List of all Cryosphere Lesson Plans

Select a Sphere:

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


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

This activity invites students to model and observe the effect of melting ice sheets (from land) on sea level and the difference between the effect of melting sea-ice to that of melting land ice on sea level.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Students will analyze and interpret maps of the average net atmospheric radiation to compare the flow of energy from the Sun toward Earth in different months and for cloudy versus clear days. Students will draw conclusions and support them with evidence.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Students develop and test a hypothesis about how albedo affects temperature.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Students consider the impact of changing conditions on the remote island of Little Diomede, Alaska after they investigate the relationship between seasonal trends in sea ice extent with shortwave and longwave radiation flux described in Earth’s energy budget.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

The Earth System Satellite Images, help the learner visualize how different Earth system variables change over time, establish cause and effect relationships for a specific variable, identify patterns, and determine relationships among variables over one year.

These NASA lessons support Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and three dimensional learning of the Earth System. These include activities where students interact with NASA maps, graphs, and datasets from the atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere and the earth system.