In this lesson plan students learn about the varying sizes of ocean waves, what causes the variation, and where to find giant waves. Students will learn the parts of a wave, and discuss wave height, wavelength, and wave period. They will experiment with creating waves on the National Geographic Wave Simulator and discuss how geography affects waves. Full description.

This Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) site focuses on the science and impacts of global warming or climate change, and on actions that help address global warming. It features games, events, and links to other relevant sites for kids and educators, including activities on climate and weather and the greenhouse effect. Full description.

In this hands-on activity, students explore the relationship between angular width, actual size, and distance by using their finger, thumb and fist as a unit of angular measurement. They should learn to relate angular width to actual size using distance; quantify the relationship between angular width and distance; and understand why the Sun appears smaller from Pluto than from Earth. Full description.

This resource is part of the Science Education Gateway (SEGway) project, funded by NASA, which is a national consortium of scientists, museums, and educators working together to bring the latest science to students, teachers, and the general public. This activity introduces students to planetary research. Using some of the most famous and interesting images of the Solar System, students learn to focus ... Full description.

This activity allows students to better understand aquifers and the issues of climate, spring flow, environmental protection, and water use. The activity centers around a constructed ground-water system and contains vocabulary, materials, procedures for two labs, data sheets and information on analyzing the data. Full description.

This lesson plan introduces students to river ecology and addresses the societal and environmental impacts associated with dams and their construction. By understanding dams and their effects on the environment, students will propose the construction or abolition of a dam in their hometown or other geographic area. They will think objectively and critically about real issues affecting the future of ... Full description.

This resource gives an impression of how immense our Universe is by starting with an image of the Earth and then zooming out to the furthest visible reaches of the Universe. Its goal is to show astronomical distances without scientific notation. Instead, it focuses on the large number of zeros that are in astronomical distances when we measure them with a familiar unit like the kilometer. The number ... Full description.

This program provides scientific research and assessment to evaluate the effects of atmospheric deposition on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. A clickable map depicts locations of acid rain monitoring stations by state. This site also contains reports presenting data on acid rain trends and monitoring efforts as well as research performed on acid rain accumulation values. Information is also available ... Full description.

This online collaborative project is part of the Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education (CIESE) program, which has developed internet activities for the elementary, middle, and high school level student. Based on data collected by their household members and their classmates, students determine the average amount of water used by one person in a day. They compare this to the average ... Full description.

This activity explores the potential impact of climate variability and change on one of Earth's increasingly vulnerable resources, forests. Although the activity is designed to tap specific skills and knowledge through scientific inquiry, its broader intent is to stimulate thought about the long-term impacts of a warmer planet. The scenario invites students to examine higher level issues of climate ... Full description.