Teaching Activities

Lunar and Planetary Institute
Students model the effect of greenhouse gases on Earth's atmosphere. They find that greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are uniquely shaped to catch and pass on infrared ...

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

Elementary GLOBE Seasons Module part of CLEAN Collection

https://www.globe.gov/web/elementary-globe/overview/seasons

Becca Hatheway, Kerry Zarlengo, Lisa Gardiner
In these activities and story book, students wonder why hummingbirds have stopped visiting their school. They learn about the needs of the hummingbirds, the seasonal changes where they live, and the ...

Grade Level: Intermediate (3-5), Primary (K-2)
Online Readiness: Online Ready
Resource Type: Activities: Activities, Curriculum Description
Subject: Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Climate Change:Natural causes, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Biology, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology :Orbital patterns, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Natural causes, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change, Climate Change:Impacts of climate change
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Back to the Future: Climate Edition part of CLEAN Collection

https://ncse.ngo/past-vs-present-climate-change

This activity engages students through an exploration using real data of paleoclimate proxies, such as ice cores, tree rings, and sedimentary analysis that provide evidence for past climates.

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14), College Upper (15-16), High School (9-12)
Online Readiness: Online Ready, Online Adaptable
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Global change modeling, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Paleoclimate records, Natural causes, Anthropogenic causes, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Anthropogenic causes, Global change modeling, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Natural causes, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology :Orbital patterns, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Paleoclimate records, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Through Tribal Eyes: Change on the Menominee Nation part of CLEAN Collection

https://toolkit.climate.gov/videos/through-tribal-eyes-c...

United States Climate Resilience Toolkit
In this video, members of the Menominee nation discuss their experiences with climate change.

Grade Level: High School (9-12), Middle (6-8)
Online Readiness: Online Ready
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Classroom Activity, Audio/Visual:Animations/Video, Activities:Classroom Activity:Studio Teaching
Subject: Environmental Science:Ecosystems:Habitats, Restoration/Reclamation, Environmental Science:Ecosystems, Ecosystems:Habitats:Invasive species, Environmental Science:Ecosystems:Biodiversity, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Ecosystems:Ecology, Environmental Science, American Studies, Biology:Plant Biology, Environmental Science:Forest Resources:Deforestation, Environmental Science:Forest Resources, Air Quality:Acid Rain, Environmental Science:Water Quality and Quantity, Anthropology, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Climate feedbacks, Environmental Science:Water Quality and Quantity:Surface Water , Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Recent climate data, Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Hydrology:Ground Water:Water supply/water resource evaluation, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Climate Change:Recent climate data, Geoscience:Hydrology:Ground Water:Water quality/chemistry , Biology:Ecology:Abiotic Relations, Biology:Ecology, Ecology:Habitats, Habitats:Freshwater, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Anthropogenic causes, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Meteorology:Air quality, Air quality:Acid Rain, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Anthropogenic causes, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology :Orbital patterns, Climate sensitivity and feedbacks, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Climate feedbacks, History and evolution of Earth's climate, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology :Hydrologic cycle, Environmental Science:Land Use and Planning, Air Quality, Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:History and evolution of Earth's climate, Environmental Science:Sustainability
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

Basic Coordinates and Seasons Lab part of CLEAN Collection

http://astro.unl.edu/naap/motion1/motion1.html

David Hudgins, Kevin Lee, Edward Prather
This interactive activity, in applet form, guides students through the motion of the sun and how they relate to seasons.

Grade Level: High School (9-12), College Lower (13-14)
Online Readiness: Online Ready
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Climatology :Orbital patterns
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Motions of the Sun Lab part of CLEAN Collection

http://astro.unl.edu/naap/motion3/motion3.html

University of Nebraska Astronomy Applet Project
This Motions of the Sun Lab is an interactive applet from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Astronomy Applet project.

Grade Level: High School (9-12), College Lower (13-14)
Online Readiness: Online Ready
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Natural causes, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Natural causes, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Climatology :Orbital patterns, Solar radiation, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Last Glacial Maximum part of CLEAN Collection

https://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/climatechange/ac...

Kristine DeLong, Louisiana State University
In this activity for undergraduates, students explore the CLIMAP (Climate: Long-Range Investigation, Mapping and Prediction) model results for differences between the modern and the Last Glacial ...

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14), College Upper (15-16), Graduate/Professional
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Global change modeling, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Global change modeling, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Natural causes, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Climatology :Orbital patterns, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Natural causes
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Reason for the Seasons part of CLEAN Collection

http://www.bioedonline.org/lessons-and-more/lessons-by-t...

Nancy Moreno, et. al.
This activity engages learners to investigate the impact of Earth's tilt and the angle of solar insolation as the reason for seasons by doing a series of hands-on activities that include scale ...

Grade Level: Middle (6-8), High School (9-12)
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Climatology :Solar radiation, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology :Orbital patterns
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary