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 slide show provides basic information on the three major rock types and the rock cycle. Diagrams of the rock cycle explain the processes and changes that connect the three rock types and illustrate how one type can be changed into another. Each of the three types (sedimentary, igneous, metamorphic) are described and illustrated with photographs. Addresses for websites with additional information ... Full description.

This is a hands-on activity that fosters decision-making skills and emphasizes scientific principles such as objectivity and replication. It is designed to show that pollutants are not always obvious and not all contaminants pose a health risk. Students will learn that some contaminants can be detected by sight, smell, or taste and that others are not detectable except with sophisticated analytical ... 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 interactive diagram of the water cycle invites students to click on a part of the cycle to get information about streamflow, surface runoff, freshwater storage, ground-water discharge, ground-water storage, infiltration, precipitation, snowmelt, runoff to streams, springs, condensation, evaporation, transpiration, water in the atmosphere, ice and snow, and oceans. A summary of the water cycle ... Full description.