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Students dissect a flower to notice the form and parts of the reproductive structures.

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Explore data over time to observe climate change.

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Gridded chart paper with 1-inch squares, one sheet per group-or this pre-labeled graph paper, copied onto 11" x 17" paper

Meter stick (not shown), if using chart paper

Marker

1/2-inch sticky dots (use smaller dots if you are using smaller graph paper), 12 dots per year of data; all dots should be the same color

Tape

Mauna Loa monthly CO2 data, 2006-2019

Earth globe

Optional: South Pole monthly CO2 data, 2006-2018; a different color of sticky dots should be used for South Pole data, 12 dots per year of data

If you are using chart paper, complete Steps 1-3. Regardless of what graph paper you are using, complete Step 4.

1. Use the meter stick and marker to draw a large x-axis and y-axis on the graph paper. You will need at least 24 squares of space along each axis.

2. Label the y-axis "Average monthly CO₂ data from Mauna Loa (in ppm)" and choose a scale that will accommodate values from 380 ppm to 404 ppm (if you are graphing data from earlier than 2008, you will need to adjust the scale accordingly), letting each 1-inch line equal 1 ppm along the y-axis.

3. Label the x-axis "Month" and place the numbers 1 through 12 along the x-axis, letting two 1-inch lines equal one month.

4. Print data sheets and cut so that each group receives one year's worth of data.

The data you are going to graph are mean monthly atmospheric CO ₂ data from Mauna Loa, collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Use the globe to locate Mauna Loa. Is it in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere?

Place the dots appropriately on the graph, and also label the graph with the year in which your data were collected. You may want to write the Mauna Loa CO ₂ values from your data sheet on the sticky dots-one monthly value per dot.

What do you notice? When are the values the highest? The lowest?

Discuss this seasonal variation (see What's Going On? below). This is usually a very interesting discussion, and is well worth the time before continuing.

If you are also graphing South Pole data, they should be added to the same graph paper (be sure the data are from the same year) using sticky dots that are a different color. What do you notice about the seasonal fluctuation pattern in the Northern Hemisphere and in the Southern Hemisphere? Why do think these different patterns occur in the data?

Tape all of the graphs together in chronological order, overlapping the "month 0" and "month 12" to create a continuous graph of multiple years' data. What do you notice?

Direct measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO ₂) concentrations have been recorded at Mauna Loa since 1958. Its mid-Pacific location makes it an ideal place to collect atmospheric data. The units of atmospheric carbon dioxide measurements are ppm-parts per million. For every million molecules of air in our atmosphere, some number of them are carbon dioxide molecules.

Since 1958, the concentration of atmospheric CO ₂ has risen from 315 ppm to over 412 ppm (as of December, 2019). This is depicted in the graph shown below, known as the Keeling Curve (click to enlarge). The Keeling Curve is named for Charles David Keeling of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, who was the first person to make frequent regular measurements of atmospheric CO ₂ concentrations at Mauna Loa.

The periodic annual fluctuations in the graph reflect seasonal changes. The Northern Hemisphere has far more land area than the Southern Hemisphere, and most of the land area in the Southern Hemisphere is desert. As plants in the Northern Hemisphere grow leaves each spring and summer, they remove some CO ₂ from the air via photosynthesis, causing CO 2 levels to drop. There is a lag time for this effect to show in the data, so the lowest annual CO 2 concentrations occur in the fall. During Northern Hemisphere fall and winter, plants lose their leaves, and the decrease in photosynthesis causes the CO ₂ level to rise. There is a lag time for this change to show in the data as well. Thus, highest CO ₂ concentrations occur in May each year. This seasonal fluctuation is the natural cycling of carbon from an atmospheric gas to solid plant material and back.

When you view multiple years of data together, the obvious upward trend is not part of the natural cycling of carbon between the atmosphere and the biosphere. Human activities are altering the carbon cycle-both by adding more CO ₂ to the atmosphere and, through land use changes such as deforestation, influencing the ability of natural sinks, like forests, to remove CO ₂ from the atmosphere. While CO ₂ emissions come from a variety of natural sources, human-related emissions are responsible for the increase that has occurred in the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution (1760 - 1840). Until that time, atmospheric CO ₂ had not been higher than 280 ppm. Direct measurements of gas bubbles in ice cores from Antarctica show that atmospheric CO ₂ levels did not exceed 280 ppm during the previous 800,000 years.

The main human activity that emits CO ₂ is the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil) for energy and transportation. Certain industrial processes also emit CO ₂. Additionally, land use changes such as deforestation remove part of the land sink and thereby cause atmospheric CO 2 levels to be higher.

Preparing the graphs before doing this Science Snack with a group will save you time. If students are preparing graphs themselves using chart paper, it is very important that they all use the same scales on their graph axes.

We've included data from 2006-201 in Tools and Materials, but if you want to get data for other years, they are available at the websites below. Export the text file for the years in which you are interested, put them into a spreadsheet, and eliminate the columns of data you don't need.

Keeling Curve: http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/

This Science Snack is part of a collection that showcases LGBT artists, scientists, inventors and thinkers whose work aids or expands our understanding of the phenomena explored in each Snack.

Photo credit: North Arizona University, used wtih permission

Dr.Geoffrey Roest (he/him) is a gay postdoctoral researcher at Northern Arizona University using data science to study urban greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, Dr. Roest is researching in the Gurney Group, primarily on the Vulcan project, a data-driven fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions product for the entire United States. Outside of research, he is an avid snowboarder and long-distance runner and enjoys lots of other outdoor activities. In the Our Changing Atmosphere Science Snack, you can graph carbon dioxide data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to learn about natural cycles and unnatural changes in our atmosphere!

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Graph carbon dioxide data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to learn about natural cycles and unnatural changes in our atmosphere. Note: This activity works best with multiple groups, with each group or pair graphing a different year's data.

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Evaluating Climate Change's Impact on Individuals and Ecosystems

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Evaluating Climate Change's Impact on Individuals and Ecosystems

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In this lesson students will evaluate portraits of individuals living in India and evaluate the impact climate change is having in the country.

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14 resources including videos, articles, interactive, and encyclopedia entries.

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Humans impact the physical environment in many ways: pollution, burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and more. Changes like these have triggered climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, mass extinction, and undrinkable water, among other effects. These negative impacts can affect human behavior and can prompt mass migrations or battles over clean water.

Help your students understand the impact humans have on the physical environment with these classroom resources.

Subjects

Earth Science, Geology, Geography, Physical Geography

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Humans impact the physical environment in many ways: pollution, burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and more. Changes like these have triggered climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, mass extinction, and undrinkable water, among other effects. These negative impacts can affect human behavior and can prompt mass migrations or battles over clean water.

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Activity: Students will calculate the speed at which an object falls to the ground.

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Collect your data

Have one partner stand next to the measuring tape. Turn on the flashlight and point it upwards. Make sure your flashlight is on a non-blinking setting. Place the light as close to the 0 cm mark as possible and against the measuring tape. If possible, use only one finger to hold the flashlight still until the time of release. Have someone else film the drop with a digital camera (in HD at standard 30 frames per second).

Check your video to make sure you got the shot. Digital video is easy to erase and reshoot. Redo it if you didn't get a clear view of your flashlight's light falling straight down. Transfer your video file to a computer.

Record your data

Make a table with two columns to record your data. Label the columns "Time in seconds" and "Distance in meters." (See the sample table below.)

Time Data: Since your camera records 30 frames a second, each frame represents only 1/30 of a second, or about 0.033 seconds. That means each frame will add an additional 0.033 seconds.

Distance Data: In your video player, find the frame just before your flashlight drops. (Note that frame-by-frame players usually let you move forward or backward via arrow keys. The frame you're now at is time 0s and distance 0m.)

Now, step by step, record the distance in meters dropped and the corresponding time of the flashlight's fall. Watch the screen closely. Notice that, during the first few steps, the flashlight doesn't fall very much.

If your flashlight leaves a streak of light, only record the location at the bottom of the streak (the streak is a 1/30 th of a second record of the light's fall).

Calculate the acceleration due to gravity

Acceleration describes how fast the rate of something changes.

Acceleration = ( V final - V initial) / the time to make this change

Here's an example using our data (see the table above):
V initial is the flashlight's velocity just before it's dropped, or 0 m/s; V final is the velocity of the light at the end of the drop.

In our case, at time 0.297 to 0.33 s (time = 0.033 s), the distance traveled is from 0.4 m to 0.51 m (distance = 0.11 m).

V = distance / time

So, V final = 0.11 m / 0.033 s = 3.33 m/s

The time it takes to make that change is 0.33 s

Acceleration = (3.33 m/s - 0 m/s) / 0.33 s = 10 m/s ²

Use your own data to calculate the acceleration of the flashlight you drop.

In your own experiments, you can collect data from shorter or longer distances.

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Collect your data Have one partner stand next to the measuring tape. Turn on the flashlight and point it upwards. Make sure your flashlight is on a non-blinking setting. Place the light as close to the 0 cm mark as possible and against the measuring tape.

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This is a lesson about the water cycle. There is a webquest for students to complete about the water cycle.  The site also contains 10 other lessons about how to conserve water on earth.

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The Water Cycle | Precipitation Education

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This activity was developed to give participants an understanding of Earth's water cycle by completing a webquest and building a model of the water cycle.This website, presented by NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, provides students and educators with resources to learn about Earth's water cycle, weather and climate, and the technology and societal

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This is a planetarium show that could be used in the classroom to learn about the moon.

This activity does not necessarily fit into the standards but I feel it would be engaging to students.

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This lesson plan helps students to understand what a watershed is and how they are created.

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During a downpour, rainwater hits pavement and flows into drains, picking up pollutants like oil, fertilizers, and road salts along the way. These pollutants can flow into nearby water bodies, where they can harm wildlife, make swimming and boating unsafe, or even contaminate drinking water.

In classrooms across Lake Charles, Louisiana, schools are cultivating bitter panicum, a native coastal grass, and Gulf killifish, a native coastal minnow, in their own aquaponics systems.

In the Pacific Northwest, Lummi Nation has kept their ancient knowledge and schelangen (shuh-LANG-un; "way of life") alive by transmitting their cultural knowledge, worldview, and traditions to the next generation. Watershed management is particularly important to the Lummi community because of the abundance of one of their most culturally important food sources, salmon, which depends on watershed health and quality.

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During a downpour, rainwater hits pavement and flows into drains, picking up pollutants like oil, fertilizers, and road salts along the way. These pollutants can flow into nearby water bodies, where they can harm wildlife, make swimming and boating unsafe, or even contaminate drinking water.

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This is a unit on humans and interactions with the environment.  The unit has videos, readings, and questions for teachers to use to create a unit on the topic.

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M/V Tiglax and Steller Sea lions in the Aleutian Islands photo courtesy of US Fish and Wildlife Service

A 4-5 Week Science Unit for Intermediate Level

Essential Questions:

Enduring Understandings:

Connections between humans and the ocean are important.

Everyone is responsible for caring for the ocean.

Science is a way to help us study the many connections in our world.

This unit is designed for 5th grade, but could be adapted to other grades. Students develop an understanding of the connections between humans and the ocean through case studies, analysis of changing technology, and activities that illustrate impacts of one part of a system on its other components. They plan and carry out a monitoring activity, create community awareness, and take action to protect the ocean.

Ocean Literacy Principles Addressed:

The Earth has one big ocean with many features.

The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems.

The ocean and humans are inextricably interconnected.

Investigation 1: The Legend of the Bidarki
(3 class periods)

How are people who harvest marine life such as bidarkis part of an interconnected system?
Students develop an understanding of interconnections among the ocean, humans, and other living things through a case study of harvesting bidarki (katy chitons) in the Alaska Native villages of Port Graham and Nanwalek. They reflect on their own connections to the ocean.

Investigation 2: Fishing for the Future
(2-3 class periods)

How does technology change our success in fishing?
How can we use resources in ways that are sustainable?
Students discuss how methods of fishing have changed, then play a game to explore the idea of sustainable fishing practice. They simulate fishery activity using increasingly sophisticated technology, in different oceans. As students progress through the fishing seasons, they will likely overfish their part of the ocean and will have to migrate to other places in the ocean to meet their basic needs. Most groups will eventually create a total crash of fish stocks in the ocean. After discussing the game and its meaning, students will propose new rules for the game, to make fishing sustainable.

Investigation 3: Ocean Impacts
(7-9 class periods)

What are some ways that humans can have an impact on marine life in the ocean?
How can we be stewards of the ocean?
Students work in small groups to research a current issue related to human interaction with the ocean, using Internet and library resources. They will communicate the facts about their issue on a poster and participate in a poster viewing session, and ask questions about the information presented on the other posters created by members of their class.

Investigation 4: Human Impact Survey
(3-4 class periods + field trip)

How do human actions change the (name of area or water body)? Are these changes helpful or harmful?
What actions or changes are needed to improve the health of the (name of area or water body)?
Students plan and carry out a survey of human impacts to a local aquatic environment. They analyze their findings and prepare to share them with the community.

Investigation 5: Friends of the Sea
(5-8 class periods)

How can we be stewards of the ocean?
Students discuss stewardship actions and develop an action plan that they will carry out as a class. They host a "Friends of the Sea" party to involve the school and community in their stewardship efforts and to share the results of their investigations.

Authors:

Brandon Beard, Teacher, Kotlik
Glenn Oliver, Teacher, Anchorage
Sheryl Sotelo, Teacher, Homer
Marilyn Sigman, Scientist, Center for Alaska Coastal Studies, Homer
Stephanie Hoag, Curriculum Consultant, Juneau
Marla Brownlee, Alaska Sea Grant

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alaska seas watersheds rivers curriculum teachers lesson plans strategies controversial issues inquiry field trip logistics assessment science glossary discovery plants animals water aquatic otters ocean

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Alaska Seas and Rivers Watersheds - Alaska Sea Grant

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Lesson that has students building marine food chains.

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All living organisms depend on one another for food. By reviewing the relationships of organisms that feed on one another, this lesson explores how all organisms- including humans-are linked. If students understand the relationships in a simple food chain, they will better understand the importance and sensitivity of these connections, and why changes to one part of the food chain almost always impact another.

Grade level: 4-8 grades
Performance Expectations:

MS-LS2-1 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy and Dynamics. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.

MS-LS2-2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy and Dynamics. Construct an explanation about how the different parts of the food chain are dependent on each other.

MS-LS2-3 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy and Dynamics. Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living parts of the food chain.

MS-LS2-4 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy and Dynamics. Construct an argument, supported by evidence gathered through observation and experience, showing how changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.

MS-LS2-5 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy and Dynamics. Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.

MS-ESS3-3 Earth and Human Activity. Answer questions about how pollution affects food chains by applying scientific principles to design a monitoring plan for minimizing the human impact on the environment.

For alignment, see: Food Chains and Webs NGSS Summary

Lesson Objectives

Describe the difference between herbivores, carnivores and producers.

Answer questions about the interdependence of herbivores, carnivores and producers as members of a food chain.

Answer questions about how pollution affects food chains.

Background

A food chainis a simplified way to show the relationship of organisms that feed on each other. It's helpful to classify animals in a simple food chain by what they eat, or where they get their energy.

Green plants, called producers, form the basis of the aquatic food chain. They get their energy from the sun and make their own food through photosynthesis. In the Great Lakes, producers can be microscopic phytoplankton (plant plankton), algae, aquatic plants like Elodea, or plants like cattails that emerge from the water's surface.

Herbivores, such as ducks, small fish and many species of zooplankton (animal plankton) eat plants. Carnivores (meat eaters) eat other animals and can be small (e.g., frog) or large (e.g., lake trout). Omnivores are animals (including humans) that eat both plants and animals. Each is an important part of the food chain.

In reality, food chains overlap at many points - because animals often feed on multiple species - forming complex food webs. Food web diagrams depict all feeding interactions among species in real communities. These complex diagrams often appear as intricate spider webs connecting the species.

This lesson demonstrates that changes in one part of a food chain or web may affect other parts, resulting in impacts on carnivores, herbivores, and eventually on producers. An example of this might be the harmful effects of pollution. The point that should be made is that when something disrupts a food web, humans should try to understand and minimize the disturbance. Students should also come to recognize that humans, too, are part of this complex web of life.

Food Chains and Food Webs - Parts and Pieces

Food Chains

Producers
Plants form the base of Great Lakes food chains. They're called producers, because they make their own food by converting sunlight through photosynthesis. They also act as food, providing energy for other organisms. In the Great Lakes, most producers are phytoplankton, or microscopic floating plants. An example of phytoplankton is green algae. Large rooted plants, another type of producer, provide food and shelter for different organisms, fish and wildlife.

Primary Consumers
The next level in the food chain is made up of primary consumers, or organisms that eat food produced by other organisms. Examples of primary consumers include zooplankton, ducks, tadpoles, mayfly nymphs and small crustaceans.

Secondary Consumers
Secondary consumers make up the third level of the food chain. Secondary consumers feed on smaller, plant-eating animals (primary consumers). Examples of secondary consumers include bluegill, small fish, crayfish and frogs.

Top Predators
Top predators are at the top of the food chain. Top predators eat plants, primary consumers and/or secondary consumers. They can be carnivores or omnivores. Top predators typically sit atop the food chain without predators of their own. Examples include fish such as lake trout, walleye, pike and bass, birds such as herons, gulls and red tailed hawks, bears-and humans!

Food Webs
In reality, many different food chains interact to form complex food webs. This complexity may help to ensure a species' survival in nature. If one organism in a chain becomes scarce, another may be able to assume its role. In general, the diversity of organisms that do similar things provides a type of safety, and may allow an ecological community to continue to function in a similar way, even when one species becomes scarce. However, some changes in one part of the food web may have effects at various trophic levels, or any of the feeding levels that energy passes through as it continues through the ecosystem.

At the base of the aquatic food web are:

Plankton
Plankton are microscopic plants and animals whose movements are largely dependent upon currents. Plankton are the foundation of the aquatic food web. Plankton are vital in the food supplies of fish, aquatic birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals.

Phytoplankton
Plant plankton are called phytoplankton and may be single cells or colonies. Several environmental factors influence the growth of phytoplankton: temperature, sunlight, the availability of organic or inorganic nutrients, and predation by herbivores (plant eaters).

Zooplankton
Animal plankton are called zooplankton. Zooplankton can move on their own, but their movement is overpowered by currents. Zooplankton may be herbivores or plant-eaters (eat phytoplankton), carnivores or meat eaters (eat other zooplankton) or omnivores, which eat both plants and animals (eat phytoplankton and zooplankton).

Assessment & Standards

See separate document: Lesson Assessment, State of Michigan Content Expectations and National Benchmarks (PDF)

Activity

Linking the Chain Summary: Students work with paper cutouts to learn about the parts of a food chain, specifically herbivores, carnivores and producers.
Time: 30-60 minutes of class time

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All living organisms depend on one another for food. By reviewing the relationships of organisms that feed on one another, this lesson explores how all organisms- including humans-are linked. If students understand the relationships in a simple food chain, they will better understand the importance and sensitivity of these connections, and why changes to one part of the food chain almost always impact another.

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This is a project where students create a wheel for the calendar and calculator of moon phases.  A video is provided to assist in making the wheel.

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Have you ever wondered when the next full moon will be? How about the first quarter moon? Now you can have all the dates and times for all the moon phases for the year at your fingertips by building your own moon phases calendar and calculator!

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Student Project: Make a Moon Phases Calendar and Calculator - New for 2024 | NASA/JPL Edu

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Like a decoder wheel for the Moon, this calendar will show you where and when to see the Moon and every moon phase throughout the year. 2024 calendar now available!

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A video that describe physical and chemical changes by an astronaut. The lesson included is for grade 6 but I think with a little creativity it can be modified for grade 5.

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In this STEMonstration, UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi explains the differences between chemical and physical changes and highlights some examples that happen as part of daily life aboard the International Space Station. In the corresponding classroom connection, students will experiment with different chemical changes by observing the effects of reactions between everyday items.

STEMonstrations are short, 3-5-minute educational videos filmed by crew aboard the International Space Station. They use the unique microgravity environment on station to demonstrate popular K-12 STEM topics.

Next Generation Science Standards:

MS-PS1-2: Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.

MS-ESS2-1: Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.

HS-PS1-5: Apply scientific principles and evidence to provide an explanation about the effects of changing the temperature or concentration of the reacting particles on the rate at which a reaction occurs.

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STEMonstrations: Physical and Chemical Changes - NASA

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Students will experiment with different chemical changes by observing the effects of reactions between everyday items.

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Through this simulation, students can see how the earth revolves around the sun. It is a very basic simulation but could be useful in the introduction of simulations. Students can change what is being displayed (sun, moon, earth) and the simulation shows the path of each object.

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This can be used to show what molecules do when heat is added or taken away.  There is a stopwatch, collision counter, the measurement of the width, and the ability to have light or heavy molecules.

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Students can observe the 3 states of matter and how molecules move in each state. There is a second simulation where students can see how different gases move at various temperatures.

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Students watch videos and answer a multiple choice question after watching the video. There is room for students to write notes about the video they have watched. This particular lab had 3 sections with 3 videos in 2 sections and 2 videos in 1 section.  At the end there was  a game where students could design a renewable future.

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Growing Appetites, Limited Resources

NARRATOR: Throughout human history, access to energy resources has often meant the difference between illness and health, poverty and wealth, and illiteracy and education.

So it's not surprising that today, the world's energy use is growing even faster than its population. Global energy consumption has doubled since the early 1970s, and experts predict it will expand another 50% by 2035.

Unfortunately, this rising demand poses a couple of major problems. The first is that most of the energy sources we rely on today won't last forever.

Coal, oil, and natural gas supply about 80% of the energy we currently use. And while these fuels continue to form through natural processes, we're using them much faster than they're being created. In the U.S. alone, we burn more than a hundred thousand tons of coal and nearly 800,000 barrels of oil every hour.

So unless we develop large-scale alternatives, when these fuel sources run out, our power supply will run out too.

If that weren't enough, burning fossil fuels releases a lot of carbon into the atmosphere, mostly in the form of carbon dioxide. And all this CO ₂ is affecting Earth's climate.

Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases build up in the atmosphere. As they do, they act like insulating blankets, allowing sunlight to pass through to Earth's surface, while slowing the release of heat back into space.

The more CO ₂ in the atmosphere, the warmer our planet becomes. And this will affect everything from sea levels and ocean currents to weather patterns and seasons, leading to more natural disasters and potential food shortages in our future.

These problems of skyrocketing energy demand, dwindling resources, and increasing environmental consequences are very real. And scientists agree, it's not a question of if, but when these problems will catch up with us.

So, the race is on to find new energy sources and innovative technologies. It's our best hope for a sustainable future.
ARCHIVAL MATERIAL CREDIT
POND5

Rob Tinworth

VIDEO CREDITS

Steven Bedard, Writer/Producer
Anna Rothschild, Animator/Editor/Narrator
Scorekeepers Music Library, Music

[-] Collapse

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NARRATOR: Throughout human history, access to energy resources has often meant the difference between illness and health, poverty and wealth, and illiteracy and education. So it's not surprising that today, the world's energy use is growing even faster than its population.

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In this game, students will build food chains.  It starts out easy and gets harder as the game goes on.  You build more complex food chains as the game goes on

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Food Chain Game - Science - Sheppard Software Educational Games for kids

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Food Chain Game - Food chains come to life: when a chain is correctly put together, it turns into an animated working chain!

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Students will determine if an organism is a producer, consumer, or decomposer.

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Producers Consumers Game - Science - Sheppard Software Educational Games for kids

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Learn about producers, consumers and decomposers in this animated game for kids!

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The Sun, Moon, & Earth Interactive Lesson

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The Sun, Moon, & Earth Interactive Lesson

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Students will learn about how the sun, moon, and Earth interact in the solar system. There are 13 pages and in one of the pages are vocabulary pertaining to the topic. I like that there is a description and videos that help students understand the meaning of the words. (Great for our ELL students.)

Standards are embedded in each lesson and the best is it can be assigned to Google classroom.

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The Sun, Earth & Moon: Interactive Lesson | PBS NC Science | PBS LearningMedia

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Earth is in a continuous dance with two other spheres: the moon and sun. Explore the predictable patterns that emerge from this interplay-such as day, night, seasons, eclipses, and high and low tides-with this interactive lesson.

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Daylight Hours & the Sun's Apparent Path

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Daylight Hours & the Sun's Apparent Path

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With this activity students will learn about the path of the sun in summer and winter through a video. This would be a great phenomenon video to begin a lesson.

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Daylight Hours and the Sun's Apparent Path | PBS LearningMedia

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Explore the duration of daylight and the Sun's apparent path in the sky in a northern hemisphere location during the solstices with this adapted WorldWide Telescope video. This resource gives students an opportunity to observe differences in the Sun's apparent path across the sky and make evidence-based claims about the changing duration of daylight in summer and winter.

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A video about the distribution and uses of water on Earth.  The video shows students how water is used on Earth and precipitation and how where it falls is useful to some people.There is a graphic for students to see where freshwater is found in the United States

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Distribution and Uses of Water | PBS LearningMedia

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Learn about the distribution of water on Earth and how available and accessible freshwater is used and replenished by precipitation with this NASA video and graphic. This resource provides opportunities for students to ask questions as well as plot and analyze data on the distribution and uses of water on Earth.

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Even though the simulations are geared towards 6th and above I think this simulation would be a good one to show students how the molecules move in a liquid, solid, and a gas.

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Microsoft Internet Explorer Mozilla Firefox Google Chrome Apple Safari

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Saltwater and Freshwater Distribution on Earth

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Saltwater and Freshwater Distribution on Earth

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This is a great resource to show students about the distribution of water on Earth. The lesson has some discussion questions for teachers to ask students about while looking at the graphs.

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Salt Water and Freshwater Distribution on Earth | PBS LearningMedia

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Learn about the distribution of water on Earth with these NASA and USGS graphics. This resource enables students to visualize and interpret data on water availability and distribution.

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Great introduction to photosynthesis.  It is a short video but can be used as a review during lessons about photosynthesis. There is a link to a reading about photosynthesis for students as well.

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Photosynthesis | PBS NC Science | PBS LearningMedia

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Trees, plans, algae, and phytoplankton all do it. Learn about photosynthesis, the process that powers the world.

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Videos about the states of matter. They are short videos using hands-on science. It gives students a fun way to learn that involves children their age. Only show the first video.

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Matter, Flight, and Chemical Reactions | Hands-On Science | PBS LearningMedia

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Three award-winning science educators explore states of matter, the science of flight and chemical reactions.

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This is a storyline lesson about where water goes after we use it and how we can conserve it.

There are 23 lessons with engaging activities for students

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SYNOPSIS

In this fifth-grade science and engineering unit on earth systems and on the structure and properties of matter, students investigate where the dirty water that drains out of their homes and schools goes and where the clean water they use comes from. Their investigations lead them to discover connections between the hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere. Their discoveries spark a series of design problems to solve in order to protect freshwater reservoirs and minimize human impacts on the environment, including ways to mitigate flooding and erosion, naturally filter water and prevent contamination of water reservoirs, and conserve water usage in drought-prone areas of the world.

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​Where Does Our Clean Water Come from and Where Does it Go After We Make it Dirty?​ - Next Generation Science Storylines

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In this fifth-grade science and engineering unit on earth systems and on the structure and properties of matter, students investigate where the dirty water that drains out of their homes and schools goes and where the clean water they use comes from. Their investigations lead them to discover connections between the hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere.

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This is another storyline lesson about what happens to organisms after they die.

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In this fifth-grade unit on interrelationships in ecosystems, students investigate the apparent disappearance of the body of a dead raccoon over time. Their findings lead them to uncover the role of decomposers in this process, as well as the role of decomposers in the disappearance of plant debris over time. Students ultimately track down where the materials come from that all living things need for repair and growth and where the energy comes from that they use to move and stay warm.

ARTIFACT AND STORIES FROM A CLASSROOM ENACTMENT

Here is a link that let you take a sneak peek at one class's journey through the start of storyline (from the second round of piloting - the Beta pilot).

DEVELOPMENT TEAM

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Why Do Dead Things Disappear Over Time? - Next Generation Science Storylines

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In this fifth-grade unit on interrelationships in ecosystems, students investigate the apparent disappearance of the body of a dead raccoon over time. Their findings lead them to uncover the role of decomposers in this process, as well as the role of decomposers in the disappearance of plant debris over time.

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Video clip of a mudslide as it is happening. Students can observe the destruction that the mudslide created.

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EPIC mudslide caught on camera [Raw Video]

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Video clip of someone burning steel wool. Students will observe how the mass of the substance changes after the substance is burned.

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Burning iron wool and change in mass MVI 0995

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Video clip of seed dispersal.  This could spark an interest where students are seeing how a pod breaks open and the seeds it contains.

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This site is a curated collection of science phenomena for the NGSS, along with phenomenon based learning resources and help for how to use phenomenon to drive student questions in the classroom centered around 3 dimensional teaching and learning.

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Video clip showing deer migration and what it is and why it’s important.

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This site is a curated collection of science phenomena for the NGSS, along with phenomenon based learning resources and help for how to use phenomenon to drive student questions in the classroom centered around 3 dimensional teaching and learning.