In this lesson, students explain genetic variation and natural selection and describe how an organism with traits better suited for their environment is more likely to survive.

In this activity, students will invent crazy plants as they put together new combinations of nouns, verbs, and adjectives. They will be amazed when you introduce real living plants that have adaptations as bizarre as the ones they have created. Then they will create their own alien plants. Students will recognize that invasive species are equipped with adaptations that give them competitive advantages over native species.

In this lesson, students record their observations and draw an adopted tree. Students will review what a tree needs to survive and then consider how their adopted tree's needs are met by the surrounding environment. Students then share information about their trees and create a class scrapbook.

Students answer a short multichoice survey to identify and address common alternative conceptions about fossil fuels. By the end of this activity, students should be able to identify some common alternative conceptions people hold with regards to fossil fuels and use literacy and research skills to find accurate explanations regarding fossil fuels.

In this lesson, students will gain an understanding of the importance of the American chestnut tree. Students will also realize the significance of the loss of the American chestnut tree population.

In this lesson, students identify the events that led to the decision to send a man to the moon, examine some of the work necessary to make the Apollo project possible, evaluate arguments for preserving historic sites relating to the space program, and discuss comparable debates about preserving places in their own community that are associated with recent history.

In this activity, students will understand the analog method of forecasting and make a weather prediction using the analog method.

In this lesson, students will see how colorings, markings, and physical actions can make an animal better adapted to its environment.

Students learn about animal and plant adaptations in Antarctic species and use these ideas to design their own unique animal or plant.

In this lesson, students explore what the forest provides for its animal residents. Cooperatively, students create a forest ecosystem with their classmates. Then, they enter the forest as animals in search of food, water, shelter, and space.

In this lesson, students interpret graphs of global temperature records and Arctic temperature records for the past 100 years to determine differences in the rates of change between the two records.

This document provides activities to support the study of everyday phenomena and encourage students to take the first steps towards constructing a scientific model. The activities help students understand the apparent movement of the Sun, the length of daylight and its changes in the course of the seasons, the rotation of the Earth on its axis, the solar system and the universe.

In this activity, students calculate the average distance of each planet from the Sun scaled to a football field drawn and measured out on a 30 x 35 cm paper.

In this lesson, students will learn how scientists measure small particles called aerosols in Earth's atmosphere and make their own measurements of atmospheric aerosols.

In this lesson, students create a greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, through a simple chemical reaction, measure the effect of the gas on air temperature, and relate their findings to the greenhouse effect in our atmosphere.

In this lesson, students conduct an experiment to help students understand that ultraviolet radiation is present in natural outdoor light and that the intensity of the light varies with season and time of day.

In this activity, students create a model using metric measuring tapes and atmosphere composition data. Students will investigate the major components of the atmosphere (nitrogen and oxygen) as well as the minor components which raise questions about global warming and greenhouse gases.

With this interactive resource, students can explore what would happen if the amounts of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and ozone were increased or decreased on Earth.

Students indirectly measure atmospheric pressure using a plastic drink bottle and a ping pong ball. They will then use this measure to calculate the force acting on the outside of a soft drink can.