Science On a Sphere

The visually stunning Weston Family Lab for Earth and Space Exploration allows students to explore Earth and its systems using authentic data on the only publicly available NOAA Science On a Sphere in New Jersey. The six-foot spherical visualization globe can show hundreds of high-resolution global images and animations of the Earth, sun, moon, and planets, bringing earth and space science vividly to life.

Our Science On a Sphere programs are presented live by LSC’s educators, allowing for plenty of interaction between the students, the presenters, and the visually stunning, data-rich content. See earthquakes, hurricane tracks, sea surface temperatures, plate tectonics, weather patterns, and more!

Email us at groups@lsc.org for more details or to make a reservation. Please include your name, school or organization, group size, preferred dates and any other details or questions. An LSC team member will respond to you soon!

Interested in learning more about how the Science On a Sphere can be used for climate change education programming? Click here to get all the details.

Grades Pre-K-2

Fast Change, Slow Change (30-45 Minutes)

Available online or at LSC. Explore how Earth has changed over time using Science On a Sphere. Observe continents shift, separate, and collide. See what the planet looked like in the days of the dinosaurs. Examine the different ways and rates at which the forces of wind, water, and ice have changed our planet. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 2-ESS1-1 Use information from several sources to provide evidence that Earth events can occur quickly or slowly. 2 ESS2-3 Obtain information to identify where water is found on Earth and that it can be solid or liquid. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: W.2.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. SL.2.2 Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. Connection to NJSLS - Mathematics: MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.4 Model with mathematics.

Rain, Rain, Go Away! (30-45 Minutes)

Available online or at LSC. Explore causes of our weather using Science On a Sphere. See how Earth’s weather changes from place to place and season to season. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: K-ESS2-1 Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time. 2 ESS2-3 Obtain information to identify where water is found on Earth and that it can be solid or liquid. Connection to NJSLS - Mathematics: MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.4 Model with mathematics.

Grades 3-5

Climate Change (30-45 Minutes)

Available online or at LSC. Explore the causes and impacts of climate change using Science On a Sphere, the digital globe developed by NOAA to bring Earth's processes vividly alive. Collaborate to brainstorm creative solutions to address the vital issue of climate change. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 3-ESS2-1 Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season. 3-ESS2-2 Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: W.3.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. Connections to NJSLS - Mathematics: MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

Introduction to Spheres (30-45 Minutes)

Available online or at LSC. Science On a Sphere brings the nature of Earth Systems Science vividly to life. Explore the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere and how these spheres interact with one another. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 4-ESS2-2 Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features. 5-ESS2-1 Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: RI.5.7 Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently. Connections to NJSLS - Mathematics: MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

Weather vs. Climate (30-45 Minutes)

Available online or at LSC. Watch Earth data sets come alive on Science On a Sphere. Explore climate changes over time and how the short-term weather changes are different from the long-term changes of climate. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 3-ESS2-1 Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season. 3-ESS2-2 Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: W.3.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. Connections to NJSLS - Mathematics: MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

Grades 6 - 8

Climate Change (30-45 Minutes)

Available online or at LSC. Explore the causes and impacts of climate change using Science On a Sphere, the digital globe developed by NOAA to bring Earth's processes vividly alive. Collaborate to brainstorm creative solutions to address the vital issue of climate change. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 5-ESS2-1 Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season. MS-ESS2-5. Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: RI.5.7 Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently. Connections to NJSLS - Mathematics: MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

Grades 9-12

Violent Planet (30-45 Minutes)

Available online or at LSC. Explore the often violent forces that have shaped our planet, from currently active volcanoes and earthquakes to Earth’s distant past, using Science On a Sphere. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: HS-ESS2-1 Develop a model to illustrate how Earth’s internal and surface processes operate at different spatial and temporal scales to form continental and ocean-floor features. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: SL.11-12.5 Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. Connections to NJSLS - Mathematics: MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively. HSN-Q.A.2 Define appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling.

Climate Change (45 Minutes)

Explore the causes and impacts of climate change using Science On a Sphere, the digital globe developed by NOAA to bring Earth's processes vividly alive. Collaborate to brainstorm creative solutions to address the vital issue of climate change. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: HS-ESS2-4. Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems result in changes in climate. Connections to NJSLS - Mathematics: MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively.