List of all Biosphere Mini Lessons

Select a Sphere:

black atmosphere icon
Atmosphere
color biosphere icon
Biosphere
black cryosphere icon
Cryosphere
black geosphere icon
Geosphere
black hydrosphere icon
Hydrosphere
earth systems icon
Earth as a System


Select a Grade Band:
all grade icon
3-12
elementary grade icon
3-5
middle grade icon
6-8
high grade icon
9-12
Grade Level: 6-8

This mini lesson focuses on the 2015-2016 El Niño event and how its weather conditions triggered regional disease outbreaks throughout the world. Students will review a NASA article and watch the associated video to use as a tool to compare with maps related to 2

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

This mini lesson engages students by watching a NASA video related to seasonal chlorophyll concentration as it relates to net radiation using NASA's Aqua satellite. Students will examine the model and answer the questions.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Students learn how to estimate the "energy efficiency" of photosynthesis, or the amount of energy that plants absorb for any given location on Earth.

Grade Level: 3-5

Help learners envision themselves as explorers, scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians as they venture into the summer months.  Download the PDF of the two sided document on cardstock and have students imagine and illustrate themselves! 

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

Students will analyze a pie chart (circle graph) showing the distribution of different parts of the Earth system's absorption and reflection of energy. 

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere is affected by many processes including fires, deforestation, and plant respiration. Students will evaluate a Landsat image to determine the rate of carbon dioxide sequestration in a particular area.

Mini lessons are intended to be short engagement activities that teachers may assign as bell-ringers, exit slips, or parts of larger learning lessons. These include activities where students interact with NASA maps, graphs, and datasets from the atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere and the earth system.