Phenomena are real-world happenings that grab students’ attention and usher them into passionate exploration. And what better place to find real and recent science phenomena than in science news?
2024 was a year of dramatic natural disasters, astronomical occurrences, and technological innovations that are full of potential for the classroom. In this blog, we’ll share:
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- 7 of the biggest phenomena of 2024 with related lesson suggestions
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- Activities and resources you can integrate into a lesson or use as a stand-alone activity
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- Our Science News Resource List full of favorite news sources that will keep students actively engaged in scientific news
Record-Breaking Hurricanes
At the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season in 2024, there were fewer and less powerful storms than average. But after September 25, a record 12 hurricanes formed in the Atlantic, including two record breakers:
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- Helene was the deadliest hurricane to hit North America in nearly 20 years.
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- Milton, which intensified at a record rate, caused a major storm surge and a huge outbreak of tornadoes.
Related Lessons
This phenomenon perfectly integrates with these Mosa Mack Units:
Activities & Resources
Synthesizing Hurricane Data: Learn more about hurricanes by analyzing past hurricane data. Have students choose one hurricane from the Historical Hurricane Tracks database, then write and present a report describing the hurricane’s movement, along with changes in pressure, wind speed, and hurricane category. After the presentations, have the class compare their data and maps to notice historical patterns.
Warm Oceans, Slow Currents
Every single day over the past year, the Earth’s oceans have reached record-high temperatures. At the same time, scientists are observing a rapid slowing of the ocean’s currents (watch for a Mosa Mack lesson on this phenomenon in the coming weeks). You can explore these phenomena separately or explore the relationship between them.
Related Lessons
This phenomenon perfectly integrates with these Mosa Mack Units:
Activities & Resources
Deeper Dive: Help students understand ocean currents by exploring how temperature and salinity impact density. Have students use an interactive map to analyze surface currents, including their movement and speed. Then conduct the Density and Deep Ocean Current activities featured in Mosa Mack’s Ocean and Climate Lab to investigate density differences between warm and cold currents. Conclude the lesson with a NASA video on ocean circulation to visually reinforce these concepts.
Amazing Prehistoric Fossils
People all over the world found some astounding fossils from prehistoric animals:
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- In Vancouver, a child found an ancient mammoth tooth in a playground.
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- In England, a massive jawbone of a long-extinct oceanic reptile washed up on a beach.
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- In Namibia, Africa, scientists dug up the remains of a giant salamander-like creature with interlocking fangs.
Credit: William Reyes.
Related Lessons
This phenomenon perfectly integrates with these Mosa Mack Units:
Activities & Resources
Built for Survival: Students choose one of the ancient species mentioned in the article to investigate one unusual part of that creature’s structure that helped it survive (e.g., dagger-like teeth, bony armor plate). They then compare and contrast that feature to modern descendants and similar species, and present their work in a poster, slideshow, or 3-D model.
Fossil Game: To learn more about fossils and the earth’s history, have students explore and play the Layers of Time – Fossil Game.
Sea Otters Save Coastal Marshes
Plant-eating crabs have been causing rapid erosion in California’s coastal marshes, so scientists reintroduced crab-eating sea otters into one marsh area to stabilize the ecosystem. Learn about the results of this project and check out the charts and figures in the report.
Photo Credit: Killiii Yuyan
Related Lessons
This phenomenon perfectly integrates with these Mosa Mack Units:
Activities & Resources
Save the Marshes: Coastal marshes in another nearby California community are eroding, as well, and leaders there are considering 3 options:
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- Creating offshore sea walls
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- Introducing sea otters to control the plant-eating crab population
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- Building living creek and marsh shorelines
Using what they learned from their research into this tidal ecosystem, students list the pros and cons for each option, then develop a presentation to support their selection.
Xenotransplantation and Kidney Disease Research
To tackle a worldwide shortage of life-saving organs, scientists are using xenotransplantation to transplant an organ from one species to another. And for the first time ever, a genetically-modified pig kidney was successfully transplanted into a human for the first time ever in early 2024.
Image: Mass General
After the first transplant, additional surgeries were successfully completed. You can read the in-depth story about the third person to receive a pig-to-human kidney transplant and take a deeper dive into other new developments in kidney disease research.
Related Lessons
This phenomenon perfectly integrates with these Mosa Mack Units:
Activities & Resources
Kidney Disease Research: Have groups of students role-play scientists on the board of the Mosa Mack Science Foundation, presenting and discussing three project proposals for kidney disease research: xenotransplantation, artificial kidneys, and precision medicine. Students should consider each proposal’s strengths and weaknesses, including design workability, timeline, scalability, and ethical concerns. Data can be found here.
A Rare Solar Eclipse
On April 8, 2004, a total solar eclipse was visible in 14 states, southeastern Canada, and Mexico that won’t be seen for another 20 years.
Related Lessons
This phenomenon perfectly integrates with these Mosa Mack Units:
Activities & Resources
Cross-Curricular Eclipse: Our Eclipse 2024 blog contains a wide array of eclipse-related lessons and activities specifically designed to connect science with Math, Social Studies, and ELA.
Geomagnetic Storms Cause Beautiful Northern Lights
A series of intense solar storms caused disruptions in the Earth’s magnetic field, resulting in a remarkable display of aurora borealis (also known as the Northern Lights) in areas where they are normally not visible.
Our curriculum developer Jessica Crum took the top photo in her backyard in New Jersey. Bottom photo: NJWeather.com
Related Lessons
This phenomenon perfectly integrates with these Mosa Mack Units:
Activities & Resources
Auroras on Other Planets: Have students investigate the causes and distinct colors of auroras on planets like Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn. They can present their findings using real images, linking each planet’s distance from the Sun, atmospheric composition, and the elements responsible for auroral displays. For a deeper dive, students can use tools like the Royal Society of Chemistry Interactive Periodic Table of Elements to explore the atoms behind these phenomena and incorporate findings from the Mosa Mack Atoms and Molecules Unit to understand the energy transitions that cause auroras, connecting atomic-level interactions to the planetary-scale effects of solar wind.
Science News Resources
(note: some resources require subscription)
Keep your Students Current: Kid-Friendly Science News Websites
- Science News Explores
- Formerly Science News for Students, this site features age-appropriate articles on current scientific discoveries and trends. It includes classroom resources and activities.
- National Geographic Kids
- Offers engaging articles, videos, and activities covering animals, space, environment, and more, all tailored for younger audiences.
- NASA STEM Engagement
- Features up-to-date space and astronomy news, along with hands-on activities and videos about current missions and discoveries.
- PBS LearningMedia Science
- A treasure trove of multimedia resources, including short videos, interactive content, and science news stories.
- Science Journal for Kids
- Simplifies peer-reviewed scientific research into accessible, kid-friendly articles with illustrations and glossaries.
General Science News Websites with Classroom Potential
- Live Science
- Provides engaging stories about recent scientific discoveries, with sections on Earth science, space, and health. The content is great for older middle schoolers.
- EarthSky
- Covers astronomy and Earth sciences with easy-to-digest articles and fascinating visuals.
- BBC Science News
- Offers current news about global scientific breakthroughs, suitable for older students with some teacher guidance.
- Smithsonian Magazine – Smart News Science
- Features well-written articles with historical and environmental science contexts. Great for sparking curiosity in older middle schoolers.
Apps and Interactive Platforms
- Exploratorium Science Snacks
- Interactive, hands-on activities connected to recent scientific discoveries, perfect for classroom integration.