This article highlights lessons and activities that ask students to plan expeditions to Antarctica. Students use math, science, and geography to plan their routes, clothing, and food.

In this media-rich, self-paced lesson, students explore the industries that produce and rely on advanced technology and assess how their goals and interests may make them well suited for a career in this cutting-edge sector.

After a brief history of plastics, students look more closely as some examples from the abundant types of plastics found in our day-to-day lives. They are introduced to the mechanical properties of plastics, including their stress-strain relationships, which determine their suitability for different industrial and product applications. These physical properties enable plastics to be fabricated into a wide range of products. Students learn about the different roles that plastics play in our lives, Young's modulus, and the effects that plastics have on our environment. Then students act as industrial engineers, conducting tests to compare different plastics and performing a cost-benefit analysis to determine which are the most cost-effective for a given application, based on their costs and measured physical properties.

Learners use the Arcadia Earth app to explore how plastics enter waterways, break down into microplastics, and the effects this pollution has on aquatic and marine ecosystems. Utilizing information from the app, the class activity “Trash Dash,” and class discussions, learners will create solutions to reduce and remove plastic within the world’s waters.

Estimated time required: 1-2 class periods.

Technology required for this lesson: Tablet or Smartphone.

This article provides an overview of podcasts and suggestions for using podcasts in the elementary classroom.

This issue of the free online magazine, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, explores the historical and current exploration of the Arctic and Antarctica and provides resources that help elementary teachers incorporate a study of polar explorers into their curriculum.

This article assembles free resources from the Polar Explorers 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 Grades 3-5.

This free, online article, developed for elementary teachers, describes a Kindergarten polar science, standards aligned, unit centered on The Polar Express developing literacy, math, and science skills.

This issue of the free online magazine, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, provides resources for planning a "polar festival," or an informal learning event. The issue includes planning guides, suggested activities, and resources to integrate literacy into the science-themed event.

This article features activity books and polar-themed children's literature for use in the elementary classroom.

This issue of the free online magazine, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, explores the mammals of the polar regions and the adaptations that help them survive in harsh environments.

This article assembles free resources from the Polar Mammals 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.

This issue of the free online magazine, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, explores the characteristics and living systems of the Arctic and Southern Oceans. Instructional resources include ocean-related lessons and informational text about blue whales.

This article assembles free resources from the Polar Oceans 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.

This article features children's literature about oceans - specifically the Arctic and Southern Oceans.

This issue of the free online magazine, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, highlights ways to teach about the extremes in day and night and seasons in the Arctic and Antarctica. The targeted literacy skill is cause/effect relationships. Art and poetry are integrated through a study of the aurora.

This article assembles free resources from the Polar Patterns: Day, Night, and Seasons 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.

This article highlights children's literature about day and night, seasons, the aurora, and cause and effect for use in the elementary classroom.