In addition to instructions for making a model bee out of polymer clay, this site also contains related information about bees: a fact list, factors that threaten them, suggestions on how to help them, a waggle dance diagram and video, and even bee metaphors used in our language. The Climate Kids website is a NASA education resource featuring articles, videos, images and games focused on the science of climate change.

In this scenario-based, problem-based learning (PBL) activity, students investigate cloud formation, cloud classification, and the role of clouds in heating and cooling the Earth; how to interpret TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) images and data; and the role clouds play in the Earth’s radiant budget and climate. Students assume the role of weather interns in a state climatology office and assist a frustrated student in a homework assignment. Learning is supported by a cloud in a bottle and an ice-albedo demonstration, a three-day cloud monitoring outdoor activity, and student journal assignments. The hands-on activities require two 2-liter soda bottles, an infrared heat lamp, and two thermometers. The resource includes a teacher's guide, questions and answer key, assessment rubric, glossary, and an appendix with information supporting PBL in the classroom.

This article describes common misconceptions held by elementary students about the history of the polar regions, fossils, and geologic time. The article provides ideas for formative assessment, teaching strategies, and the National Science Education Standards.

This article describes common misconceptions held by elementary students about the cause of day and night and seasons. The article provides ideas for formative assessment, teaching strategies, and the National Science Education Standards.

In this lesson, students examine three cross-sectional profiles from a northern, central, and southern location of the Red Sea. Students answer a series of questions reading data from the profiles, then examine images and volcanic data in Google Earth to determine the type of plate boundary located in the Red Sea and to make prediction of tectonic activity in the future.

This experimental activity is designed to develop a basic understanding of the relationship between temperature and pressure and that a barometer can be constructed to detect this relationship. Resources needed to build a simple barometer include a canning jar with metal lid ring, large balloon, a block of wood, ruler, a nail, wood glue, hammer and a screwdriver. The resource includes background information, teaching tips and questions to guide student discussion. This is chapter 6 of Meteorology: An Educator's Resource for Inquiry-Based Learning for Grades 5-9. The guide includes a discussion of learning science, the use of inquiry in the classroom, instructions for making simple weather instruments, and more than 20 weather investigations ranging from teacher-centered to guided and open inquiry investigations.

This video discusses the impact climate change is having on coral reefs around the world and what we can do to preserve these important and diverse ecosystems. A set of discussion questions and post-viewing activities are provided.

In this activity, student teams identify the locations of coral reefs around the world, examine infrared satellite images of the Earth, and research the impacts that are threatening the survival of coral reefs. Each team creates a short oral presentation describing the coral reef they have researched. Students then plot on a composite map the locations where coral bleaching is occurring. Student worksheets, a teacher guide, and assessment rubric are included. This activity is part of Coastal Areas: Coral Reefs in Hot Water, part of the lesson series, The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change.

In this classroom activity, students record the temperatures in and around a walk-in refrigerator or freezer to see how cold air behaves when it meets warmer air. The printable five-page handout includes a series of inquiry-based questions to get students thinking about how the temperature of air changes its density, detailed experiment directions and a worksheet that helps students use the experiment results to obtain insight into the wind patterns of Antarctica.

In this OLogy activity, kids learn how a compass works and why it will always point north. The activity begins with an overview that discusses our reliance on directions and how a compass works. Students are then given step-by-step, illustrated directions for creating a compass with a sewing needle, a small bar magnet, a small piece of foam, and other household items. The activity includes ideas about how to try out your compass.

In this classroom activity, students use recycled materials to construct a polar creature that's ideally suited to life in Antarctica. They then document their creation with a field guide entry. The printable four-page handout includes a series of inquiry-based questions to get students thinking about what organisms need to survive in extreme environments, illustrated activity directions and a worksheet that includes brainstorming questions, areas for recording their answers, and directions for creating a field guide entry.

This lesson incorporates sea surface data collected by NASA satellites. Data for three surface characteristics- height, temperature and speed- are used for several activities. Students examine the differences in speed of currents relative to distance from the Equator. Sea surface data anomalies are charted and further analyzed. In addition, surface current data is presented to examine patterns related to El Niño. Note that this is lesson three of five on the Ocean Motion website. Each lesson investigates ocean surface circulation using satellite and model data and can be done independently. See Related URL's for links to the Ocean Motion Website that provide science background information, data resources, teacher material, student guides and a lesson matrix.

In this activity, students explore a map of the global "human footprint," created when researchers overlaid the locations of more than 400 hypoxic systems linked to eutrophication. Students will analyze the map and then answer a series of questions to better understand the connection between dead zones and areas that are heavily impacted by humans.

In this lesson, students examine Thomas Robert Malthus's economic theory as related to population growth. Discussion questions are provided. In an associated activity, students debate whether or not there is a current overpopulation problem based on the Malthus principle.

These two hands-on labs are about the role of temperature and salinity in governing the density of seawater, a major factor controlling the ocean's vertical movements and layered circulation. In the first activity students work in groups to determine the density of tap water and of tap water with salt, then compare the densities. The second activity investigates the role of temperature and salinity in determining seawater density. Students use a Temperature-Salinity (T-S) Diagram to examine the effect of mixing on density. A list of key concepts, essential questions, common preconceptions and more is included. These are part of the Aquarius Hands-on Laboratory Activities.

The purpose of this investigation is to understand how the amount of water vapor in the air at various temperatures affects the way the human body responds. This is an important basic concept for understanding why one might feel either comfortable or uncomfortable at exactly the same temperature. This challenge draws on understanding the student has acquired by conducting experiments outlined in chapters 3-11 of Meteorology: An Educator's Resource for Inquiry-Based Learning for Grades 5-9. The resource includes background information, teaching tips and questions to guide student discussion. This is chapter 14 of Meteorology: An Educator's Resource for Inquiry-Based Learning for Grades 5-9. The guide includes a discussion of learning science, the use of inquiry in the classroom, instructions for making simple weather instruments, and more than 20 weather investigations ranging from teacher-centered to guided and open inquiry investigations.

In this problem-based learning (PBL) activity, students take on the role of a student research scientist and explore the role of solar energy in determining climate, focusing on the urban heat island effect. Students conduct research and compare temperatures between two cities, and determine the factors that are responsible for the difference exhibited between them. The lesson is supported by teacher notes, answer key, glossary and an appendix with information about using PBL in the classroom. This is the third of three activities in Investigating the Climate System: Energy, a Balancing Act, and serves as an authentic assessment for all three modules.

This article highlights lesson plans and activities that help elementary students develop map skills as they learn earth science concepts.

In this lesson, students use ImageJ to create a 3D representation of a digital elevation model, then calibrate the image from known elevations. Using a slightly altered version of the digital elevation model (DEM), students compare what the elevation of the glacier might look like 100 years from now and explore how a DEM can be used to analyze changes in elevations over time.

Students investigate major earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions that happened in recent history.  They also consider living conditions, average cost of living, and average income for the areas affected by the disasters.  Through group and class discussion, the concepts of social justice are critically analyzed while reinforcing scientific concepts.