Join our Mailing List

Lesson Plans & Activities

Peer-reviewed, classroom-ready NGSS-aligned lesson plans, activities, data puzzles, virtual field trips, and design challenges covering environmental hazards, climate change, mental health, Earth systems, community resilience, and more.  

Lesson Plans & Activities

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

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
NOAA Science On a Sphere Data Lens logo overlaid on a world map showing Earth's vegetation and land use. The text reads “Exploring Earth’s Visual Stories
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
Data Puzzles Logo
Cartoon image of green pine trees with orange fire shapes over them with dead brown brush at the bottom and a dark grayish blue sky
Data Puzzle: Wildfire, Drought, and the Future of Forests

This data puzzle is a stand-alone lesson that is part of a larger collection of data puzzles.

 Wildfires are burning more and more of the forests across the western United States. In this Data Puzzle, Data Puzzle, students analyze post-fire forest recovery datasets as they gather evidence to construct explanatory models for the following question, "How do climate conditions impact the recovery of forests after a wildfire?"
Lesson
Data Puzzle Resource
Middle School
High School
Data Puzzles Logo
Long-term Spatial Transformation of the Glacier Basin System text with tundra and glacier landscape in the background
PolarPASS Module 2: Long-term Spatial Transformations of the Glacier Basin System

Module 2 is designed to follow after Module 1. Instructors may choose to use Module 2 independently, but may want to consider some additional introductory materials if they are not beginning with Module 1. 

 Module 2 consists of four Units. The Units begin by exploring past ice margin retreat and processes of ice margin retreat and elevation change. The material then explores natural climate variability and anthropogenic forcings, and then examines potential future ice margin response to climate change.
Unit
Virtual field trip
University/College
PolarPASS logo showing map of a glacier with a location point in the distance
Cartoon graphic of young people embracing with a speech bubble that says "¡Obtén el Parche de Somos el Agua!" and the Somos el agua logo
Actividad del parche sé protector de la cuenca | Watershed Stewardship Patch Activity

Earn a We Are Water Patch by becoming familiar with your local watershed!

 We can be good watershed stewards by taking positive actions that will help to ensure the watershed’s healthy functions. In this activity, students learn how to be good watershed stewards and become familiar with their local watershed through observation, positive action, and community engagement.
Scout Patch/Badge
STEAM Activity
Action Project
Elementary School
Middle School
High School
We are Water with birds and a sun: connecting communities
Cartoon graphic of young people embracing with a speech bubble that says "Earn the We are Water Patch!" and the We are Water logo
Watershed Stewardship Patch Activity

Earn a We Are Water Patch by becoming familiar with your local watershed!

 We can be good watershed stewards by taking positive actions that will help to ensure the watershed’s healthy functions. In this activity, students learn how to be good watershed stewards and become familiar with their local watershed through observation, positive action, and community engagement.
Scout Patch/Badge
STEAM Activity
Action Project
Elementary School
Middle School
High School
We are Water with birds and a sun: connecting communities
Cartoon graphic of two people talking and the text "Conversation Guides"
Guía de Conversación: Nuestra Relación con el Agua | Conversation Guide: Our Relationship with Water

This structured conversation guide is a great way to begin a dialogue about shared experiences with water in your community!

 En esta conversación, los participantes van a discutir su cuenca compartida y conectar a través de sus experiencias únicas y compartidas sobre el agua en la región. Esperamos que los participantes compartan sus recuerdos e historias sobre el agua y que se junten para imaginar el futuro que quieren para sus comunidades.
Lesson
Middle School
High School
University/College
Out-of-school/Non-formal
We are Water with birds and a sun: connecting communities
Cartoon graphic of two people talking and the text "Conversation Guides"
Conversation Guide: Our Relationship with Water

This structured conversation guide is a great way to begin a dialogue about shared experiences with water in your community!

 In this conversation, participants will explore their shared watershed and local ecosystems, and connect with neighbors through their common and unique experiences with water in the region. We hope individuals, families, and communities will share their memories and stories about water and come together to imagine a future they want for their communities.
Lesson
Middle School
High School
University/College
Out-of-school/Non-formal
We are Water with birds and a sun: connecting communities
Screen Capture from Rocky Mountain National Park Virtual Reality tour
Ecosystems of Rocky Mountain National Park

This virtual reality tour is part of a larger lesson focused on ecosystems.

 Students explore biotic and abiotic interactions in Rocky Mountain National Park ecosystems in this virtual reality tour.
Lesson
Virtual field trip
Middle School
Cartoon graphic of a young girl and boy dressed as superheros and the text "¡SÉ UN HÉROE DEL ECOSISTEMA DEL AGUA! Combate la contaminación del agua jugando en equipo y sal de casa para Buscar un Polinizador"
Sé un héroe del ecosistema del agua | Be a Water Ecosystem Hero Take & Make Kit

This Take & Make Kit will help you become a water ecosystem hero that can battle water pollution, protect our rivers, and recognize pollinators in your local environment! 

 Combate la contaminación del agua jugando en equipo y sal de casa para buscar un polinizador.
Game
eBook
STEAM Activity
Elementary School
Middle School
We are Water with birds and a sun: connecting communities
Cartoon graphic of a young girl and boy dressed as superheros and the text "BE A WATER ECOSYSTEM HERO! Battle Water Pollution in a collaborative game and get outside to Find a Pollinator"
Be a Water Ecosystem Hero Take & Make Kit

This Take & Make Kit will help you become a water ecosystem hero that can battle water pollution, protect our rivers, and recognize pollinators in your local environment! 

 Student's work together to protect a river from water pollution in a collaborative board game, search for evidence of pollinators in their backyard, and learn about the connections between water, pollution and pollinators.
Game
eBook
STEAM Activity
Elementary School
Middle School
We are Water with birds and a sun: connecting communities
Demonstrates an arctic food web with animals including ocean algae, zooplankton, polar cod, a seal colored gray, a bowhead whale colored black and white, a polar bear, and sea ice algae colored green. In the background is a yellow sun, light blue sky, and there is also White Sea ice which the polar bear is on and the sea ice algae is underneath.
Data Puzzle: Tracing Carbon Through the Arctic Food Web

This data puzzle is a stand-alone lesson that is part of a larger collection of data puzzles.

The Arctic is home to a huge variety of living things (humans included) that have adapted to harsh conditions. However, these conditions are changing as Arctic temperatures rise and sea ice declines. In this Data Puzzle, students trace the flow of carbon through the Arctic food web to construct explanatory models for the following question, "How might the decline in sea ice affect Arctic organisms large and small?"

Lesson
Data Puzzle Resource
Middle School
High School
Data Puzzles Logo
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
Data Puzzles Logo
Seen from the air the Polarstern floats alongside the MOSAiC ice floe
Introduction to the MOSAiC Expedition

Introduction to the MOSAiC Expedition is one of four activities in the The Drifting North Polar Planetarium Experience that invites students to explore what it was like to participate in the MOSAiC expedition to the North Pole.

 In this activity, students will learn about the conditions in the Arctic and the scientists who study them through slides, audio podcast, and a worksheet. Learning will be guided with the driving questions: What is the Arctic? Who studies the Arctic? and Why should we care about the Arctic?
Lesson
Middle School
Demonstrates an arctic food web with animals including ocean algae, zooplankton, polar cod, a seal colored gray, a bowhead whale colored black and white, a polar bear, and sea ice algae colored green. In the background is a yellow sun, light blue sky, and there is also White Sea ice which the polar bear is on and the sea ice algae is underneath.
A Changing Arctic Ecosystem

This storyline unit consists of 8 lessons, each tied to NGSS life science standards

 The Arctic is warming more rapidly than anywhere else on Earth. One consequence of a warming Arctic is a dramatic decline in sea ice, an important habitat for many Arctic plants and animals. In this unit students will engage with 360° virtual reality tours, hands-on labs, and authentic Arctic datasets as they gather evidence to construct explanatory models for the unit driving question, "How might the decline in sea ice affect Arctic organisms large and small?"
Unit
Middle School
High School
Mosaic logo
Cartoon image of green pine trees with orange fire shapes over them with dead brown brush at the bottom and a dark grayish blue sky
The Future of Forests

This storyline unit consists of 9 lessons, each tied to NGSS life science standards

 In this middle school unit supported by NASA, students engage with online interactives, authentic datasets, and citizen science protocols to construct models and explanations for the unit driving question, "How do landscapes recover after a wildfire?"
Unit
Middle School
High School
Grand Canyon National Park with image of canyon with red and orange rocks, and a winding blue river, and some green trees in the foreground.
We are Water Kahoot Trivia - Expert Level

Answer some fun trivia questions about the science of water and the geography of the Four Corners Region! Pick a level where you want to start and see how far you can go!

 Challenge your students with expert level trivia from We are Water about the science of water and the geography of the Four Corners Region.
Game
Middle School
High School
University/College
Out-of-school/Non-formal
We are Water with birds and a sun: connecting communities
Reflection Canyon at sunset with still water in the canyon which is made of varying shades of orange rock. The sunset in the background is mostly light blue and pink.
We are Water Kahoot Trivia - Advanced Level

Answer some fun trivia questions about the science of water and the geography of the Four Corners Region! Pick a level where you want to start and see how far you can go!

 Challenge your students with advanced level trivia from We are Water about the science of water and the geography of the Four Corners Region.
Game
Middle School
High School
We are Water with birds and a sun: connecting communities
A flooding orange river with dark clouds in the sky and green brush surrounding the river
We are Water Kahoot Trivia - Intermediate Level

Answer some fun trivia questions about the science of water and the geography of the Four Corners Region! Pick a level where you want to start and see how far you can go!

 Challenge your students with intermediate level trivia from We are Water about the science of water and the geography of the Four Corners Region.
Game
Middle School
High School
We are Water with birds and a sun: connecting communities
Child splashing and playing in a body of water with orange sunlight in background
We are Water Kahoot Trivia - Beginner Level

Answer some fun trivia questions about the science of water and the geography of the Four Corners Region! Pick a level where you want to start and see how far you can go!

 Challenge your students with beginner level trivia from We are Water about the science of water and the geography of the Four Corners Region.
Game
Elementary School
Middle School
We are Water with birds and a sun: connecting communities
Light blue meltwater on the ice shelf
What do we already know, or think we know, about climate & Antarctica?

This is the first lesson of a five-part curriculum about Antarctic physical environments and ecosystems.

 In this lesson, students will elicit initial ideas about climate, explore images of Antarctica, learn important vocabulary, and synthesize how satellite imagery can help us understand climate change in Antarctica.
Lesson
High School
A group of seven penguins on an ice sheet with the dark ocean in the background
How does the changing climate impact the penguins around Antarctica?

This is the second lesson of a five-part curriculum about Antarctic physical environments and ecosystems. 

 In this lesson, students investigate the life history characteristics of different Antarctic penguin species and identify the changes that their populations have experienced.
Lesson
High School
Emperor penguin colony gathers tightly together on dark blue snow
Antarctic Life & Albedo

This is the third lesson of a five-part curriculum about Antarctic physical environments and ecosystems. 

 In this lesson, students explore the importance of albedo (or reflectivity) to penguins and the surfaces they inhabit and learn how penguin colonies may be mapped using satellites.
Lesson
High School
The carcasses of dead fish lie in a dry lake bed.
What Impact do Increasing Greenhouse Gases Have?

This is the sixth and final lesson in the Climate Resiliency Education High School Climate Unit.

 In this lesson, students utilize case studies to learn about the ways climate change is currently impacting people and other living things around the world.
Lesson
High School
A wide alpine landscape with snow-capped mountains in the distance under a cloudy sky. In the foreground, a rocky meadow with sparse patches of grass and a large flat rock is visible
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.

 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
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
Extremes
Greenish yellow fern growing in between two brown rocks
Photosynthesis, Respiration, and the Short-Term Carbon Cycle

Project EXTREMES lessons were written to be stand alone lessons but can be incorporated into a larger unit.

 This lesson is focused on the short-term cycling of carbon and is designed to put the processes of photosynthesis and respiration within a global perspective.
Lesson
Middle School
Extremes
Human footprints and wildlife tracks converge on snow at Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
Animal Tracks Can Illuminate Many Things: A Detective Exercise

Project EXTREMES lessons were written to be stand alone lessons but can be incorporated into a larger unit.

 Having students follow animal tracks (even just people, dogs, or squirrels) and investigating how tracks are made is a fun and exciting way to develop critical thinking, measurement, and graphing skills.
Lesson
Middle School
Extremes
Flock of birds landing at Elkhorn Slough where there is green moss over black sand and blue water in the background.
Population Estimates: Bringing Math and Science Together

Project EXTREMES lessons were written to be stand alone lessons, but this activity may be used prior to a field study to provide students with practice in estimating or used in a unit on ecosystems.

 During this activity students will learn how to estimate population size using two techniques, density extrapolation and the mark-recapture method.
Lesson
Middle School
Extremes
Two mostly black cows grazing on green grass with foggy green grassy hillside in background
Energy Pyramids and Food Webs

Project EXTREMES lessons were written to be stand alone lessons but can be incorporated into a larger unit.

 In this lesson, students identify the sun as the source of energy and understand how energy flows through an ecosystem. 
Lesson
Middle School
Extremes
Illustration of two people high-fiving in a work environment

Get involved and stay up-to-date with CIRES CEEE.

Join Our Mailing List Donate to CIRES CEEE Get Involved