Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Magnetometer

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Physical or earth science pupils prepare a magnetometer by inducing magnetism into a pair of straight pins. As the pins hang from a thread, they can be used to detect the magnetic field or poles of a magnet. They could also be used as a...
PPT
Curated OER

Climate Shifts

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Eight slides of information related to shifts in the climate make up this presentation. The vocabulary and concepts displayed are geared toward high school meteorology learners. Content is not cohesive from slide to slide, but the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Measuring Quantities of Gases Activity

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Learners use a pipette to mix small amounts of food coloring into water. They visualize the small quantities of parts per million and parts per billion. Contrary to the title, the lesson is about liquid amounts rather than gas amounts....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Micro-Climate

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Atmosphere aces investigate the microclimates that exist within a larger area. They use a thermometer to record the varying temperatures and identify the microclimates on a map that they have drawn. This exercise helps them to understand...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poultry and Eggs

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Egg-cellent! A series of lessons on eggs awaits your class. They study everything from how eggs are formed in a chicken's body to how well they float, how to determine if they are raw or cooked, the strength and construction of the...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Soil Porosity, Moisture Content, pH, and Density

For Students 9th - 12th
This lab activity does not have to be done with AP environmental scientists. It can also be done with middle to high school earth scientists. The procedures aren't complex. Learners determine the density of dry and wet sand in order to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Topographic Maps

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Underclassmen create a cone-shaped landform and then draw a contour map for it. Then they examine a quadrangle (which was easily located with an online search), and relate it to what they experienced. The accompanying worksheet is...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lotto or Life: What Are the Chances?

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Though the website does not seem to have the mentioned video, a reding and lottery style games simulate the chances of finding intelligent life somewhere other than Earth. Without the video, this lesson is short, but it can be a useful...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Midsummer Night's Dream

For Teachers 12th
You might not be able to put a girdle around the earth in forty minutes but you can generate interest in A Midsummer’s Night Dream in that length of time. As an introduction to Shakespeare’s comedy, pairs of students assume the roles of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cost Comparison of Maritime Shipping vs. Semi-Truck Transportation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Taconite is a rock that is used as a source of iron. Earth science explorers examine a piece up-close and discuss whether they think it is more cost effective to ship it by boat or by truck. They write letters to their state...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Four Elements

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Young, native Spanish speakers learn about the four elements: earth, fire, air, and water. As a group, discuss the different senses you might use with each element. This is a teacher-centered lesson, but consider having individual...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alligator Alley

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Students identify alligator body parts, feeding patterns, habitats, and conditions necessary for their survival in the wild. They identify ways that people influence the quality of life of all creatures on Earth, including themselves and...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Weathering and Erosion

For Students 7th - 9th
In this earth science learning exercise, students use the clues given at the bottom of the sheet to help them solve the crossword puzzle on weathering and erosion. They identify the various factors that cause erosion in different places.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Groundwater as Part of the Water Cycle

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Make sure to read through the activity procedures thoroughly before teaching this lesson because the materials list is incomplete. Also, the mentioned worksheets and booklet are not available. However, there is no need to discard this...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping Ancient Coastlines

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Most of this lesson plan is spent working on the "Bathymetry Worksheet." It includes a graph of the changes in sea level over the past 150,000 years and a bathymetric map of changes in an imaginary coastline over time. Participants...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Streams

For Teachers 6th - 9th
The instructions for demonstrating ocean turnover are provided in this resource. You could set this up for your earth science class as part of a lecture on convection currents or as an explanation of how ocean currents form. An animation...
PPT
Curated OER

Early Civilizations of Ancient India

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Taking your class through one of the richest and most influencial histories on earth, these slides detail the development and characteristics of Indian culture. Full of pictures of ancient relics, maps of migration and settlement...
PPT
Curated OER

The World's Last Great Wilderness (Antarctica)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
It's a shame that there are no photographs in this presentation because the information is fascinating! Each identically fashioned slide contains bullet points of information about Antarctica that will enhance an earth science...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dry Ice Activities Mini Lesson

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Get your middle schoolers experimenting with dry ice. In the first activity, they place a piece in water and then use phenol red to identify its pH. In the second, they place a piece in a limewater solution and watch as the combination...
PPT
Curated OER

Weathering & Erosion

For Teachers 4th - 8th
First educate, and then quiz viewers on the ins and outs of weathering and erosion. At a level appropriate for upper elementary or middle school earth scientists, these slides display animated graphics and photos. The first 22 slides...
PPT
Curated OER

Astronomy - Sun, Moon, Tides

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Colorful in appearance, but without any photos or graphics, this PowerPoint is best used as a note-taking guide for your lecture. Viewers in your earth science class will discover characteristics and phases of the moon, its role in...
PPT
Curated OER

Ocean Waves and Tides

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Except for a few blurry photos that you can leave out, this is a succinct, yet purposeful presentation. It explains what causes ocean waves, the parts of a wave, and how they break against a shore. It details the cause of tides and...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Growing Minds

Lettuce Exploration

For Teachers K - 2nd Standards
Kathy Henderson’s book And the Good Brown Earth introduces the class to how a vegetables grows and changes over time. They use different types of lettuce to do a close study of this quick-growing vegetable. Learners consider the look,...
Worksheet
Texas State Energy Conservation Office

Investigation: Is Dilution the Solution?

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Systematically diluting a full-strength sample of food coloring is meant to help earth scientists understand concentration in parts per million. While they will enjoy the lab exercise, it might be a challenge to help them relate it to...