Regional Center
 

IV. EARTH SCIENCE TOPICS

 

  1. Earth Systems
  2. Solid Earth
  3. Fluid Earth
  4. Earth in Space and Time

 

Additional Sites for Earth & Space Science

  1. Teaching Units / Lesson Plans
  2. Student Activities / Projects / Interactive Sites
  3. Information / Facts / Data / Reports
  4. Videos / Movies / Animations
  5. Photographs / Slides / Diagrams / Graphics
  6. Periodicals / Journals / Newspapers
  7. Searches / Explorations / Investigations
  8. Earth and Space Science Topics for Teachers

 

1. Earth Systems (ES)

Elementary

  1. E.ES.E.1 Solar Energy -"The sun warms the land, air and water and helps plants grow."
    1. BBC Home
      Students are able to experiment with water and other important materials at this site that plants need to grow. As well, there is a quiz for after an activitiy has been completed.
    2. Chapter 15: Solar Energy
      We use the sun's energy every day in many different ways.Plants use the sun's light to make food. Animals eat plants for food.
    3. Energy from the Sun
      Incoming energy (Insolation) from the sun is mostly in the form of ultraviolet, visible, and infrared energy. A portion of the energy is reflected (Shortwave reflectance) back into space before reaching the earth's surface.
    4. KID'S INFO - Solar Energy
      The sun is amazing. Without it, none of us would be here, and there would be no life on earth. Without sunlight, plants couldn't make food, and there would be nothing for us to eat. Not only could plants not make food without the sun, they also couldn't make oxygen, and no animals could breathe.
    5. Planet Earth New
      What lies beneath the surface of our Earth? How are volcanoes and caves formed? Take a closer look at the chemistry of our planet through these activities.
    6. Scholastic
      Elementary students can use this to experiment with what a plant needs in order to survive and flurish. The students can add air, water, or food for their plants to grow. They students can see how the plants would feel if they were denied any one of these needs. As well, the students can see how the plants grow with a sufficient amount of each.
    7. Scholastic
      Elementary students can use match up animals and their habitats. This can help students when they have to think about what an individual animal's needs are and which ecosystem will be able to meet those needs. This is a real quick matching exercise for elementary students.
    8. Stanford Solar Center
      This is an interactive information/quiz site about the sun. It starts with facts/reading information and will ask you multiple choice questions throughout the lesson.
    9. The Flow of Energy Through Plants and Animals
      Animals and humans can't eat sunshine. Plants are the first level in the food chain. They convert sunlight to food for animals (though the plants may not look at it that way).
  2. E.ES.E.2 Weather -"Weather changes from day to day and over the seasons."
    1. Clouds New
      Clouds comprise a wonderful focus for classroom study. They're ubiquitous, ever-changing, scientifically interesting and, most importantly for teachers, ... they're cheap. The following graphics, illustrations, and information are provided royalty-free for non-profit educational use by Carl Wozniak .
    2. Clouds and Precipitation
      Outstanding - A great informational site for upper elementary students.  It introduces cloud classifications, different types of precipitation and the mechanisms responsible for producing them.
    3. Doppler Radar is a Key Forecasting Tool
      Teacher resource with various links that can be adapted for classroom use for upper elementary. Find out how the doppler effect is used to read the weather, and how it can be used in short term weather prediction. Number of links for additional texts. Refers to USA Today Weather Book.
    4. Exploratorium - Weather
      Lightning by Ron Hipschman and Sidebars: An Electrifying Personality, Enlight'ning Moments in History, Additional Reading, Related Exhibits, and Internet Resources ( NOAA Weather Page)
    5. FEMA for kids - Hurricanes
      Lots of hurricane information, Hurricane IQ Quiz (names used for hurricanes and tropical storms), GamesHurricane Disaster Math, and Videos
    6. EMA for kids - Tornado
      Lots of tornado information, Tornado Disaster Math, Water, Wind and Earth Game, and Tornado Video.
    7. Global Change
      Weather is a result of changing atmosphere conditions. The students will identify the types of weather indicated by three major cloud types during the seasons of the year.  This site is for teacher's use.
    8. Global Warming Kids Site
      This site offers a variety of choices for teachers and students.  Students can choose to play interactive games, link to related sites, and/or read a wealth of information about weather, global warming, and seasonal changes.
    9. Musical Meteorology: A Musical Guide to the Atmosphere
      This site contains excerpts of songs form 'Weather Dude: A Musical Guide to the Atmosphere", a ten song, cassette, 146 page book by Nick Walter. You can download audio clips and you can order the cassette by mail or e-mail.
    10. National Geographic Kids - Lightning
      Text about lightning, interviews, word games, photos with audio, and static electricity experiment
    11. Scholastic
      Information, pictures, graphics, and activities on tornadoes, lightning, hurricanes, and storm chasing
    12. Scholastic
      Elementary students can review important precautions that should be taken for human safety during severe weather conditions (thurnderstorms, tornadoes, and blizzards). These are important facts that should be learned for life long survival. Should the students answer a large percentage of the questions correctly, Ms. Frizzle and the Magic School Bus will get to continue on their way.
    13. Teacher's Net Lesson Exchange #21. Weather Thematic Unit
      This unit is written for 4th and 5th grade. However, it can easily be adapted for use with younger students. It is full of ideas and resources for studying weather through the use of listening, reading, writing, and sharing. Excellent resources on trade books and videos.
    14. Tropical Twisters: Hurricanes
      This site offers information and animations on hurricanes with links to other related sites. Easy to navigate. Appropriate for grades 2 and up.
    15. Weather Eye
      Interactive Lightning Safety with Smiling Bob, Lightning Rules, and Fun Lightning Experiments.
    16. Weather Wiz Kids
      Information, animations, interactive games, experiments, jokes, interactive calculators(temp- F & C, windchill, heat index), optical illusions, weather flashcards (math), and folklore.
  3. E.ES.E.3 Weather Measurement -"Scientists use tools for observing, recording, and predicting weather changes.
    1. Federal Emergency Management Agency- FEMA for Kids
      This site teaches students how to be prepared for severe weather and natural disasters and how to prevent damage from weather or disasters.  Students learn  by reading stories, playing games, and taking a quiz to become a Disaster Action Kid.
    2. Interactive Weather
      An informative, interactive, and resourceful site for teacher and student alike. The student can affect the weather interactively with changes in humidy and temperature. Text bar below the illustration describes conditions and why. Weather ranges from perfect day to rain storm to snow storm.
    3. Make Your Own Weather Station
      This site provides students with the opportunity to follow directions to make their very own weather station. The site gives step by step directions for students to make a rain gauge, compass, barometer, hygrometer, weather vane and weather journal. The site provides students with a link to Franklin's Forecast to find other weather activities and curriculum links.
    4. Owlie Skywarn
      Outstanding - Owlie Skywarn is the official mascot of the National Weather Service. He teaches about the hazards of severe weather and appropriate safety precautions. Students can learn about proper safety by reading through the activity.
    5. The Weather Channel
      This is a useful site for gathering, collecting, and analyzing past, present, or future weather data. It can be used successfully for weather around the globe by simply entering your zip code on the site.
    6. Weather Basics
    7. The weather dude can help students understand wind, precipitation, clouds, etc. Songs, topics and terminology are included.
    8. Web Weather for Kids
      Children learn where the sound of thunder comes from, how to make a thundercloud, what activates lightning, and experience a tornado. More kitchen experiments are included in "Teacher Tips".
    9. Wonderful World of Weather
      This standards-based Real Time Data Module has been created for use by students in the elementary grades to allow them to investigate weather phenomena both locally and in other places around the world. By using hands-on activities and real-time data investigations, the students will develop a basic understanding of how weather can be described in measurable quantities, such as temperature, wind and precipitation. The real-time data lessons also address topics such as climate, cloud classification, and severe storms. The lesson plans which make up this module have been designed to allow teachers to select the ones which fit into their curriculum to allow for flexibility in implementation.
  4. E.ES.E.4 Natural Resources -"The supply of many natural resources is limited. Humans have devised methods for extending their use of natural resources through recycling, reuse, and renewal."
    1. Energy Savers
      Interactive site where students select a room and find out ways to conserve energy in that particular room.
    2. Environmental Protection Agency
      Outstanding - This site provides students with many activities that deal with ways to reduce pollution. The science room in this site can provide lesson plans of activities for students to do.
    3. Planet Pals
      Students learn the amount of use of a variety of items and that some can be reused and recycled.
    4. Pollution Virtual Tour
      This site provides information and pictures on pollution by taking students on a virtual tour. This site also provides resources for teachers to get information on pollution.
    5. Welcome to Recycle City!
      This is a highly interactive site with good textual information and a city map which provides a close up view of ways a community can reduce, reuse, and recycle. Good open-ended questions and problems for students to solve. This is an activity for elementary students who can read and follow directions on their own. The students can go to the game Recycle City and pretend to be the City Manager who has to evalute different programs for cleaning up the city. The student clicks on options such as composting, industry recycling, trash pick-up, etc. As these choices are made the student can view the results and see the cost of each program.
  5. E.ES.E.5 Human Impact -"Humans depend on their natural and constructed environment. Humans change environments in ways that are helpful or harmful for themselves and other organisms."
    1. FEMA For Kids: Wildfires
      This is a good site that can be used to educate students about the causes of fires and ways to prevent them from happening. It also includes safety tips.
    2. Minnesota Ideal.Bell Live's
      Outstanding - This site allows the student to build a prarie. They do this by answering "What would you do?" questions. At the end of the questioning the student is rated on their answers and given feedback on their answers too. This site is suggested for 4-8 graders.
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