NGSS Discipline: Earth and Space Sciences
Free classroom-ready environmental science lesson plans created and vetted by educators
Can We Save Corals? Using Models and Evidence to Evaluate Solutions
Students investigate coral bleaching and evaluate human intervention solutions through ecosystem modeling, data analysis, evidence sorting, and CER argumentation.
To Burn or Not to Burn? Evaluating the Role of Fire in Ecosystems
Students evaluate the role of wildfires and prescribed burns in managing forests through multimedia analysis, group discussions, and evidence-based argumentation.
Redwood Resilience: Analyzing Tree Rings and Wildfire Recovery
Teach what influences redwood forest recovery after wildfires and how tree rings provide historical climate data, helping scientists understand past droughts, fires, and growth conditions.
Observe Like a Phenologist: Tracking Nature’s Patterns Over Time
Students collect outdoor field data and observe local ecosystems over time in this hands-on NGSS-aligned lesson.
OBSERVER: Seeing, Sensing, and Inferring
NGSS-aligned middle school lesson to help students master the essential scientific distinction between observation and inference.
The Basis of a Good Hypothesis
Free Nature of Science lesson plan for grades 6-10. Includes a hands-on hypothesis cube activity and a video on indigenous knowledge and nitrogen cycling.
