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

This activity is designed to introduce students to geologic processes on Earth and how to identify geologic features in images. It will also introduce students to how scientists use Earth to gain a better understanding of other planetary bodies in the solar system. 

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Students are introduced to the Earthrise phenomenon by seeing the Earth as the Apollo 8 astronauts viewed our home planet for the first time from the Moon.  They will analyze a time series of mapped plots of Earth science variables that NASA monitors to better understand the Earth

Grade Level: 6-8

In this lesson, students will investigate the drivers of climate change, including adding carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, sea level rise, and the effect of decreasing sea ice on temperatures.

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8

This activity invites students to simulate and observe the different effects on sea level from melting sea-ice.

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.

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.