Teaching Activities

Little Shop of Physics
Students act out 4 different molecules (nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapor) to discover which ones are greenhouse gases and which ones are not.

Grade Level: High School (9-12), College Lower (13-14), Middle (6-8), Intermediate (3-5)
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities, Lab Activity
Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Greenhouse gas emissions, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Meteorology:Atmospheric structure and composition, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Greenhouse effect, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Anthropogenic causes, Greenhouse effect, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Climate Change:Greenhouse gas emissions, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Anthropogenic causes
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Solar Convection part of CLEAN Collection

https://www.sciencefriday.com/educational-resources/sola...

Lawrence Hall of Science
In this activity, students will use hot and cold water to see how fluids at different temperatures move around in convection currents.

Grade Level: Intermediate (3-5), Primary (K-2)
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Geoscience:Oceanography, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Geoscience:Oceanography:Ocean-Climate Interactions, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology :Atmospheric and oceanic circulation, Solar radiation
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

What is a watershed? part of CLEAN Collection

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58ac4417893fc0e09...

Izaak Walton League
In this activity students build a model of a watershed to learn where water goes when it rains. Students then make predictions and draw what they observe.

Grade Level: Intermediate (3-5)
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Environmental Science:Water Quality and Quantity, Geoscience:Hydrology, Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Climatology , Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Amazing Expanding Ice part of CLEAN Collection

https://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/ice/activitie...

Children experiment with freezing water to observe a state change of water, and discover that it is less dense as a solid (ice) than it is as a liquid (water). Amazing Expanding Ice is an overnight ...

Grade Level: Intermediate (3-5), Primary (K-2)
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Do Different Colors Absorb Heat Better? part of CLEAN Collection

https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/colors_...

Teach Engineering
This is a STEM activity to learn how different colors absorb light better than others. Vocabulary and investigating questions are included to facilitate discussion, and a rubric is provided for ...

Grade Level: Middle (6-8), Primary (K-2), Intermediate (3-5)
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Climate feedbacks, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Climate feedbacks, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Climate Change, Climatology :Climate sensitivity and feedbacks, Environmental Science:Energy, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology :Solar radiation
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Bird's Eye View Lesson Plan part of CLEAN Collection

https://www.airnow.gov/sites/default/files/2019-12/birds...

Air Quality Flag Program
In this activity, students construct flying birds (pollution collectors) from paper and wire hangers. Students hang up their birds to see how they react to air pollution and compare and make ...

Grade Level: Informal, Intermediate (3-5), Primary (K-2), Middle (6-8)
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Climatology , Meteorology:Atmospheric structure and composition, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Mitigation of climate change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Temperature, Salinity and Water Density Activity part of CLEAN Collection

https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/2280-temperatu...

The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato
This is a simple but effective scientific experiment to study the impacts of temperature and salinity on water density.

Grade Level: Primary (K-2), Middle (6-8), Intermediate (3-5)
Online Readiness: Online Adaptable, Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Lab Activity
Subject: Geoscience:Oceanography, Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Kinesthetic Astronomy: Longer Days, Shorter Nights part of CLEAN Collection

https://www.calacademy.org/educators/lesson-plans/kinest...

California Academy of Sciences
This kinesthetic activity demonstrates to students that the earth's tilt is what is responsible for shifting light patterns and the change in seasons. In this activity students will learn that ...

Grade Level: High School (9-12), Intermediate (3-5), Middle (6-8)
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology :Global energy balance, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Natural causes, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Natural causes, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology :Orbital patterns, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Kinesthetic Astronomy: The Meaning of a Year part of CLEAN Collection

https://www.calacademy.org/educators/lesson-plans/kinest...

California Academy of Sciences
In this interactive lesson, students will use kinesthetic techniques to model Earth's orbit around the Sun for a year. In this activity students will understand the astronomical meaning of an ...

Grade Level: Middle (6-8), Intermediate (3-5)
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology :Orbital patterns, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

NOAA Ocean Odyssey: Ocean Currents part of CLEAN Collection

https://aambpublicoceanservice.blob.core.windows.net/oce...

National Ocean Service
This lesson provides a demonstration and lesson focused on ocean currents. The demonstration of how cold water and warm water interact is a strong learning tool for the topic.

Grade Level: Intermediate (3-5), Middle (6-8)
Online Readiness: Online Adaptable, Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Geoscience:Oceanography:Ocean-Climate Interactions, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Natural Hazards:Extreme Weather, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Meteorology:Extreme weather, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Climatology :Atmospheric and oceanic circulation, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Oceanography, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary