There's more to that glowing ball of light in sky than most children realize. From the overall structure of the solar system, to the changing of the seasons, these hands-on lessons open the eyes of young scientists to...

Students study the variables that affect the Earth's albedo.  For this environmental data analysis lesson students interpret and graph information and calculate changes. 

Before iPhones and calendars, how did humans determine the seasons of the year? Middle school scientists discover how to use shadows to determine the time of year in an enlightening interactive. Pupils manipulate the sun and examine the...

How do you properly illustrate the extreme size difference between two planets—Earth and Jupiter? With the help of jellybeans, of course! Create a scale model of Jupiter's mass compared to Earth using a fishbowl, 1,400 beans, and a...

Trying to understand the vastness of outer space can be quite a challenge for young scientists. Help put things in perspective with this cross-curricular activity as students work in pairs creating scaled models of...

Unlock the mystery behind seasonal change with a collection of worksheets and activities. Whether they are drawing pictures of Earth's orbit around the sun or graphing the temperature and daylight hours of different locations...

Travel through space as you learn about the galaxy, solar system, planets, and much more. An extensive resource for studying astronomy in upper-elementary and middle school classrooms.

Identify the Earth's major volcanoes with an earth science lesson. Elementary and middle schoolers locate major volcanoes on a world map. Then, in groups, they research how the volcano affects the region in which it is located.

While the content of this lesson is more specific to the first grade, the directions given to work on a PowerPoint are well written. These directions could be used by anyone, with any content. Younger learners may need help reading the...

A slide for each of the planets (including recently downgraded Pluto), the sun, our moon, four of Jupiter's moons, and the rings of Saturn make up this visually appealing PowerPoint. A few facts for each body in the solar system...

Young scholars make observations through 3-D visualizations. They explore scientific and geologic processes through the use of 3-D pictures.

Students investigate the concepts related to volcanoes and focus upon Mt. St. Helens. They define the difference between an active and dormant volcano. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The information is used in order...

Here is a scientific presentation of earthquakes. The elastic rebound theory is explained, as well as the different types of waves and how they are measured. Just a note: Slide number 15 has a diagram that is upside down. Enable editing...

Students use satellite data to see how radiation budget relates to the ice that is present in the North.  In this energy lesson students correlate data to see a relationship. 

Students predict and determine the distance between the Earth and the moon.  For this investigative lesson students participate in an activity that helps them to determine the distance from the earth to the moon. 

Cute graphics make this an attractive presentation for upper elementary classrooms, and multiple choice questions make it interactive as well. There is, however, a lack of coherence. For example, slide #4 addresses the air we breathe,...

Eighth graders conduct a "Length of Day Symposium." They complete a variety of activities and explorations regarding the earth's rotation, its revolution around the sun and the cyclic changes in climate and energy distribution on the...

This series of images shows how ancient people figured out that the world was round. Each slide shows a ship moving around the globe and coming closer to the line of the observer's sight. This is a very simple resource that you could use...

Sixth graders examine the Pleistocene era. In this geology lesson students complete a site activity.

Students explore, experiment and study how the Earth orbits the Sun once a year and how the moon takes approximately 29 days to orbit the Earth. They access an online activity to examine the process of how the Sun is at the center of the...

Students examine the most common characteristics of clay and sand, and to understand how the properties of these materials affect the erosion of the landscape and the formation of the many landforms. They explore clay and sand through...

In this ozone worksheet students complete an interactive activity on the thinning of the ozone then answer a series of questions on the earths UV rays. 

In this ecology worksheet students complete a crossword puzzle that incorporates all of the ecological vocabulary in the word puzzle.

After viewing a teacher-led demonstration on a variety of landforms of the Earth, 1st graders create an Earth book. This nicely-done hands-on lesson has students produce books that describe, in pictures and words, different aspects of...