Young scholars reach out into the community and learn about different environmental science careers in this inquiry-based instructional activity. Beginning with a short research assignment, children gain background knowledge about...

Ping, ping, ping. The last installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program explores technology use in marine studies, such as sonar. Activity involves simulating sonar techniques to identify a...

Now that you know the ocean has layers, let's name them. The seventh installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program covers terminology associated with ocean layers, such as thermocline and...

Do you think you know better? Become a scientist and prove it. Scholars review the evidence for two different theories of the origins of the universe. They notice the empirical observations as well as the inferences to determine which is...

Take a field trip to a location where water and land meet to study patterns of sediment organization in wet habitats: river or ocean beaches, sand dunes, tidal marshes, the edge of a pond, or a woodland stream. Small groups collect pairs...

Students investigate penguins. In this Science instructional activity, students compare and contrast penguins to flying birds. Students use a Venn diagram to illustrate the differences and similarities of penguins and flying birds.

Discover firsthand the effects of internal waves on coral reefs. Through a series of experiments, learners simulate internal waves and upwelling events as they make observations on the movement of water and other debris. They then...

Model the transfer of energy during a typical 24-hour period. Young scholars use a game-like approach to learning the patterns of heat transfer through the day and night. Groups of four exchange different tokens as the energy...

In this chemistry exam, physics pupils complete a series of multiple-choice and short-answer questions by performing calculations on speed, velocity, magnitude, and inertia.

Let's get moving! The second installment of a 2-part series of six adventures helps learners take part in individual explorations by sea and by land. After navigating the waters in an informative WebQuest, groups create and hide their...

What happens when ice melts? Well ... water happens. When that melting ice is a glacier, the amount of water that results produces change throughout the world. Middle school science sleuths uncover the truth about global...

What's it like to be a deep-sea explorer? Tap into the imaginations of your fifth and sixth graders with a vivid lesson, the second part of a six-part adventure. Learners close their eyes and submerge themselves in an expedition aboard...

How do oceanographers make maps under water? Junior explorers discover the technologies and processes involved in creating bathymetric maps in part three of a five-part series designed for fifth- and sixth-grade pupils. The lesson...

See how estimation is essential to making temperature weather maps. Scholars use ratios and rates of change to estimate temperatures at locations where temperature readings have not been made. They connect this idea to linear functions.

Young botanists dig into a lesson plan that has them planting lima bean seeds and observing their growth. They compare their experience to that of the speaker in Robert Frost's poem, "Putting in the Seed."

A challenging activity helps young geographers explore the temperatures around the world! They study how the Earth's land temperatures are affected by their proximity to an ocean, as well their latitude and their altitude. A very...

Young scholars use data to find the best renewable energy potential.  In this solar energy lesson plan students import data into Excel and explain how solar energy is beneficial. 

Students explore the solar system by conducting Earth science experiments. In this Sun instructional activity, students identify the different seasons on Earth and discuss their purpose and cause. Students create a sundial and observe...

Pupils plan how to manage a fictional timber resource.  In this earth science lesson plan, learners research the options and repercussions of logging a forested plot of land.  Pupils consider the implications of logging to the...

Though this is meant to be second in a two-part lesson, the two are not dependent on each other. Pupils play the roles of visible light rays, light or dark surfaces, and carbon dioxide molecules. They interact and react according to...

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

After reviewing plate tectonic theories and the discovery of both the Atlantis Massif and the Lost City hydrothermal vents, earth science learners complete a worksheet and participate in discussions about what the types of rock found...

After reading an article about irrigation on Canadian farms, learners participate in a discussion. They individually write an opinion paper about the surrounding issues. A lesson like this can be used in an earth science class when...

Pupils become plants in an interpretive play that depicts what happens throughout the seasons in a rain garden. As you narrate, students bloom, flower, and go to seed accordingly. The lesson is first in a series of lessons written for...