This is a lesson about geologic history. Learners will work together to …
This is a lesson about geologic history. Learners will work together to create models of volcanic lava flows and analyze the layers that form on a planet's surface. They will sequence lava flows produced by multiple eruptions. Students will be asked to observe where the flows travel, make a model, and interpret the stratigraphy. Students will use their volcanic layering model to demonstrate the relative dating and geologic mapping principles to later be applied to satellite imagery. The lesson models scientific inquiry using the 5E instructional model and includes teacher notes and vocabulary.
In this video segment adapted from NOVA, scientist Mike Garcia draws lava …
In this video segment adapted from NOVA, scientist Mike Garcia draws lava samples at the foot of the active Kilauea volcano to see if it is related to its neighboring volcano, Mauna Loa.
In a column devoted to interactive resoures for the K-5 classroom, this …
In a column devoted to interactive resoures for the K-5 classroom, this article features Recycle City, an EPA-produced, student-friendly web site designed to teach students about actions that create a sustainable community. Students will learn about recycling, reducing waste, and using less energy. The column regularly appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle, which focuses on the essential principles of climate literacy.
This article highlights lessons that help K-grade 5 students understand that animals …
This article highlights lessons that help K-grade 5 students understand that animals and plants can only survive in certain environments.The lessons support the theme of an issue of the free online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle. The theme is "We Depend on Earth's Climate."
Three types of climate proxies -- tree rings, fossils, and ice cores …
Three types of climate proxies -- tree rings, fossils, and ice cores -- are the subjects of lessons that will help K-5 students understand that Earth's climate has been different in the past and that scientists can reveal its history. This article is from the science lessons column of the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle. The magazine is structured around the seven essential principles of climate literacy and identifies age-appropriate resources for young learners.
The author identifies online lessons that will support students in applying evaluation …
The author identifies online lessons that will support students in applying evaluation skills to fiction and nonfiction texts. The article appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle, which integrates science education and literacy skills instruction.
Concepts underlying the first of the Essential Principles of the Climate Sciences …
Concepts underlying the first of the Essential Principles of the Climate Sciences are aligned with topics typically taught in the elementary grades. This article identifies lessons that will help elementary students develop an understanding of how Sun's light warms Earth and how variations in daylight hours are associated with seasonal change. This article appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle.
The Maryland Science Center is working with formal education providers in local …
The Maryland Science Center is working with formal education providers in local underserved schools around a combined project including an interactive exhibit, a Davis Planetarium program and associated Educator Workshops, and will provide outreach to the informal science education community to explore the subject of Astrobiology. Topics covered in both the exhibit and the Davis Planetarium program will include Earthly extremophiles (organisms that survive in extreme conditions), potential other life in the Solar System, locations on nearby worlds where life may exist, the search for exoplanets, the techniques used to discover them, and the NASA missions engaged in the hunt. With an engaging, interactive approach, the exhibit will detail the challenges, questions and techniques of the search for exoplanets, especially Earth-like worlds. The exhibit will help visitors understand the scale of both the Milky Way galaxy and the Universe, and by doing so comprehend the difficulty in searching for other worlds, especially smaller Earth-like worlds.
With two simple classroom experiments and easy-to-read text, this original story is …
With two simple classroom experiments and easy-to-read text, this original story is designed to introduce young learners to the greenhouse effect. The author provides different versions of the story for grades K-2 and 3-5, as well as different formats for differentiated instruction. The free online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle focuses on principles of climate literacy that are appropriate for young learners.
In this video segment adapted from NOVA, scientists are startled to discover …
In this video segment adapted from NOVA, scientists are startled to discover evidence for the three key ingredients for life on Saturn's moon Enceladus.
In this lesson, students learn about the physical properties of the Moon. …
In this lesson, students learn about the physical properties of the Moon. They compare these to the properties of the Earth to determine how life would be different for astronauts living on the Moon. Using their understanding of these differences, they are asked to think about what types of products engineers would need to design for us to live comfortably on the Moon.
Using three images from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission, students …
Using three images from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission, students measure and analyze infrared light from objects to identify Brown Dwarfs and Ultra-Luminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs). The lesson includes a teacher’s guide, student worksheet and PowerPoint presentation (which contains the three images to be analyzed).
Did you know that when you look at a star, your eyes …
Did you know that when you look at a star, your eyes are capturing light that traveled all the way from the star to your eye? Learn more about how light carries information from distant objects. This Moveable Museum article, available as a nine-page printable PDF file, offers a kid-friendly look at how information about distant objects comes to us in the form of light. It includes suggested resources for further research.
In this video segment adapted from the Alaska Native Heritage Center, discover …
In this video segment adapted from the Alaska Native Heritage Center, discover the connections between Alaska Native subsistence culture and the natural cycle of the seasons.
SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students learn Spanish phrases about animals, climates, and …
SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students learn Spanish phrases about animals, climates, and simple actions to save energy at home.
SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson provides elementary knowledge on climate change and biodiversity conservation. It allows students to identify and classify animals in respect to their habitats and climatic zones. All materials in the lesson have been reviewed appropriately and are suitable for teaching. This lesson has passed our science review credibility process.
Esta lección proporciona conocimientos elementales sobre el cambio climático y la conservación de la biodiversidad. Permite a los estudiantes identificar y clasificar animales con respecto a sus hábitats y zonas climáticas. Todos los materiales de la lección han sido revisados apropiadamente y son adecuados para la enseñanza. Esta lección ha pasado nuestro proceso de credibilidad de revisión científica.
POSITIVES: -This lesson creates a collaborative learning environment as students engage with a variety of modalities. -The games and activities promote engagement and participation from all learners. -The lesson introduces students to an authentic Spanish language story from Chile. -The photographs of animals name the specific places where the animals live.
ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES: -Students need no prior knowledge to complete the lesson. -Teachers may wish to print the Teacher Slideshow to hang in the room to reinforce the concepts and vocabulary. -Some students may find the “¿Dónde está mi clima” game upsetting if they are unable to find a climate that matches their assigned animal. Teachers can choose some students to role-play the activity in front of the class instead.
DIFFERENTIATION: -Teachers can easily expand the lesson to include short sentences and more active vocabulary. -For the postcard activity, students can cut and paste phrases provided by the teacher or copy the words by hand.
This exercise was designed to address student misconceptions about why the Moon …
This exercise was designed to address student misconceptions about why the Moon exhibits phases. Using a sketchbook, digital camera, or flex cam, a student sits at the center of a darkened room illuminated by a single light source in a stationary position. Stools are set up surrounding the student in the center and other students take those positions, always keeping their faces toward the center. The center student sketches or take pictures of the faces at each of the positions. Substituting a sphere (such as a ball) for the students' faces provides an even more vivid illustration of the shadowing of the sphere and connects directly to the rationale for lunar phases.
This is an activity about spacecraft design. Teams of learners will model …
This is an activity about spacecraft design. Teams of learners will model how scientists and engineers design and build spacecraft to collect, store, and transmit data to earth. Teams will design a system to store and transmit topographic data of the Moon and then analyze that data and compare it to data collected by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter .
This is a lithograph about NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission, or MMS. Learners …
This is a lithograph about NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission, or MMS. Learners will cut out and assemble a colorful 3D model of an MMS spacecraft. Web links, additional facts, and QR codes are included for audiences to access more information.
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