This two-part activity provides information on seasonal changes in the mass balance of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. In Part 1, students use an atlas and satellite imagery to examine the geography of the region and identify seasonal changes in the boundaries of the ice sheet. In Part 2, they will collect a series of images of the Antarctic ice sheet covering a period of several years, draw the boundaries ... Full description.

This lab activity uses the internal structure of newspaper (its fibers) to explore the ways in which the internal structure of a material can affect how it behaves. The findings can be related to the physical and chemical properties of minerals, which are influenced by their own internal molecular structures. Full description.

In this activity, students conduct experiments using an egg and a graduated cylinder filled with liquids of different densities. By observing how different densities affect the egg's position in the cylinder, they can draw important connections to the Earth's lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. Full description.

In this activity, students measure the densities of samples of granite, basalt, peridotite/dunite, and an iron meteorite, which are used as representatives of the various layers of the Earth (crust, mantle, core). The samples are weighed to determine their mass, and the Archimedes Principle is used to determine volume. From these two properties, they calculate density, compare it to accepted values ... Full description.

In this activity, students measure volume, mass, and calculate density for pennies of different ages as well as for a copper sample. They will answer questions about their measurements, and use internet resources to write paragraphs about the cause of the pattern they observed in their measurements of mass, and pose and answer a question about what they have discovered. Full description.

In this activity, students investigate convection as it applies to Earth processes. They will assemble a model using a bread pan to view convection in two paired cells. They will also investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the model thay have constructed and answer some questions about what they are seeing. Full description.

In this activity, students investigate how pressure affects the temperature of air and how this relates to the formation of clouds in the troposphere. They will form a cloud in a bottle, find the dew point and relative humidity of air at different places in the school and use a chart to estimate how high that air would have to rise to form a cloud. Full description.

In this activity, students investigate the mass, pressure, and temperature of air. They will measure and record the mass and temperature of a bottle of air as they increase its pressure by pumping in more air, record their observations, and answer some questions about what they have seen. Full description.

In this activity, students play the roles of detectives investigating the loss of a city's water supply by evaporation. They will design an experiment to see whether heat or wind causes the greater loss of water, conduct the experiment, and write a report detailing their findings. Full description.

In this activity, which can be performed as a demonstration by the teacher or by the students themselves, carbon dioxide is generated in a fish tank using sodium bicarbonate and vinegar. The students can observe as the accumulating carbon dioxide extinguishes candles of different heights, marking rising levels of CO2 in the tank. They can also blow soap bubbles (which contain air) into the tank and ... Full description.