In the first part of this lab, students will learn about land ice and the processes and timescales involved in glaciation. In Part B, they will learn about how scientists use ice cores to study climate history. In Part C, students will use an online interactive to explore how Earth's temperature, glacial ice, coastlines, and sea level have changed over the last 450,000 years.

In this lesson, students will learn about the effects of deforestation on the carbon cycle, climate and the environment. In the second part of the lesson, students use the Global Forest Cover data tool developed by the World Resources Institute to conduct their own research on changes in forest cover.

In this lesson, students examine sea surface temperature, depth, salinity, and aragonite saturation data to discover coral reefs' favored environments.

In this lesson, students discover how changes in climate over the Colorado watershed are reducing the amount of fresh water available in the river. They also see how the population of the region that uses this water has grown, resulting in increasing demands on a dwindling resource. The case study presented in this lesson introduces students to a real drought that has been developing in the Colorado River basin for many years. The Colorado River is the major source of water for people in the driest part of the United States. More than 30 million people in 7 states depend on this river as the primary source of their water.

In this lesson, students will contemplate what the future might hold for climate and the cryosphere. In the first part of the lab, they will learn about what climate models predict Earth's climate will be like in the future. In Part B, they will consider potential changes in sea level that might be brought about by warming temperatures and melting ice.

In this lesson, students graph the relationship between air pressure and wind speed in 2005's Hurricane Katrina and for the entire 2005 hurricane season. From their analyses, they come up with an estimate of the minimum air pressure that is likely to result in hurricane-force winds of 65 knots or higher.

In this physics lab, students will investigate the different types of images that can be created with convex and concave lenses. They will follow a guided lab in producing images at different distances for a given lens and observing whether the images produced are upright or inverted, smaller or bigger, and virtual or real.

In this activity, students will use jawbreakers as a model of the Earth. They will also act out and represent the layers of the Earth.

In this lab activity, students will investigate particle sorting and deposition. Students will combine gravel, sand, clay, and potting soil in a 2L bottle, add water, shake the contents, and allow the water to evaporate. Once the sediments have settled and dried, students will cut the bottle in half and obseve the cross section. Students will make observations with a small group and record observations in their science journals.

Throughout this project, students reduce their impacts on the environment by changing the way in which they live from day to day.

In this lesson students will build and visualize carbon-compounds using a "ball and stick" molecular model kit that includes carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. This lesson also looks at photosynthesis, cellular respiration, biosynsthesis, combustion and hydrocarbons.

After reading the book Each Living Thing by Joanne Ryder, students will discuss the differences between living and nonliving things. Then they will go outdoors and make observations about the living and nonliving things found there. Back in the classroom they will share the living things they observed and a class list will be generated. Then students choose one example from the list and illiustrate a page for a class book of things we think are living.

In this WebQuest students will research the natural history and biological diversity of the Mono Basin, an environment directly affected by the needs of humans. They will explore the unique environment of Mono Lake, the extreme forms of life inhabiting the area, the role of Mono Lake in the search for extraterrestrial life, and the impact humans have made on the area. In the end, they will be faced with a very tough decision: Are humans justified in taking water- the very life- from the Mono Basin to satisfy their needs?

In this lab activity, students demonstrate a neutralization reaction using cotton swabs, lemon juice, liquid soap and goldenrod copy paper. The paper acts as an indicator for the neutralization reaction.

In this lesson, students investigate the force of magnetism. Students work in small groups to test and sort various items found in the classroom to see if they will "stick" to a magnet. Groups choose one student to be the recorder and keep track of the data for the group.

In this lab activity, students will react an acid and a metal to produce hydrogen gas and metal salt. They will then determine the amount of gas produced at room conditions and then use the combined gas law to prodeict how much gas would be produced at STP.

In this field lab, students will explore macroinvertebrates found in a pond system near the middle school. They will explore and observe, then focus on a particular objective from information shared by all groups. Students will then formulate a question and procedures to "test" their question.

In this activity, students make molecules and ions out of marshmallows and Redhot candies. This lesson should be done after students have an understanding of VESPR theory.

In this peer-assisted chemistry mini-unit, student will use fundamental chemistry knowledge along with their logic and problem solving skills to interpret mass spectrometry graphs. Via an incremental, game-like series of lesson, students will learn to determine one or more possible formulas for an organic molecule represented on the output graph of a mass spectrometer. This is an excellent review unit as students will calculate formula mass for molecules containing isotopes, read data tables, interpret graphs, and draw structural formulas. Because of the importance of identifying chemicals for industrial and commercial use, such as drugs, this unit also demonstrates to students a practical, real-world, application for the chemistry concepts they are learning in the classroom.

In this lab activity, students investigate what variables in the construction of a marble run affect the velocity and kinetic energy of the marble at the end of the run. They construct various runs using different combinations of tubes, slides, and ramps of different slopes, and they compare the final velocity and kinetic energy of the marble at the end of each run. Students share their data with the class and work together to identify the factors that affected final velocity. They complete a lab report summarizing their findings.