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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

Hurricane Tracks shows global tropical cyclones from 1950 - 2020. The majority of this activity is in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Eastern pacific, Southwest Asia, and in the Indian Ocean.

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

The Age of the Seafloor. The image demonstrates that the seafloor tends to be the youngest in the middle of each ocean, and the oldest near the coasts of the continents.

Age of the Seafloor

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

The National Risk Index Map demonstrates natural hazard risk data across the United States by county. Most of central US is in blue and demonstrates lowered hazard risk. Most coastal regions and counties with major cities are red and more at risk.

National Risk Index - County-level Hazards

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

High School

2024 Arctic sea ice summer minimum. The image depicts a satellite view of the Arctic where the sea ice is at a minimum during the summer as compared to the median extent that has been averaged from 1981 to 2010.

Arctic Sea Ice and Glaciers - Effects of Albedo

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

Satellite analysis of global historical precipitation data colored to represent the departure from normal based on the precipitation totals higher than the 1981-2010 average. The graph shows that North America, most of South America, Southern Africa, and Europe are receiving less precipitation than usual. It also shows more precipitation than normal in Latin America and parts of Africa. All of Southeast Asia and Australia are receiving significantly more moisture than usual.

Precipitation Departure - LA Fires

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

High School

Land Surface Temperature of the Americas in Fahrenheit

Land Surface Temperature - Arctic Blast

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

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

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

Satellite shot of the Earth from space at night with light pollution.

Earth at Night - Human Impact

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 sharpen their critical thinking skills by making careful observations, forming ideas, and backing them up with evidence.

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

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

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

Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly - El Niño

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

Illustration of two people high-fiving in a work environment

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