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Students learn about the Darvaza Crater and ponder what keeps it burning. Then they analyze the Keeling Curve and consider the source of the increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide. In the activities to follow, they explore fossil fuel formation, use, benefits, and consequences through a series of readings. By sorting everyday objects and diagramming a simple model of the global carbon cycle, students consider how carbon generally cycles through Earth’s systems, including as fossil fuels. This lesson is part of the Carbon Trackers unit.

Rusty spotted cats are the smallest felines in the world, but these little cats have some extremely powerful senses. In this video from Super Cats: A NATURE Miniseries, students will learn how one tiny cat uses his senses to navigate the world around him. Support materials include discussion questions, vocabulary, and a hands-on activity where students use their sense of touch to help a rusty spotted cat find its way home.

For more resources from NATURE check out the collection page.

Players take on the role of bilbies, rabbit-sized Australian marsupials, as they race through the landscape looking for food and avoiding predators—and trying not to run into rocks—in this interactive game from PLUM LANDING™. They also learn about the bilby’s life cycle and the plants and animals that share its ecosystem.

In this lesson, students will mix ice and salt in a metal can to make it very cold. They will then see liquid water and ice form on the outside of the can. Students will watch an animation of water molecules arranged as ice.

Students will be able to explain on the molecular level why a low enough temperature can cause the water vapor in the air to condense to liquid water and then freeze to form ice.

Steve Trash teaches kids about science with fun and magic. The show is filmed in Alabama.

Steve shares all sorts of magical ideas about wildlife and the wild critters, why they're important, and what things people need to do to protect them. Then, Steve explores the world of robots. What exactly IS a robot? What do robots do? Can robots think? Watch and find out!

Students explore the human effects of climate change and global strategies for mitigation and adaptation. Next, they track their own carbon footprint and interview school community members to identify key carbon-emitting behaviors. Finally, students design and present a Climate Change Challenge Pledge to help others in the school community commit to reducing their climate impact. This lesson is part of the Climate Change Challenge unit.

Angiosperm plants reproduce by producing seeds inside a flower. There are two kinds of angiosperms: monocotyledons and dicotyledons.

The classroom resource provides a video that will describe the process of reproduction of flowering plants. After utilizing this resource, the students can complete the short test to assess their understanding.

The shape of a bird's beak says a lot about what the bird eats. Whether long or short, broad or narrow, each type of beak is perfectly matched to a particular type of food. This collection of images shows a wide range of beak types and the kinds of food each might be used to eat.

In this lesson, students will observe the dissolving of the sugar coating from an M&M when it is placed in water. Students will then help design an experiment to see if the type of liquid the M&M is placed in affects how much of the coating dissolves.

Students will be able to explain, on the molecular level, how the polar characteristic of water and sugar interact so that water dissolves sugar. Students will be able to identify and control the variables in their experiment. Students will also be able to explain why a nonpolar liquid, such as mineral oil, is not good at dissolving sugar.

Students are challenged, using everyday objects, to create simple machines to complete specific tasks. They are introduced to the concept that simple machines make work easier. Students will complete challenges using levers, pulleys, wheel and axles, and robots. 

Students will play the role of the audio engineer who monitors and adjusts the audio levels for a production. This animated interactive job exploration experience connects schoolwork with real work and familiarizes students with some of the skills involved in audio engineering. They will also understand the parts of waves and that the intensity (loudness or softness) of sound is determined by the amplitude of the sound wave. 

May the force be with you as you learn about using text features (like captions, bold print, subheadings, icons, and glossaries) to find facts about the force known as gravity! A big silly walrus will travel with you through this lesson.

Students will describe the way the sun and moon move in the sky. Working in groups, they will create a dance to show how the sun rises and sets in the sky. They will describe the levels in the morning, midday, and sunset. Another group will create a dance to show how the moon rises and sets in the sky and describe the levels that could be seen. The groups will combine their dances to show the complete process.        

In this activity, students learn about the parts of a wave, wave height, and wavelength and then draw and label a wave.

Students explore how butterflies change and grow throughout their life cycle in this interactive lesson from NATURE. Through captivating video content and interactive activities, students will discover the amazing transformation process from a tiny caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly.

For more resources from NATURE, check out the collection page.

Introduce your children to the concepts of physical science, specifically motion and stability: forces and interactions with this game from The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! Nick and Sally are testing out the newest slides in Frictionarium. By changing a slide's height and texture, kids will engage in cause and effect as they race with Thing 1 and Thing 2.

Students will virtually explore various NASA spacecraft that have been involved in actual Mars missions. They will learn about the technical aspects of the engineering of each spacecraft and the instruments on board, such as spectrometers, seismometers, sampler arms, etc., and how they are used. Students will also know the findings of each spacecraft’s mission. After completing the Mission to Mars artifact immersion activity, students will be prepared to engage in argument from evidence to compare various theories for the formation and changing nature of the universe and our solar system as it relates to Mars and the Martian environment. 

The teacher will present an informational text from the website, ReadWorks. Students will interact with this non-fiction text by annotating the text digitally. This learning activity can introduce students to the concept of physical weathering or serve as reinforcement after students have already learned this concept. This classroom resource can be paired with the classroom resource "Chemical Weathering of Rocks," so students can compare and contrast these two destructive forces.

When you hear the word, "work," what is the first thing you think of? Maybe sitting at a desk? Maybe plowing a field? Maybe working out? Work is a word that has a little bit of a different meaning in Physics. In this video, Dr. Shini is going to walk us through it. She will also discuss energy and power. 

There is a whole new world in the water, and we are here to learn all about it. Join us for a trip into the aquatic ecosystems!

There are two main types of aquatic ecosystems: freshwater and saltwater. The main difference between these two ecosystems is, you guessed it, saltiness. Oceans, rivers, swamps, bogs, and streams are all aquatic ecosystems.

The classroom resource provides a video that will describe the different organisms that inhabit freshwater and saltwater ecosystems. There is also a short test that can be used to assess students' understanding.

Students explore similarities and differences in the life cycle of organisms and are introduced to the process of metamorphosis. This lesson deepens students' understanding of the similarities and differences in the life cycles of organisms. The lesson begins with a reading of Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Next, students use a video to study the developmental stages of frogs, dragonflies, and butterflies. They compare insect and frog life cycles to each other and to the stages of human development.