This resource from NOAA provides a full unit on observation vs. modeling. It includes a series of 8 activities that use a virtual reality model and graphs to introduce concepts in the construction and application of scientific models. Students will use observations to create and validate models with a temperature and fisheries management case study and understand how the simplicity and assumptions of a model will effect its forecasting power.

Through the five lessons in this module, students will explore relationships between carbon dioxide, ocean pH, and aragonite saturation state. By examining these parameters using interactive graphs and models, students can predict whether ocean conditions support the growth and survival of shell-building marine life, both now and in the future.

This self-paced online resource from NOAA explores the relationship between water quality and estuarine ecology through a series of 5 levels that range from one to two 45 minute class periods.

This resource uses datasets, videos, text, and discussions to support an understanding of patterns in megafires under climate change conditions. This resource provides an excellent scientific overview of the wildfires impacting the Western United States. It includes expert interviews, data, and model creation that all involve sound science. It looks at cause and effect to consider the future of wildfires.

Through this resource from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), students will define, investigate, and answer questions about what caused the megadrought in the Colorado River Basin from 2000-2021. This lesson uses text, contextual videos, and datasets from NOAA and NASA to teach the concepts of megadrought and evapotranspiration.

In this activity, students analyze and interpret data on the reproduction of moss campion plants to explore how increasing temperatures could impact these specialized tundra plants.

In this interactive lesson, students will use kinesthetic techniques to model Earth's orbit around the Sun for a year. In this activity students will understand the astronomical meaning of an earth year, and learn the difference between a rotation and an orbit.

In this lesson set, students begin unpacking the complex aspects of climate change by analyzing the global impacts of extreme weather events. After that, they narrow their focus through various national, regional, and community lenses. By examining these different levels of climate impact, students more accurately assess the relationship between severe weather events and current climate trends, as well as design potential mitigation solutions for the future of their community.

This lesson plan is the second in a series of 6 modules on climate change. This lesson plan defines common vocabulary such as model, trend, projection, prediction, weather, and climate. Students will practice scientific skills like graphing, interpreting graphs, and evaluating models to understand how climate data and models are created, interpreted, and refined. The lessons guide students through the analysis of real-world climate data to understand how scientists generate models and make projections. Students will understand how climate modeling has evolved over time and that different models have varying degrees of accuracy.

This activity is the last part in a series called 'Our Hungry Planet.' Students will use their understanding of food systems to choose a topic related to food system issues at different scales (classroom, school, city, extracurricular groups) and then design a solution.