Curated OER
Climate Change
Ninth graders compare the Arctic and Antarctic. In this climate lesson students work in groups, research and complete an oral report or a poster.
Curated OER
Graphing Weather
Learners make a graph. In this weather lesson, students fill in a KWL chart about different types of weather. Learners watch a PowerPoint presentation about weather and natural disasters and where these types of weather are common....
Curated OER
Canada's Arctic Barometer
Students research arctic climates. In this Web-quest investigation, students will identify Arctic climate changes, explain the effects of these changes, relate the changes to other regions, and write their findings in a letter format.
Curated OER
Studying Snow and Ice Changes
Students compare the change in snow and ice over a 10 year period. For this environmental science lesson, students use the live data on the NASA site to study and compare the monthly snow and ice amounts on a map of the entire...
Curated OER
Understanding Lava Layers
Seventh graders view "Volcano" by National Geographic Video. They experiment with baking soda and study lava flow. They describe volcano and earthquake patterns. They analyze weather and climate changes and how they relate to the natural...
National Wildlife Federation
Get Your Techno On
Desert regions are hotter for multiple reasons; the lack of vegetation causes the sun's heat to go straight into the surface and the lack of moisture means none of the heat is being transferred into evaporation. This concept, and other...
Center Science Education
Feeling the Heat
What is an urban heat island? Middle school meteorologists find out by comparing temperatures at different locations on campus. They relate their findings to what might be happening in a concrete jungle and how it impacts local weather....
Curated OER
Watch the Sky: Observing Clouds and Patterns
Students observe clouds outside of the classroom. In this weather lesson, students investigate and record the clouds above their classroom everyday for three weeks. The students then analyze their data and discuss what causes specific...
Curated OER
Making Weather-Tracking Tools
Students build tools to help track the weather. In this weather lesson, students follow directions to build a rain gauge, barometer and hair hygrometer.
Curated OER
El Nino and Its Effects
Students research El Nino and its effects all over North America using Web Resources. Working in teams, they present their findings. They look for connections and relationships between animal behavior and climate.
Chicago Botanic Garden
Are Global CO2 Levels Changing?
According to the Mauna Loa observatory, carbon dioxide levels increased by 3 ppm in our atmosphere between 2015–2016. Individuals analyze carbon dioxide data from around the world and then share this with a home group in...
Curated OER
The Search for El Nino
Sixth graders complete an El Nino scavenger hunt. In this earth science instructional activity, 6th graders describe the conditions that create El Nino and compare it to normal condition. They discuss how this phenomenon affects marine...
Curated OER
Weather Olympics
Students consider the effects of topography on climate patterns. In this earth science lesson, students research weather patterns and make inferences of how the land forms may create different climates. Students compare Celsius...
Curated OER
Weather or Not!
Pupils are introduced to the different climate regions of Canada. In groups, they discuss ways in which people are affected by the weather and how it limits their outdoor activities. They use artwork by Robert Harris to predict what...
Curated OER
El Niño ~ The Return of El Niño
El Niño sure creates a stir when it comes around! Why not stir up your earth science class with this data analysis activity that examines the temperature and precipitation over the 2002-2003 water year. A tracking chart is provided...
Curated OER
History's Thermometers
Ancient coral beds give scientists clues to past ocean temperatures in much the same way that tree rings indicate historical weather conditions. High school scientists examine coral oxygen isotope ratios and plot the data as a function...
Curated OER
Wind Circulation, Surface Currents and Climate
High schoolers describe connections between wind patterns, surface currents, and ocean climate zones. In small groups, they color the ocean climate zones in four different shades of blue. Students then answer questions like what four...
Curated OER
Feeling the Heat
Pupils record temperatures at different locations around campus. They examine the results and draw conclusions about how materials and colors affect the amount of heat produced. They also analyze Los Angeles' temperature records over a...
Curated OER
Weather Alert
Students become familiar with the effects of weather on humans. In this weather pattern lesson, students identify weather patterns and how people can prepare for them. Students complete a weather research sheet.
Curated OER
Weather in the USA
Students identify the different types of weather conditions that occur in the United States. They discover how to adapt to weather and explain forecast and warning signals.
Curated OER
Wet-Dry Bulb Hygrometers: Measuring Relative Humidity and Apparent Temperature
Students work in groups of 4 for the activity/activity part of this exercise. They know that clouds are formed by the condensation of water vapor, affect weather and climate. Also that global patterns of atmospheric movement influence...
Weather Vocabulary Quiz + The Water Cycle
Quiz on Weather vocabulary (equator, northern and southern hemisphere, moisture, temperature, climate, axis, predictable) and the Water Cycle
National Wildlife Federation
Branching Out – Exploring Dendrochronology
Tree rings from North America give a continuous history of El Nino intensity over the last 1,100 years. Scholars learn how scientists use tree rings to create timelines demonstrating variations in weather patterns. The cumulative...
Curated OER
The Prairie Climate
Ninth graders research the average temperature and precipitation of a prairie region to determine the type of climate it is, and how it differs from other biomes. They examine the types of adaptions animals have made to live in the...