The PyeongChang Winter Olympics are halfway through, and students across the world are watching athletes stretch the limits of possibility. The games offer a great point of interest to engage students in classroom discussions. Here are several science resources on the Internet to help integrate the games into your lesson plans.

Six Lesson Ideas for the Olympics

The Science of Winter Olympic Sports: NBC Learn developed a series of science tutorial videos for the Sochi Olympics in Russia. Each video explains the scientific principles at play in various sports. There is even a video explaining the physics behind Shaun White’s dynamic half pipe skills.

Getting Physical: The New York Times Learning Network published an extensive learning plan for the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. This is a very detailed lesson plan with great exercises that highlight the science behind the Olympics. Check it out.

Olympic Engineering: What does it take to get a city ready for the Olympics? Teach Engineering encourages students to build their own event centers using design process. Students are encouraged to think out of the box as they meet some of the challenges facing them, from geography to resources. Recommended for elementary or early middle school students.

Lesson Plans for Purchase: Teachers Pay Teachers hosts a whole series of lesson plans geared around the games. If you filter down to science, there are still more than 50 lesson plans altogether! Prices range from $2 to $10.

Eight Great STEM Lesson Ideas: Pearson put together a series of math and science lessons related to the winter games, but these could easily be applied to a Summer Olympics, too. Science teachers will find weather-related exercises towards the end of the list.

Gold Medal Olympic Activities: Education World put together a series of Olympic exercises, also for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Some of these include turning your classroom into its own Olympic competition between students!

What would you add?

Weather on the Mind: A Timely Lesson Plan for Your Science Class

With the ever-present threat of extreme events, the topic of weather is likely top of mind for your science students. Use this engaging Weather Prediction lesson plan to address this timely matter and help your students understand weather patterns and how we predict their behavior.

This lesson plan is part of our Weather Prediction learning objective and includes eight exciting games that will engage your students while learning. It’s a perfect opportunity to explore how meteorologists forecast weather events and the impact these predictions can have on our lives.

Let’s turn this moment of heightened awareness into a valuable learning experience. Jump in and explore our Weather Prediction Lesson Plan below!

Learning Objective: Weather Prediction

Objective
Students will be able to:

• Describe the four types of air masses and how they interact to form fronts.
• Explain the causes of weather associated with different fronts.
• Describe how the meeting of certain fronts can cause extreme weather events.

Time Required: 90 minutes

Materials Needed

• Teacher computer with internet access and projector
• Student computers/laptops/tablets with internet access (preferably one per student but at least enough for small groups of 3 -4 students)
• Weather Map Practice handout (attached)

Teacher Preparation

• • Create Playlist 1, a 10-minute playlist in Legends of Learning with the following game found in the Weather Prediction learning objective: Forecaster
  • Create Playlist 2, a 20-minute playlist in Legends of Learning with the following game found in the Weather Prediction learning objective: Sunshine City
  • Make copies of the Weather Map Practice handout.

Download the free Weather Prediction Lesson Plan

Engage: 15 Minutes

• The teacher will play the following videos:
  • Air Masses and Fronts.
  • Weather Information Part 2 – Air Masses and Fronts (below)
• The students will take notes in their science journals on the different types of air masses and fronts described in the two videos.
• The teacher will ask the following questions to prompt discussion in the class:
  • a) Do you ever watch the weather report on the news?
  • b) What kind of information does the reporter show?
  • c) What is the weather today? Tell me your guess about the temperature and the likelihood of rain.

Explore: 10 Minutes

• Students will sign in to Legends of Learning and enter the teacher code.
• The teacher will launch Playlist 1. 
• Students will complete Forecaster as the teacher assists students as needed.
• Stopping gameplay to address the questions asked in the game may be needed.

Explain: 20 Minutes

• 1) Students will be given the Weather Map Practice handout. The teacher should also display the map on a projector/Smartboard so that the students can see the colors on the map.
• 2) Students will answer the following questions:
  • a) What kind of weather conditions do you think are associated with the blue line with triangles on it?
  • b) Based on your observations, which states and regions may be having severe weather on this day? Give your reasons why. Oklahoma, Arizona, and California; all of those states contain an ‘L”’(which designates a low-pressure system) which typically is accompanied by stormy weather. BONUS: Newfoundland (not a state; however it contains an ‘L’)
  • c) What kind of weather would you expect where the warm and cold fronts meet in western Canada? Why? Clear to partly cloudy. Where warm and cold fronts meet is called a stationary front, and weather along a stationary front is typically calm.
• 3) The teacher will discuss the answers to the handout with the students.

Elaborate: 25 Minutes

• 1) Students will log on to The NOAA National Weather Service Just for Kids website.
• 2) The students will first click on the tab labeled Forecast Maps
• 3) The students will describe the national weather on that day by analyzing the “Today’s Forecast” tab. They will do the same for the next two days by clicking on the tabs “Tomorrow’s Forecast” and “Day 3 Forecast”, respectively.
  • a) Students will write their weather forecast for each in their science journal.
• 4) Students will then try to forecast what the weather will be on Day 4.
  • a) Students will write their weather predictions in their science journals.
• 5) Using the “Today’s Forecast” Map, students will make a hypothesis about what the weather will be like in their hometown/city for the next three days.
  • a) Students will write their predictions in their science journals.
• 6) The teacher will discuss student predictions as a whole class.
• 7) Teach will display the NOAA National Weather Service Just for Kids page and will check the accuracy of their forecasts by entering their city name or zip code in the “Customize your Weather.gov” section on the top left of the screen.
• 8) If time allows, students may proceed to the Weather Information Display icon and make their own weather maps by customizing the parameters displayed.

Evaluate: 20 Minutes

• 1) Launch Playlist 2 for students.
• 2) Students will play Sunshine City and be assessed on their ability to answer the questions provided in the game correctly.
• 3) The teacher will analyze student results to determine what concepts need to be a focus for reteaching.

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With next week’s full moon approaching quickly and school just back in session, we decided to share our a lesson plan for our Lunar Phases learning objective. The accompanying learning objective has eight games in total, so check them out.

Lunar Phases Lesson Plan Objective

Students will be able to:

• Name the phases of the moon and identify them based on a model.
• Identify which phase of the moon occurs in various locations in its orbit around Earth.
• Describe why only one side of the moon is visible from Earth.

Requirements

Time Required:
65 minutes

Materials Needed:

• Teacher with computer/internet access
• 1 computer/laptop/iPad per student with internet access
• Styrofoam cups (9 per group)
• Black marker
• Blue marker
• Phases of the Moon Worksheet

Teacher Preparation

1. 1. Create Playlist 1, a 30 minute playlist, in Legends of Learning with the following game found in Lunar Phases: Lunar Wolves, and Ms. Rose and Lunar Phases.
2. 2. Create Playlist 2, a 10-minute playlist in Legends of Learning with 5 assessment questions from the Lunar Phases learning objective.
3. 3. Prepare 9 styrofoam cups (1 set of 9 per group) by coloring in the bottoms to represent the lunar phases. Use the blue marker to completely color the bottom of the ninth cup to represent the Earth.
4. 4. Make copies of the Phases of the Moon Worksheet (available on the PDF version of this lesson plan) for each student.

Engage (5 minutes)

1. 1. Students are divided into groups of 4-5. Each group is given a set of 9 cups. The bottoms of the cups are shaded with marker to represent the various lunar phases. The blue cup is the Earth.
2. 2. Groups are instructed to place the blue cup in the center (bottom up) and surround the “Earth” with the cups showing the lunar phases in what they think is the correct order.
3. 3. Students will keep their model on their table to be revisited later after playing the games.

Explore (30 minutes)

1. 1. Hand out the Phases of the Moon Worksheet to each student.
2. 2. Have students sign into Legends of Learning and enter your teacher code.
3. 3. Launch Playlist 1 to the students.
4. 4. Pass out the Phases of the Moon Worksheet.
5. 5. While students are working through this game they will complete the worksheet.

Explain (15 minutes)

1. 1. Students will get back together in their groups from the Engage activity and re-arrange their phases of the moon model based on the new knowledge they have gained.
2. 2. Teacher will check that each group has an accurate model prior to moving on.
3. 3. Teacher will review the answers to the Phases of the Moon Worksheet by drawing diagrams on the board. Teacher will ask students to come to the board and shade in what the moon looks like for each of the phases.

Elaborate (5 minutes)

1. 1. 1. Explain to students that no matter when we look at the moon, we are always seeing the same side of the moon. On Earth, we never see “the dark side” of the moon.
   2. 2. Show this video to students to help them understand the reason why:

1. 3. Ask students: How do we know what is on the other side of the moon?

(Answer: Satellites have been sent to take pictures of the other side of the moon so we know what it looks like.)

Evaluate (10 minutes)

1. 1. Launch Playlist 2 to your students. When they finish the assessment questions, any time left is freeplay.
2. 2. Analyze student results to determine what concepts need to be a focus for reteaching.

No matter what middle school science lesson you are teaching, there is a game for it on the Legends of Learning platform. Each of the 90 different learning objectives for Earth and Space, Life, and Physical Sciences lessons already has or will shortly have 10 games.

With 900 games, we can say with confidence that there is a game for every lesson.

Still it can be hard to visualize 90 middle school science learning objective. That’s why we created the following periodic chart filled with standard lessons.

You can download you own periodic table of games on Slideshare.

These learning objectives are mapped against national standards. The games are intentionally designed to fit within a conventional class period so they are easy to implement.

As the school year ends, games are the perfect way to keep kids engaged. They are also great for reinforcing lessons as your students prepare for testing. Find the perfect game for your lesson today on the Legends of Learning platform.

If you cannot find a game for your lesson, please contact us at support @ legendsondsoflearning.com. We are so confident that there is a game for your lesson, that we will personally find it.

Earth Day is coming quickly (April 22nd, remember?) and it’s a great opportunity to teach students about conservation, responsibility and being part of a global community.

There are so many ways to make this happen. In addition to the many project based learning opportunities we listed on Monday, you can use games to help students engage in Earth Day.

See our Earth Day Activities and Ideas page for free games, additional resources and lesson plans!

The following is a list of Ambassador recommended playlists of games you can use for Earth Day. They drew from our 90 learning objectives, and more than 600 NGSS aligned science games for middle school that engage students in virtually every topic for Earth, Life and Physical Sciences.

We are dedicated to incorporating Ambassadors’ content suggestions on how to use games in the classroom. In addition, our own team offered an additional playlist.

Without further ado, check out these awesome recommendations and give your students an amazing new Earth Day experience this year.

Janessa Slattery’s Earth Day Playlist

Learning Objective: Increasing and Decreasing Impacts on Earth Systems

Games: Defender: Human Impact on Earth, The Big Picture Hosted by Zedd: Animal Agriculture, Mini City

Synopsis: These games show students the impact of human activities on our planet and ways we can build sustainably to avoid doing major harm.

Mariana Garcia-Serrato‘s Earth Day Playlist

Learning Objective: Global Climate Change

Games: Warm Planet Adventure, Escape Global Climate Change, Greenman and The Global Climate Change, Preventative Measures

Synopsis: Student learn about harmful greenhouse gases, ways to combat a warming atmosphere and environmentally friendly sources of alternative energy.

Caitlin Unterman‘s Earth Day Playlist

Learning Objective: Natural Resources

Games: Wealthy City, Resourceful Adventure, The Story of Natural Resources, Pipe Mechanic: Natural Resources

Synopsis: This playlist is great because it takes students through different games that express the importance of natural resources in our everyday lives. Without natural resources from our Earth, many of our daily activities and technologies would not be possible!

Jennifer Pendleton‘s Earth Day Playlist

Learning Objective: Greenhouse Effect

Games: Infrared Escape, Green Planet Adventure, Little Green Planet

Synopsis: Infrared Escape would be a good refresher on the greenhouse effect. Green Planet Adventure helps review more concepts about the greenhouse effect and reinforce them. Little Green Planet is a chance to apply the concepts learned to make decisions.

Legends of Learning’s Earth Day Playlist

Learning Objective: Human Impacts on Earth Systems

Games: Oscar’s World: Human Impacts on Earth’s Systems, Dam Planner, Bottles: Human Impacts on Earth’s Systems

Synopsis: These three games use a variety of methods to help students understand how their actions have a direct impact on Earth’s ecosystems. Dam Planner really puts students in the drivers seat and helps them actualize their decision making.

You can log in and play these games today on the Legends of Learning platform. To become an ambassador, visit our site and fill out this simple form.