In this activity, students observe and record the appearance of the Moon each night for 29 days (a lunar month). They will cut out the drawings they have made and staple them together to make a flip-book that shows an animation of the Moon as it changes throughout the month. A downloadable, printable log book for recording observations is provided, and the site also features an interactive diagram ... Full description.

These six moon related activities are presented within six topic headings: observing the moon (including the phases), the origin of the moon, and tides. This is chapter six of the online book Eyes on the Sky, Feet on the Ground, an exploration into astronomy as a classroom tool for learning how to theorize, experiment, and analyze data. The activities are fully illustrated and contain detailed, step-by-step ... Full description.

This activity has students use construction paper and coat hangers to construct lunar calendars to learn about different phases of the moon. This lesson could serve as a starting point for a unit on space or space exploration. Students will be able to identify four phases of the moon (new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter). Prior to the construction phase students will access websites, ... Full description.

In this activity, students simulate the movement of water within the water cycle with a roll of the die. Role-playing a water molecule helps students to conceptualize the water cycle as more than a predictable two dimensional path, a simple circle of water, flowing from a stream to an ocean, evaporating, condensing to the clouds, raining down on a mountaintop, and flowing back into a stream. As they ... Full description.

This activity will help clarify to students that the seasons are created by changes in the tilt of the earth as it revolves around the sun, not by changes in the earth's distance from the sun. Using a light and a globe or ball, they will walk around the light to simulate the earth's orbit around the sun, making sure to keep the 'earth' tilted toward a specific wall of the classroom. They will observe ... Full description.

In this activity, students examine graphs of solar radiation for various times of the year to see how the length of the day changes throughout the year. It can be used as a follow-up activity to the preceeding activity, 'The Seasons'. After examining the 12 graphs, which are presented in random order, they are asked which one represents which month of the year, and to explain their rationale. Full description.

This site provides information about precipitation, evaporation, condensation, surface runoff, infiltration and transpiration, which are all part of the water cycle, a complex process that not only gives us water to drink and fish to eat, but also weather patterns that help grow our crops. The site has four sections. The introduction presents the overall concept while the second section covers each ... Full description.

This explanation of the hydrologic cycle discusses evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, runoff, percolation, groundwater, and the water table. There is a diagram and a description of each as well as a discussion of the dynamics of the cycle, which powered by the Sun. In addition there are links that lead to all parts of the Properties of Water menu. Full description.

This site contains a basic explanation of the rock cycle along with information on the difference between a rock and a mineral and a description of the three types of rocks (igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary). The site also describes the crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core, which are the four different layers of the Earth. In addition, it has a diagram of the rock cycle showing its relationship ... Full description.

This lesson is designed to give students an enhanced understanding of the water cycle and rain as a resource, increase their measurement and data collection skills, and develop graphing and data interpretation skills. It expects that students will demonstrate the ability to measure and record rates of rainfall, evaporation, and infiltration and to graph and interpret data. The lesson provides detailed ... Full description.