Water quality is more than meets the eye. Some of its properties are invisible. Teachers using this module will focus on measurable properties of water: mass, volume, and concentration; temperature; dissolved oxygen; pH; and nitrates; and their effects on water quality. Each of these properties is the subject of a lesson plan. The lesson plans include an introduction, lesson objectives, a pre-test, ... Full description.

The purpose of this lesson is for students to explore the nature and composition of a comet. The student will select ingredients to create a comet and will learn to identify ingredients responsible for a comet nucleus, and how changes in the nucleus when the comet approaches the Sun cause two different kinds of tails to form. Students can explore some facts, myths, and legends linked to the appearance ... Full description.

This is a basic lesson on clouds. Very nice photos of cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds are presented on the page as well as a description of all major cloud types and their associated weather. Two activities are presented. One invites the learner to create a cloud, while the other involves creating a collage of cloud images along with information about the weather associated with each cloud type. Full description.

This information about the Lunar Prospector mission to the Moon discusses the possibility that ice exists on the lunar surface. The article indicates that no native water ice has been found on the moon. If ice has been found, it most likely originated from meteors and meteorites which periodically bombard the lunar surface. Full description.

In this lesson plan students observe a teacher-directed demonstration that provides a conceptual understanding of latent heat. A reusable handwarmer that uses a solution of sodium acetate is used to illustrate phase changes and the release of energy and latent heat. Full description.

This site is all about snow crystals and snowflakes. The many facets of snow crystals are described here, along with attempts to understand their formation. This site includes collections of super-high-resolution snow crystal photos, as well as links to learn about snow crystal classifications and how to make snow crystal fossils. Included in the study of how snow crystals form, these researchers ... Full description.

This set of resources for younger students includes activities and information on thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards and clouds: how they form, and how they impact our lives. There are games about clouds, stories about extreme weather events, and a set of activities in which students create simulations of various weather phenomena such as fog, clouds, tornadoes, and others. The 'Recipe ... Full description.

This site covers many of the components of cloud formation and cloud types. Although written for the high school level, the middle school student could grasp most of the concepts with the assistance from the teacher. Specific concepts covered include the importance of and mechanisms that produce rising air, cloud types, and ptyes of precipitation. There are nice graphics and images to support the ... Full description.

The Foundation is committed to providing balanced information regarding the use of water as a renewable energy resource in the Northwest. All segments of the public have become increasingly concerned with the costs and benefits of operating hydroelectric facilities. Environmental impacts, operational issues, economic needs, preservation of benefits such as flood control and recreation, and an increasingly ... Full description.

This module on measuring nitrates and their effects on water quality is from a larger series on water quality investigations. It provides background information on nitrates and how it affects water quality. It also contains both a pre-test and post-test, a laboratory investigation, and a self-study game. The purpose of the site is to help students understand the sources of nitrates and the role that ... Full description.