This activity allows students to explore the growth of plants and the care required for plant survival in an indoor setting. Students will research the characteristics of plants, and gather information about soil, nutrients, temperature, light, and water in order to set up an environment that will help the plants grow the quickest. A rubric for evaluating students' performance based on their research ... Full description.

The NOAA Ocean Exploration program strives to engage broad audiences to enhance America's environmental literacy through the excitement of ocean discovery. Increasing this literacy requires high-quality, effective collaborations between ocean explorers and America's teachers. NOAA is forming such collaborations to reach out in new ways to the public to improve the literacy of learners with respect ... Full description.

This site offers an introduction to sea turtle species and their behavior, including facts about nesting, incubation, and emergence as well as information about navigation and migration. Physical characteristics and classification are discussed, and information is available on habitat ranges and on threats and conservation. Full description.

This article describes ice worms (Mesenchytraeus solifugus) that live on glaciers in southern Alaska, the Coastal range and British Columbia, and in the Olympics and North Cascades as far south as Mt. St. Helens. Pictures of the ice worms and information on their habitat, physiolology, diet, and behavior are provided. Full description.

WhaleTimes will take young users on an adventure to the ocean. This resource provides a wealth of information and pictures on popular sea life, such as whales, seals, sea lions, sharks, penguins, and walruses. It helps the user to find out how animals survive in the sea, what they eat, where they live and much more. There are several computer activities for young kids, and a list of books that focus ... Full description.

This lesson plan uses NASA satellite data to correlate cloud cover over Africa to the solar declination. The four seasons on Earth have a scientific basis. The Earth is tilted 23.5 degrees from vertical. This tilt and the Earth's orbit around the sun are the reasons for the seasons. Earth's tilt and orbital position cause differing angles at which the sun's rays hit the surface of the Earth. As Earth ... Full description.

This lesson plan uses NASA Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instrument percent coverage surface data with a world map to locate landmasses and bodies of water at the Earth's Equator. When using satellites to study Earth system processes, especially atmospheric processes, it is important to know what is the background that one is seeing on the Earth. This lesson provides an introduction ... Full description.

This lesson plan uses NASA satellite data to contrast amounts of cloud coverage over different climate regions in Africa. It introduces the circulation pattern of Hadley Cells and the band of convergence and convection called the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The lesson also discusses how frequent cloud cover and precipitation occur along the ITCZ and how climate affects the people living ... Full description.

The Gulf of Maine Aquarium hosts this two-part activity. The focus is on seasonal changes in the mass balance of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Part 1 uses an atlas and satellite imagery to examine the geography of the region and the changing boundaries of the ice sheet. Part 2 tracks annual changes in sea ice. There is an animation page showing changes in ice cover around Antarctica during 1991, and links ... Full description.

The Ocean World site has a wide variety of information regarding the ocean. Established by Texas A and M University's Jason Project, Ocean World provides a wealth of information on weather, forams, icebergs, fisheries, coral reefs, waves, El Nino, currents and more. The site contains information for both students and teachers. The teacher section of the site contains background information on all ... Full description.