and determine which goods and services the community...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geologic Mapping I

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students create a geologic map and cross-section of an area of horizontal sedimentary rocks, exposed in several locations. Map must include a complete key or legend with rock descriptions of the various formations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping your watershed

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students investigate the importance of watersheds around the world. By visiting resource links, students can locate watersheds and their sources in the USA and Russia and analyze their effects on the surrounding topography. This lesson...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Kamchatka: Just Gushing with Geysers!

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students explore geysers. They identify the parts of the geyser and how it works. Students create a working model of a geyser. They write a brief summary about their geyser.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Secret Garden

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students research the culture and geography of India and England while reading "The Secret Garden". Using this information, they write at least three predictions about what they believe might happen in the story. Using the Internet,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

All Hands on Deck: A Harbor Education Program

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students build a model of an estuary. In this wetland lesson, students build a model estuary with a paint tray and modeling clay. They use the model to illustrate the impact of non-point pollution on the watershed.