Intended for use prior to viewing the Science on a Sphere film "Water Falls," this lesson introduces students to Earth's water cycle and the importance of freshwater resources.

Through an analysis of data sets on four parameters - sea ice totals, sea surface temperatures, near surface temperatures and surface type - students must decide whether the Arctic is experiencing climate change and predict any potential effects on... (View More) the rest of the planet. The activity in this lesson involves card sorting, a technique in which index cards, each containing content or diagrams, are grouped according to unifying concepts. The cards in this lesson contain graphs that students have downloaded, summaries they have written, and questions they have derived from the lesson. The graphs used in this activity show satellite data sets for a location above the Arctic Circle. Students will analyze and group the cards and will then write a conclusion in which they explain the connection between the four parameters, and relate them back to climate change. This lesson uses student- and citizen science-friendly microsets of authentic NASA Earth system science data from the MY NASA DATA project. It also includes related links, extensions, an online glossary, and a list of related AP Environmental Science topics. (View Less)

In this activity, students work in teams to calculate relative air mass and demonstrate how solar elevation angle affects the intensity of light that reaches an observer on the ground. The resource includes a student data sheet. This learning... (View More) resource is part of the Atmosphere chapter of the GLOBE Teacher's Guide, and is supported by the GLOBE Aerosol protocol. GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide, hands-on, K-12 school-based science education program. (View Less)

In this activity, students create a model of sea floor spreading using two sheets of white paper and a metric ruler. The paper strips are pulled through a slit representing a mid-ocean ridge and divergent plate boundary. The model mimics how molten... (View More) material rises to the surface and then spreads out in both directions. The resource is part of the teacher's guide accompanying the video, NASA SCI Files: The Case of the Shaky Quake. Lesson objectives supported by the video, additional resources, teaching tips and an answer sheet are included in the teacher's guide. (View Less)

In this demonstration, an egg is used as a model of the Earth. The egg is tapped gently, to create cracks in the shell. The pieces of shell are analogous to the Earth's plates, and the cracks are used to explain plate boundaries. Using the egg, the... (View More) process of subduction as well as divergent, convergent, and transform boundaries are demonstrated. Activity sheets depicting a cross section of the Earth and plate boundary types are included. The resource is part of the teacher's guide accompanying the video, NASA Why Files: The Case of the Mysterious Red Light. Lesson objectives supported by the video, additional resources, teaching tips and an answer sheet are included in the teacher's guide. (View Less)

Students become familiar with strike-slip faults, normal faults, reverse faults and visualize these geological structures using cardboard or a plank of wood, a stack of books, protractor, and a spring scale. The resource is part of the teacher's... (View More) guide accompanying the video, NASA SCI Files: The Case of the Shaky Quake. Lesson objectives supported by the video, additional resources, teaching tips and an answer sheet are included in the teacher's guide. (View Less)