In this lesson, students will examine the amount of annual and seasonal rainfall in four cities to compare decimals to the hundredths place. Students will add and round digits to the thousandths place. Students will utilize technology by navigating to a specific United States climate website to get relatively current and accurate data.
This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.
In this lesson, students will research one Native American group from each of the six main biomes in North America. Students will use their developing technology and language arts skills to find reliable sources on the internet, evaluate and integrate information from these texts, select a suitable digital platform to share their findings, and create a cohesive presentation showcasing their mastery of the learning outcomes. Students will discover the climate, landforms, water, and other natural resources available within each region and how they were used by the natives living there. Students will explore the relationships between the cultures found within each region and its resources.
During this lesson, the students will learn how the Earth's spheres interact with one another in order to support life on planet Earth.
This lesson results from a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and ASTA.
*This lesson can be taught over a two- to three-day period.
Steve Trash teaches kids about science with fun and magic. The show is filmed in Alabama.
The sun is the center of our solar system and it’s really important to all living things. The Earth has a very unique place for living things in our galaxy – The Milky Way. Steve puts the sun and Earth into perspective with fun... and a little magic.
Ecosystems are not only the places where living things live, but also the connections between the living things in those places. Steve explores this cool idea and then tries to figure out the logical steps needed to get computer program to play the game rock paper scissors with him.
In this classroom resource, students will create an animation that reflects climate change. They will create a storyboard, plan a narration, rehearse and film their animation with stop-motion photography.
Ready, set, soar! Soar high in the clouds with a sleepy condor who wants to help you learn in this interactive lesson about the water cycle, how it works, and how clouds are formed. In this lesson, students will learn to find and describe the connections between scientific concepts.
Weather is the condition of the outside air at any time or place, and it is constantly changing. The climate, on the other hand, gives the big picture, or what the weather is like over a long period of time.
The classroom resource provides a video that will describe the different characteristics of weather and climate. After utilizing this resource, the students can complete the short test to assess their understanding.
Clouds are made of water vapor and dust. When the water gets too heavy, it falls back to the Earth. Clouds are named according to their location and shape, such as cumulus, or puffy, stratus, or blanketed, and cirrus, or high and cold.
The classroom resource provides a slide show that will describe how clouds are formed and how precipitation is created. This resource can provide background information for students before they create their own models. There is also a short test that can be used to assess students' understanding.
The atmosphere is a blanket of gases surrounding the Earth. The gases are classified according to their temperature differences. The weight of those gases pressing down on earth is what creates air pressure.
The classroom resource provides a video that will describe the different layers of Earth's atmosphere, how the atmosphere supports life, and how Earth's weather occurs in the atmosphere. There is also a short test that can be used to assess students' understanding.
Changes in air pressure, caused by air’s height above sea level, temperature, and amount of water vapor, cause wind. The Earth’s rotation also helps. It causes the Coriolis Effect, which makes the wind blow on a curved path.
The classroom resource provides a video that will explain how changes in air pressure create wind in the atmosphere and how the Earth's rotation causes global wind belts to curve. There is also a short test that can be used to assess students' understanding.
The lithosphere is all of the rock on earth, and the hydrosphere is all of the water on earth. The last one is the atmosphere: the layers of gas surrounding the earth.
This resource presents a short slideshow about the different "spheres" of Earth and how they interact to support life. After utilizing this resource, the students can complete the short test to assess their understanding.
The classroom resource provides a video that will describe how living and non-living things a part of an interactive system. There is also a short test that can be used to assess students' understanding.