This is a well constructed curriculum module dealing with the water cycle. In this module, students first carry out a number of activities that demonstrate the concepts of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and soil moisture and runoff. The students then construct a terrarium as a way to observe the water cycle as a whole. Immediately following this, students use the Internet to acquire real ... Full description.

The purpose of this activity is to observe the type and cover of clouds including contrails. Students observe which of ten types of clouds and how many of three types of contrails are visible and how much of the sky is covered by clouds (other than contrails) and how much is covered by contrails. Intended outcomes are that students learn how to make estimates from observations and how to categorize ... Full description.

The purpose of this activity is to record daily measurements of maximum, minimum, and current air and soil temperatures at a common site. One temperature probe is placed inside an instrument shelter while another is installed at a 10 cm depth in the soil. A digital thermometer is used to measure current temperatures as well as daily minimum and maximum temperatures. The daily minimum and maximum temperatures ... Full description.

The purpose of this activity is to measure air (and optionally soil) temperature within one hour of solar noon and the maximum and minimum air temperatures for the previous 24 hours. Intended outcomes are that students will learn to read minimum, maximum, and current temperatures using a U-shaped thermometer, understand diurnal and annual temperature variations, and recognize factors that influence ... Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to measure the pH of water. Students use either a pH meter or pH paper to measure the pH. If using the pH meter, the meter needs to be calibrated with buffer solutions that have pH values of 4, 7, and 10. Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to teach students about the acidity levels of liquids and other substances around their school so they understand what pH levels tell us about the environment. Students will create mixtures of water samples, soil samples, plants and other natural materials to better understand the importance of pH levels. Full description.

The purpose of this activity is to measure air pressure. Students record atmospheric pressure using a barometer or altimeter. Intended outcomes are that students gain an understanding that barometric or altimeter pressure varies and its increase or decrease indicates an upcoming change in the weather. Students also learn that the air has weight. Supporting background materials for both student and ... Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to develop an understanding of how water flows through different soils and how it is transformed when it flows through these soils. Students time the flow of water through different soils and observe the amount of water held and also the filtering ability of the soils. They will also observe the filtering ability of soils by noting the clarity of the water before and ... Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to help students understand that some substances can be identified safely with your senses. Students will investigate how they use their senses for observation and why we use instruments to collect data. Full description.

The purpose of this activity is to measure ozone concentrations at ground level. Students deploy a strip of paper that changes color in the presence of ozone. They use an ozone reader to determine the amount of ozone in ppb as indicated by the color change of the paper strip. Intended outcomes are that students will learn to measure the concentrations of ground-level ozone in the atmosphere and to ... Full description.