Students are introduced to classification through progressive activities. Initially, the teacher models the task by classifying buttons. Students then devise a classification scheme for paper clips. Subsequent activities use objects brought from... (View More) home or the playground by students. The objects are assigned to two categories: natural or human-made, then classified as solid, liquid, gas or a combination. Simple bar graphs are used throughout to compare classification data. (View Less)

In this activity, the class will brainstorm, write, create, and produce a play in which they represent how all the Earth systems are interconnected. This play can be based on the Elementary GLOBE book All About Earth: Our World on Stage. Uses... (View More) commonly-available materials (e.g., chart paper and markers) and materials for costumes and props, which can be as simple or elaborate as time and money afford. This is the concluding activity of a series of companion learning activities to this book. Includes teacher implementation guide. (View Less)

In this activity, each student will keep a science journal during each of the four seasons. Students will record observations of the general outdoor environment they visit and then will make observations of one specific item from the habitat in each... (View More) season. At the end of the school year, students will compare their seasonal drawings and share their results with the class. This is the 1st of 3 sets of learning activities that are part of a unit on seasons that are companion activities to the Elementary GLOBE children's book, "Mystery of the Missing Hummingbirds." Includes a teacher implementation guide. GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide, hands-on, K-12 school-based science education program. (View Less)

Students will be introduced to different species of macroinvertebrates. They will hypothesize why each insect looks the way it does. Then students will make observations of macroinvertebrates in an aquarium in their classroom. For an optional... (View More) extension, teachers can take students to a local stream or pond to conduct field observations. Materials needed include sand, water, aquatics plants and insects; estimated materials cost does not include aquarium. This is the 3rd of 3 sets of learning activities that are companion activities to the Elementary GLOBE children's book, Discoveries at Willow Creek. Includes a teacher implementation guide. (View Less)

In these activities, students continue to explore the idea of interaction among Earth components as they identify processes in the Earth system and indicate how they illustrate an interaction between two of the Earth system components. Uses commonly... (View More) available materials (e.g., markers, colored pencils, blank wall chart paper, overhead transparency sheets). This is the 2nd of 3 sets of learning activities that are companion activities to the Elementary GLOBE children's book, All About Earth: Our World on Stage. Includes a teacher implementation guide. GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide, hands-on, K-12 school-based science education program. (View Less)

Working in pairs, students will create experimental conditions in terrariums in order to study what plants need to live. Variables to study include the presence or absence of soil, water, and sunlight. Students will record the growth of radish... (View More) plants as well as observations of "the water cycle" in their terrariums. At the conclusion of their experiments, students will share their results with the class and discuss how water, Earth materials, and air are all necessary to support living things. The activities use commonly-available or inexpensive materials (e.g., chart paper, clear soda bottles, potting soil, radish seeds, paper towels, water, tape, foil, and index cards). This is the first of three sets of learning activities that are companion activities to the Elementary GLOBE children's book, All About Earth: Our World on Stage. Includes a teacher implementation guide. GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide, hands-on, K-12 school-based science education program. (View Less)

Multiple activities illustrate the concept of changes in bodies of water over time. Emphasis is placed on the use of remote sensing to monitor changes in water bodies that are due to climate change, erosion, drought, human intervention and natural... (View More) events. Using clay and water, students evaluate the impact of rising water levels on different coastlines and on coastal cities. Students also analyze satellite images showing three examples of changes caused by water: the melting of the Greenland ice sheet, the flooding in the Midwestern region of the United States and the drought effect on Africa's Lake Chad. The URL opens to the investigation directory, with links to teacher and student materials, lesson extensions, resources, teaching tips, and assessment strategies. This is Investigation 4 of four found in the Grades K-4 Module 2 of Mission Geography. The Mission Geography curriculum integrates data and images from NASA missions with the National Geography Standards. Each of the four investigations in Module 2, while related, can be done independently. Please see Investigation 1 of this module for a two-page module overview and list of all standards addressed. (View Less)