Students will describe the changes in a newly-formed volcanic island over the first three years of its life.  

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

Students observe the surface temperatures of a variety of surface types found in a suburban environment.

Watch NASA videos about aerosols and volcanic ash.

Students analyze the stability and change of sea level after watching a visualization of sea level height around the world. 

Students compare climographs for two locations to determine the most likely months to expect the emergence of mosquitoes in each location.

Students track weather over time and create a bar chart to track their data. 

In this lesson, students will explore the effect of aerosols on sky color and visibility by using an interactive virtual model. 

Through guided inquiry, students will identify interactions of the four major scientific spheres on Earth: biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and geosphere. They will then identify how these systems are represented and interact in their classroom aquarium.

Students synthesize information from My NASA Data maps and texts from the EPA website to determine how levels of criteria pollutants have changed from 2005 to 2021. This research will prepare them to respond to the lesson’s essential questions during a Socratic seminar.