Each student will keep a science journal during each of the four seasons. Students will record observations of the general outdoor environment they visit and then will make observations of one specific item from the habitat in each season. At the end of the school year, students will make comparisons of their seasonal drawings and share the results with the class. The purpose of the activity is to ... Full description.

The purpose of this activity is to help students better understand percent cloud cover and to take more accurate cloud cover observations. Working in pairs or small groups, students use construction paper to simulate cloud cover. They estimate the percentage of cloud cover represented by torn pieces of paper on a contrasting background and assign a cloud cover classification to the simulations created ... Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to continuously measure soil and air temperature at one site. Students install four temperature probes; three are placed in the soil at three different depths and one is placed in an instrument shelter. Students use a data logger to record readings from the probes every 15 minutes. Students transfer the data to their school computers for analysis and submission to the ... Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to learn how to estimate data results in order to minimize errors in reading or recording data. Students participate in a game in which they collect data using various instruments and calculations and then try to fool other data collection teams by exaggerating some of the data numbers. They do this activity first with data describing objects in the classroom, then ... Full description.

The purpose of this activity is to measure surface temperature with a handheld Infrared Thermometer (IRT). The instrument is pointed at the ground to take surface temperature readings. Intended outcomes are that students will learn to use an infrared thermometer, and understand how different surfaces radiate energy. Supporting background materials for both student and teacher are included. Full description.

This is a well constructed curriculum module dealing with the water cycle. In this module, students first carry out a number of activities that demonstrate the concepts of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and soil moisture and runoff. The students then construct a terrarium as a way to observe the water cycle as a whole. Immediately following this, students use the Internet to acquire real ... Full description.

This activity is a fun and easy way to understand the geology of an aquifer. Students will build an edible aquifer, and learn about confining layers, contamination, recharge and water tables. This demonstration is designed to illustrate the geologic formations in an aquifer, how pollution can get into groundwater, and how pumping can cause a decline in the water table. Students will notice how the ... Full description.

The purpose of this activity is to observe the type and cover of clouds including contrails. Students observe which of ten types of clouds and how many of three types of contrails are visible and how much of the sky is covered by clouds (other than contrails) and how much is covered by contrails. Intended outcomes are that students learn how to make estimates from observations and how to categorize ... Full description.

The purpose of this activity is to record daily measurements of maximum, minimum, and current air and soil temperatures at a common site. One temperature probe is placed inside an instrument shelter while another is installed at a 10 cm depth in the soil. A digital thermometer is used to measure current temperatures as well as daily minimum and maximum temperatures. The daily minimum and maximum temperatures ... Full description.

The purpose of this activity is to measure air (and optionally soil) temperature within one hour of solar noon and the maximum and minimum air temperatures for the previous 24 hours. Intended outcomes are that students will learn to read minimum, maximum, and current temperatures using a U-shaped thermometer, understand diurnal and annual temperature variations, and recognize factors that influence ... Full description.