This article includes links to expository text for students in grades K-1, 2-3, and 4-5 about the climate differences between the Arctic and Antarctica.

In this OLogy activity, kids learn how a compass works and why it will always point north. The activity begins with an overview that discusses our reliance on directions and how a compass works. Students are then given step-by-step, illustrated directions for creating a compass with a sewing needle, a small bar magnet, a small piece of foam, and other household items. The activity includes ideas about how to try out your compass.

This article presents an overview of news and information presentations around the issue of polar bears drowning at sea due to melting polar ice, and how students might hone their news and information analysis skills taking into account media bias.

Students investigate motors and electromagnets as they construct their own simple electric motors using batteries, magnets, paper clips and wire.

This article is about the latest remake of Jules Verne's popular 144-year-old novel Journey to the Center of the Earth that also provides links to the American Geologic Institute's (AIG) Educator Guide for using the movie (Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D) to interest students in geology and earth science.

This nonfiction article, written for elementary students, discusses the unique characteristics of the North and South poles. The student article is available as a text-only document, illustrated book, and electronic book. Related lesson plans are included for teacher use.

Students will create a panorama drawing of their own landscape.  They will include landmarks and cardinal directions in their drawings, and use their drawings to plot the movement of the sun in the sky over the course of a day. They may make their observations in one day, or over a period of days or weeks. Once students have created their own panoramas, they will look at panoramas taken in the North and South Poles and compare similarities and differences. They will then explore the “Sun Path Simulator” online. Before beginning these lessons, students should already know: 1) How to find the four, cardinal directions, and 2) That the Earth rotates on its axis, and revolves around the sun. 3) How to tell time.  This unit pairs nicely with the Mystery Science Unit, Spinning Sky. Where indicated, worksheets and videos for lessons can be found on their website. Links to all other worksheets for the entire unit are in the “Overview” Section of my slideshow. Each day’s lesson comes with a worksheet to focus the students and to show evidence of student learning.

This free, standards-based website developed for elementary teachers provides hand-picked, reviewed, on-line resources to enhance teacher content knowledge regarding reasons for the seasons.

This article provides ideas and lessons on how elementary teachers can integrate webcams from the Arctic and Antarctica into their teaching. Five webcams are highlighted as well as three lessons on writing poetry and observing animal behavior.

This article discusses the controversies surrounding North Pole exploration that began in the early 1900s and continue to be debated today.