Natural Events and Climate Activities for Middle School Science

Grasping the formation of tropical storms can be challenging for middle school students, but these engaging materials simplify the process! This comprehensive resource helps students investigate how ocean currents and air masses interact to generate tropical cyclones, including hurricanes and typhoons. With interactive lessons, hands-on activities, and assessments, students will build a solid understanding of storm development, tracking methods, and the factors that determine storm intensity. The resources below will give students a comprehensive understanding of natural events and climates. All of the following materials are also included in the Kesler Science Membership.

The Kesler Science Natural Events & Climate Unit is an engaging middle school lesson on how volcanic eruptions, meteor impacts, abrupt ocean current changes, and greenhouse gases influence climate. It includes editable PowerPoints, worksheets, assessments, and student-choice projects, all designed for differentiated, student-led learning with minimal prep.

Following the 5E Model, the unit provides engagement activities, a hands-on exploration station lab, editable PowerPoints, and interactive notebooks in English and Spanish. Students apply their learning through choice projects and STAAR 2.0-aligned assessments, with flexible digital and printable formats to fit any classroom. Multimodal learning strategies and Spanish translations support all learners.

Aligned with the 2021 TEKS 8.11A standard, this lesson is ideal for in-class or virtual learning. Bundle options offer savings on multiple topics or the complete curriculum, making it a comprehensive resource for teaching the impact of natural events on climate in middle school science.

Engage your middle school students with this student-led station lab aligned with the 2021 TEKS 8.11A. Designed for in-class or virtual learning, this lab helps students analyze scientific evidence to understand how natural events—such as volcanic eruptions, meteor impacts, ocean current shifts, and greenhouse gas fluctuations—affect climate through nine interactive stations featuring videos, readings, research, and hands-on tasks.

Students apply their knowledge by organizing information, illustrating models, writing responses, and completing assessments. A bonus challenge station extends learning with engaging activities, and English and Spanish reading passages support differentiated instruction.

This low-prep, high-engagement resource encourages active learning and critical thinking. Also available in the Weather Science Station Lab Bundle, which includes five labs.

The Natural Events & Climate Student Choice Projects align with the 2021 TEKS 8.11A standard, giving middle school students a range of options to demonstrate their learning in a way that suits their individual strengths. A project page outlines six student-led options plus a “design your own” project, with an editable rubric for teacher, peer, or self-assessment. This resource is also included in the Natural Events & Climate Complete Lesson for TEKS 8.11A.

These engaging, student-driven projects encourage creative expression and independent learning while allowing teachers to adjust the rubric to meet specific grading needs. With multimodal choices, students can explore concepts in unique and meaningful ways.

Projects use basic classroom supplies such as paper, markers, and scissors, with plenty of options for digital completion. Also available in the Weather Bundle (five topics for grades 6-8) and the MEGA Student Choice Project Bundle (84 topics) for grades 6-8.

Year-Round Resources

These year-round activities will increase your students' understanding of many middle school science topics. All of these activities are also included in the Kesler Science Membership.

Visual Data & Graphing

You're not alone if your students struggle with understanding graphs, charts, and tables. It's a skill that takes an enormous amount of practice. This resource will help students build a strong foundation in analyzing data and creating their own data visualizations.

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Bell Ringers and Warm-Ups

These middle school science bell ringers are an excellent way to engage your students as soon as they walk into your classroom. This comprehensive FULL YEAR resource includes everything you need to start off each science class with an interesting warm-up activity.

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Review Board Games

Each game board has been carefully designed to keep students engaged. There are 10 different action spaces on each board and dozens of question cards. All of the actions are related to science concepts and keep the students motivated throughout the game.

Each game is ready to play. Simply print out the board and the cards and let the students enjoy reviewing nine different units.

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Essential Questions and Standards

Below are the essential questions and standards associated with the lessons and activities included in the atoms unit. This topic is only one of more than 100 middle school science topics included in the Kesler Science Membership.

Essential Questions

How do natural events, like volcanoes and ocean currents, impact the climate of an area?
How is climate affected by abrupt changes in ocean currents and the release and absorption of greenhouse gases?

Standards

TEKS Science - 8.11A Natural Events & Climate