The Take Action column provides resources that help teachers engage students in activities that connect their science learning to their lives. In this article, students are introduced to household appliances and devices, called energy vampires, that continue to draw electrical current even when turned off. The article offers a few simple activities that students can take to reduce the impact of energy vampires. The Take Action column regularly appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle, which focuses on the essential principles of climate literacy.

In this regular column of the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle, the author looks at the importance of conserving water and practicing good conservation habits daily. The column is designed for teachers in K-Grade 5 classrooms and presents concepts of climate literacy that are appropriate for young children. Identified online resources provide data collection activities, lessons, and games.

This article provides ideas, lessons and resources on how elementary teachers can integrate map skills, math, and art into lessons about the geography of the Arctic and Antarctica.

This article describes energy efficiency as it relates to home and school energy use and provides ways that children can help.

This article profiles Dr. Leigh Stearns, a research scientist with the National Science Foundation's Science and Technology Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) and Assistant Professor in Geology at the University of Kansas who studies glaciers in Greenland.

This article provides an overview of Tapped In, a web-based learning environment for educators and professional development providers.

This article describes the processes of making inferences and using context clues to define unknown words. Links to web sites and articles provide background knowledge and instruction for teachers and students.

This article for elementary teachers discusses what a blog is, why you should blog, how to get students involved, and steps on how to get started with your own blog. Free blogging software is described and exemplary blogs and posts are recommended.

This article for elementary teachers focuses on three tools that allow educators to publish to the web for free - Instructional Architect, Filamentality, and TeacherTube. Design hotlists, webquests, scrapbooks, and upload video.

This article for elementary teachers focuses on why and how to use rubrics to assess student work and how to use online tools like Rubistar and PBL Projects Checklists to construct your own rubrics.

This article for elementary teachers discusses what a wiki is, how to get students involved in this collaborative Web 2.0 tool. Popular wiki service providers and resources are recommended.

This article provides an overview of energy education curriculum materials available from the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project. Teachers may become a member, or use free online resources.

This article provides lesson plans about natural resources and energy sources for elementary teachers.

This article discusses the importance of teaching students to reflect on text through direct instruction and modeling. The article includes a template that can be used with elementary students.

This article introduces ARKive, a digital library of photographs and videos of the world's wildlife. The library gives special priority to at-risk species. The author notes how this interactive resource can be used by K-5 teachers to support other activities connected to the theme of this issue of the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle -- We Depend on Earth's Climate.

This article describes many strategies for meeting the needs of visual and kinesthetic students, including deaf students.

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.

This informational text introduces students to the geographic uniqueness of the North and South Poles. The text is written at a grade four through grade five reading level. This version is a full-color PDF that can be printed, cut and folded to form a book. Each book contains color photographs and illustrations.

This informational text introduces students to the geographic uniqueness of the North and South Poles. The text is written at a grade four through grade five reading level. This is a PDF containing the informational text and a glossary.