Lesson Plans & Activities

Hurricane Tracks

This Data Lens is a stand-alone lesson that is part of a larger collection of Data Lens lessons.
In this short activity, students will strengthen their critical thinking skills by carefully observing the data, forming ideas, and backing them up with evidence.

Lesson

Middle School

High School

Land Surface Temperature of the Americas in Fahrenheit

Land Surface Temperature - Arctic Blast

Lesson

Middle School

High School

United states map with an Arctic air mass that is varying shades of blue covering a large part of the United States

Data Puzzle: Weather vs. Climate - Extreme Cold in a Warming World?

This data puzzle is a stand-alone lesson that is part of a larger collection of data puzzles.
In this Data Puzzle, students explore the difference between weather and climate in the context of an extreme cold event that occurred during a NFL playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins on January 13th, 2024. The air temperature at kickoff was -4°F, making it the fourth coldest NFL game ever played! But what does this cold weather event tell us (if anything) in the context of long-term average temperature patterns in the region?

Lesson

Middle School

High School

Global temperature map showing climate patterns across Earth. Warmer regions are highlighted in red and orange around the equator, Africa, South America, and Australia. Cooler regions in light blue and deep blue appear in the polar areas of the Arctic and Antarctica, as well as northern Asia and North America

Surface Air Temperature Forecast - Climate Zones

Lesson

Middle School

High School

2016 Global Vegetation Index from NOAA-20's Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). The Vegetation Index shows level of vegetation based on the amount of absorbed visible light. The lushest areas are dark green and absorb the most visible light, while sparse vegetation is pale in color.

Vegetation - Seasons from Space

Lesson

Middle School

High School

Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly. Depicts much warmer than usual water temperatures globally during an El Niño year.

Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly - El Niño

Lesson

Middle School

High School

Nine people in hard hats standing and kneeling around scientific equipment which are large white cubes with the label 'WINDCUBE'. In the background there is an open field and mountain ridge.

Data Puzzle: Windstorms on the Front Range

This data puzzle is a stand-alone lesson that is part of a larger collection of data puzzles.
Although strong windstorms are a common weather event at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, a record-breaking windy spring soon after the Marshall Fire disaster had the public feeling on-edge. In this Data Puzzle, students analyze data on the number of windstorms and the number of red flag warnings to investigate the question, “Is it getting windier on the Front Range as the climate warms?”

Lesson

Data Puzzle Resource

Middle School

High School

With a blue sky and mountain with a white peak in the background, the metal poles are visible of the East River Watershed field site

Data Puzzle: Snow in the Rockies

This data puzzle is a stand-alone lesson that is part of a larger collection of data puzzles.
Water from snowmelt high in the Rocky Mountains feeds into the Colorado River, a river system that more than 40 million people rely on for water. In this Data Puzzle, students analyze snowfall and snowmelt datasets to investigate the question, "How have snow conditions in the East River Watershed changed over time?"

Lesson

Data Puzzle Resource

Virtual field trip

Middle School

High School

Orange sun with squiggly orange lines pointing down to green earth with electrons and molecules demonstrating global warming

Data Puzzle: Not All Warming is Equal

This data puzzle is a stand-alone lesson that is part of a larger collection of data puzzles.
The dramatic increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide has caused global temperatures to rise by more than 1.1°C (~2°F), but not all warming is equal. In this Data Puzzle, students analyze temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide datasets to construct explanatory models for the following question, "Do the places on Earth where temperatures are increasing the most also have the greatest increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide?"

Lesson

Data Puzzle Resource

Middle School

High School

A white wind turbine turns in front of green and tan mountains. There are dried tall grasses in the foreground.

Shifting Winds

In this short unit, students investigate the question "Are wind patterns at the foot of the Rocky Mountains changing?" Students explore what causes wind and look at recent wind data. Students create a public-facing infographic to explain to the public if and how wind patterns are changing.

Unit

Middle School

Data Puzzle: Wind Farms of the Future

This data puzzle is a stand-alone lesson that is part of a larger collection of data puzzles.
Transitioning from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy sources like wind is essential if the US is to reduce its carbon emissions. But where should new wind farms be constructed? In this Data Puzzle, students analyze surface roughness and wind speed data to construct an evidence-based explanation for the following question, "Where in the United States (lands and waters) should new wind turbines be constructed to generate the most energy?"

Lesson

Data Puzzle Resource

Middle School

High School

Moss campion (pink flowering plant) growing from speckled gray and light orange rocks with some green grasses

Data Puzzle: The Tipping Point

This data puzzle is a stand-alone lesson that is part of a larger collection of data puzzles.
Plants like moss campion are uniquely adapted to the cold, dry climate characteristic of the tundra biome...but temperatures are on the rise. In this Data Puzzle, students analyze temperature and reproduction data to construct explanatory models for the following question "How is moss campion reproduction affected by temperature?"

Lesson

Data Puzzle Resource

Middle School

High School

Moss campion plant photo by Dan Doak. Bright pink flowers with five petals and a yellow center with a dark background where some green leaves peak through.

Data Puzzle: What's the Limit?

This data puzzle is a stand-alone lesson that is part of a larger collection of data puzzles.
Moss campion is a key species indicator of climate change. In this lesson, students will explain how latitude impacts and affects these hearty tundra plants by analyzing and interpreting moss campion growth and survival data.

Lesson

Virtual field trip

Middle School

High School

Aerial images of Lake Mead show the dramatic decline in water levels (~143 feet) from 2001 to 2015. Image from the National Park Service. First photo shows water up to top of dam, and second shows blue water much lower exposing orangish-gray rock on side of dam.

Data Puzzle: Megadrought in the Colorado River Basin

This data puzzle is a stand-alone lesson that is part of a larger collection of data puzzles.
Much of the western United States is experiencing drought conditions. In this Data Puzzle, students analyze authentic climate data to construct explanatory models for the following question, "What is causing the megadrought in the Colorado River Basin?"

Lesson

Data Puzzle Resource

Middle School

High School

Green pine forest being consumed by red and orange flames with thick dark smoke rising from trees with flames surrounding them

Data Puzzle: Megafire - Rare Occurrences or the New Normal?

This data puzzle is a stand-alone lesson that is part of a larger collection of data puzzles.
Megafires have been a hot topic in the news over the past few years, but are they a new phenomenon? In this Data Puzzle, students analyze authentic wildfire data to construct explanatory models for the follow question, "How and why has the number of megafires have changed over time?"

Lesson

Data Puzzle Resource

Middle School

High School

The Greenland Ice Sheet covers 79% of the surface of Greenland. Greenland is located north of Canada and the United States. Map credit: QGreenland

Data Puzzle: Balancing Act

This data puzzle is a stand-alone lesson that is part of a larger collection of data puzzles.
Since the early 2000s, the Greenland Ice Sheet’s mass balance has been consistently negative, meaning more mass is being lost than gained. But this change in mass balance hasn’t always happened at the same rate. What could account for observed changes to the amount of ice in the Greenland Ice Sheet in recent decades?

Lesson

Data Puzzle Resource

Geospatial resource

Middle School

High School

MOSAiC scientist Gina Jozef poses with her drone on snow with giant ship in the background and a small white and red sled with a brown box behind her.

Data Puzzle: It's All Connected

This data puzzle is a stand-alone lesson that is part of a larger collection of data puzzles.
What makes the Arctic climate system so unique is the sea ice, which influences the Arctic climate in many ways. In this Data Puzzle, students analyze authentic Arctic data to construct explanatory models for the following question, "What effect, if any, do leads (cracks in the sea ice) have on the transfer of moisture between the Arctic Ocean and atmosphere?"

Lesson

Data Puzzle Resource

Middle School

High School

NASA photo showing Arctic sea ice minimum extent for each year from 1979 through 2019 with red line over image on faded graph showing decline in sea ice minimum.

Data Puzzle: To Reflect or Not to Reflect

This data puzzle is a stand-alone lesson that is part of a larger collection of data puzzles.
The color of Earth's surface determines how much of the Sun's energy is reflected or absorbed, where lighter-colored surfaces are more reflective (higher albedo). In this Data Puzzle, students analyze authentic Arctic data to construct explanatory models for the following question, "How might the Arctic’s albedo be affected by the observed decline in sea ice?"

Lesson

Data Puzzle Resource

Middle School

High School

Flattened image of globe with colors ranging from white to yellow to orange to red showing changes in Celsius from 1950-2019. Darker the color is equal to a higher change in temperature.

Data Puzzle: On a Budget

This data puzzle is a stand-alone lesson that is part of a larger collection of data puzzles.
The Arctic is currently warming at a rate faster than the global average, a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification. In this Data Puzzle, students analyze authentic Arctic datasets to construct explanatory models for the following question, "Why might the Arctic be warming faster than other places on Earth?"

Lesson

Data Puzzle Resource

Middle School

High School

Antarctic Iceberg in McMurdo Sound with dark blue water surrounding it

Human Impacts on Climate Change: What will happen and what can we do about it?

This is the fifth lesson of a five-part curriculum about Antarctic physical environments and ecosystems.
In this lesson, students explore how human activities will continue to impact Antarctic ice, discuss human contributions to climate change, and investigate what we can do to stop/reverse these negative effects.

Lesson

High School

A graph of temperature anomalies with flattened map with red, orange, and yellow shades.

Arctic Feedbacks: Not All Warming Is Equal

This storyline unit consists of 10 lessons, each tied to NGSS Earth's systems standards
In this MS/HS unit, students engage with 360° virtual field trips, authentic Arctic datasets, and app-based labs to construct models and explanations for the unit driving question, "Why might the Arctic be warming four times as fast as the rest of the world?"

Unit

Virtual field trip

Middle School

High School

MOSAiC scientists drill through the Arctic ice with the research vessel Polarstern illuminated in the background.

Exploring the New and Old Arctic

This unit consists of 6 lessons, each tied to NGSS nature of science understandings
In this MS/HS unit, students compare and contrast Arctic expeditions of the past (1893-1896 Fram expedition) and the present (2019-2020 MOSAiC expedition) to prepare for the Arctic of the future.

Unit

Virtual field trip

Middle School

High School

Two smokestacks releasing smoke into the air.

How Do Humans Contribute to the Increase in Global Temperatures?

This is the fourth lesson in the Climate Resiliency Education High School Climate Unit.
Students explore the greenhouse effect in this lesson using a computer simulation and develop a model for how it works.

Lesson

High School

A satellite image of the state of Colorado.

Why Are Cities and Other Regions of the World Getting Hotter?

This is the third lesson in the Climate Resiliency Education High School Climate Unit.
This lesson has students investigate how albedo is contributing to temperature increasing in some places, like cities, are increasing at faster rates than elsewhere.

Lesson

STEAM Activity

High School

Rocky Mountain National Park; rock in the forefront with snowy peaked mountains in the background

Arctic Climate Connections

The Broader Impacts portion of the NSF proposal studies the analysis of existing data from Arctic terrestrial stations with multi-year measurements of the surface energy budget, clouds, soil temperature profiles, and basic meteorological measurements.

Unit

High School

A close up image of a grooved glacier in black and white

Exploring Arctic Climate Data

This is the third activity of a three-part curriculum about Arctic climate; the activities may be used independently or in sequence.
In this final activity, students use authentic Arctic climate data to explore albedo and its relationship to seasonal snowmelt as a self-reinforcing feedback mechanism, which is then applied to large scale global climate change.

Lesson

Middle School

High School

University/College

Two scientists in large red parkas kneeling on the ground working on scientific equipment in a snowy landscape while a cold wind whips snow up around them.

Do you really want to visit the Arctic?

This is the second activity of a three-part curriculum about Arctic climate; the activities may be used independently or in sequence.
This jigsaw activity introduces students with Arctic weather data using a role-playing activity that has students read and interpret graphs while considering the optimal time to plan a research mission to the Arctic.

Lesson

Middle School

High School

University/College

Alpine tundra vegetation with large boulder with snowy mountain range in the background

Exploring the Arctic

This is the first activity of a three-part curriculum about Arctic climate; the activities may be used independently or in sequence.
This activity introduces students to the Arctic and Arctic climate. Through a virtual exploration of the geography of the Arctic students become familiar with the region. They are then introduced to meteorological parameters that Arctic research teams use.

Lesson

STEAM Activity

Middle School

High School

University/College

Arial view of northern North America with red lines showing the Northwest Passage

Northwest Passage: Then and Now

Project EXTREMES lessons were written to be stand alone lessons but can be incorporated into a larger unit.
In this lesson, students learn about some of the early explorations of the Northwest Passage, and how the changing sea ice extent has prompted new explorations of this region to transport goods from one region of the Northern Hemisphere to another.

Lesson

Middle School

Dark cloud at top of image raining down onto shadowed lands with yellow sunlit sky in the middle

Precipitation Patterns Around the Globe

Project EXTREMES lessons were written to be stand alone lessons but can be incorporated into a larger unit.
Students apply their knowledge of the water cycle to investigate how annual precipitation patterns are related to geography and biology.

Lesson

Elementary School

Middle School

Lesson Plans & Activities

Lesson Plans & Activities

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