This article highlights lesson plans and activities that help elementary students develop map skills as they learn earth science concepts.

This article provides links to web sites that describe the Arctic and Antarctica in terms of geography, climate, and ecosystems.

In this video segment from Nature, learn about six different breeds of cattle.

In this segment from Curious, learn about creating energy from solar rays to meet the growing energy needs of the world.

This article includes a menu of post-reading activities for use with any nonfiction text. Students spend $50 on their choice of activities.

Through discussion and hands-on experimentation, students learn about the geological (ancient) carbon cycle. They investigate the role of dinosaurs in the carbon cycle and the eventual storage of carbon in the form of chalk. Students discover how the carbon cycle has been occurring for millions of years and is necessary for life on Earth. Finally, they may extend their knowledge to the concept of global warming and how engineers are working to understand the carbon cycle and reduce harmful CO2 emissions.

This expository article for elementary students describes the dinosaurs that lived in polar regions as well as the adaptations that helped them survive in the dark and cold environment. Modified versions for younger grades are available.

Students disassemble and analyze retractable pens. Through the process of "reverse engineering," they learn how the ink pens work.

Students discover the mathematical constant phi, the golden ratio, through hands-on activities. They measure dimensions of "natural objects"—a star, a nautilus shell and human hand bones—and calculate ratios of the measured values, which are close to phi. Then students learn a basic definition of a mathematical sequence, specifically the Fibonacci sequence. By taking ratios of successive terms of the sequence, they find numbers close to phi. They solve a squares puzzle that creates an approximate Fibonacci spiral. Finally, the instructor demonstrates the rule of the Fibonacci sequence via a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT robot equipped with a pen. The robot (already created as part of the companion activity, The Fibonacci Sequence & Robots) draws a Fibonacci spiral that is similar to the nautilus shape.

Students learn about biomimicry and the engineering design process as they design and build model ptarmigan feet.

Students explore the concept of optical character recognition (OCR) in a problem-solving environment. They research OCR and OCR techniques and then apply those methods to the design challenge by developing algorithms capable of correctly "reading" a number on a typical high school sports scoreboard. Students use the structure of the engineering design process to guide them to develop successful algorithms. In the associated activity, student groups implement, test and revise their algorithms. This software design lesson/activity set is designed to be part of a Java programming class.

Testing is critical to any design, whether the creation of new software or a bridge across a wide river. Despite risking the quality of the design, the testing stage is often hurried in order to get products to market. In this lesson, students focus on the testing phase of the software/systems design process. They start by exploring existing examples of program testing using the CodingBat website, which contains a series of problems and challenges that students solve using the Java programming language. Working in teams, students practice writing test cases for other groups' code, and then write test cases for a program before writing the program itself.

In this interactive activity from the Building Big Web site, think like an engineer and use your knowledge of dome design to match the right type of dome to the right location in a fictitious city.

Students practice creating rudimentary detail drawings. They learn how engineers communicate the technical information about their designs using the basic components of detail drawings. They practice creating their own drawings of a three-dimensional block and a special LEGO piece, and then make 3D sketches of an unknown object using only the information provided in its detail drawing.

Students use a compass and a permanent magnet to trace the magnetic field lines produced by the magnet. By positioning the compass in enough spots around the magnet, the overall magnet field will be evident from the collection of arrows representing the direction of the compass needle. In activities 3 and 4 of this unit, students will use this information to design a way to solve the grand challenge of separating metal for a recycling company.

In this video adapted from ANDRILL, find out how geoscientists get through more than a dozen football fields of ice and water in order to study the rock and sediment beneath Antarctica.

To support educators in offering immersive, K-12 “hands on” learning, DriveOhio has curated free curriculum organized by educational topic and grade bands. The curriculum activities are scalable, flexible, and modular. Each curriculum topic contains a list of necessary resources and a detailed lesson plan to walk educators through step-by-step. DriveOhio offers a variety of curriculum for topics including: Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations; Automated Vehicles and Delivery Robots; Drones, Advanced Air Mobility, and Vertiports; Connected Vehicles and Intersections; and Smart City Planning. DriveOhio has also compiled extra resources related to the curriculum for both teachers and students to learn more.

This issue of the free online magazine, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, explores glaciers, wind, water, and volcanoes and their role in shaping the landscape of the polar regions.

This article assembles free resources from the Earth's Changing Surface issue of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears cyberzine into a unit outline based on the 5E learning cycle framework. Outlines are provided for Grades K-2 and 3-5.

In this activity, students will compare their lives on Earth with a virtual experience on Mars. They will begin by using their five senses (sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste) to illustrate and describe various aspects of their lives on Earth. After similarly describing their virtual time on Mars, they will consider the biggest similarities and differences between their “time” on the two planets. They will then create a newspaper article or news report script that strives to help their audience understand what life is like in this deep-space colony.

Estimated time required: 1-2 class periods.

Technology required for this lesson: Laptop/Desktop, Tablet.