Water that falls from the sky is called precipitation. Precipitation such as rain or snow can affect daily life; however, it is also a vital step in the water cycle, returning water from the atmosphere back to Earth's surface. This video segment shows three different types of precipitation: rain, hail, and snow. The segment is fifty-nine seconds in length. A background essay and list of discussion ... Full description.

Younger students will enjoy this interactive comic strip that introduces the idea that rocks and minerals are the ingredients of many things that we use everyday. Items and materials mentioned include pencil lead from graphite, glass from sand, aluminum foil and other aluminum products from bauxite, and plastics from petroleum. Students have an opportunity to click and drag the proper material to ... Full description.

This activity allows students to apply knowledge of barometric pressure and gravitational pull to the study of physical science and mathematics. Students will: use the Internet to investigate and compare/contrast body weights at different regions; define barometric pressure and gravitational pull; describe how barometric pressure and gravitational pull affect body weight; and apply knowledge of the ... Full description.

This activity demonstrates the chemical attack on limestone by rain that is naturally acidic (containing dissolved carbon dioxide) and acid rain (rain that is more acidic because of dissolved pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides). Students will blow through a straw into water containing a Universal Indicator and note that the water becomes slightly acidic because carbon dioxide from ... Full description.

All the stars in the universe, including the Sun, are nuclear furnaces fueled by fusion. Beginning with the fusion of hydrogen and continuing with fusion of successively heavier elements, stars form all the naturally occurring elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. This video segment illustrates the critical role that stars play in creating the elements, and describes the process of nucleosynthesis, ... Full description.

This website provides solar system information and a tool to compare the statistics of planets. There are also online quizzes about each of the planets, a forum, and links to astronomy clubs around the world. Full description.

Through five main processes (condensation, precipitation, infiltration, runoff, and evapotranspiration), water is perpetually cycled through the Earth system. This interactive, animated feature introduces students to the hydrologic cycle and provides a brief explanation of each of the five processes. A background essay and list of discussion questions are also provided. Full description.

These activities examine the ways in which water can weather rocks. Simulations of erosion by running water, solution, freeze?thaw and by wind are investigated. Several class laboratory and demonstration activities simulate some of the processes occurring in weathering and erosion. They include a look at the effect of pouring water onto brown sugar to simulate the effect of water on soluble rock, ... Full description.

This activity helps students to understand the many roles that polar sea ice plays in the systems that maintain our planet, by first helping them to understand the process of the formation of ice in oceanic regimes. Students will use an inquiry based lab experience relating salt content to the ability of water to freeze in order to begin this study. Specifically, they will design an experiment to ... Full description.

This lesson plan involves the identification of the major components of air pollution and their effects on human health. Students perform a play that involves the interaction of the pollutants with people. The lesson includes a list of materials, background information, procedure, and ideas for closure and enrichment. A copy of the script of the play is also provided. Full description.