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Supplies
Fifth graders determine what supplies they will take with them in order to survive their trip through the Amazon. The use estimation and basic math skills to determine how much they can carry and what they can use to survive in the Amazon.
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Classifying Candy III
Pupils create a classification tree based on grouping candy with eight different properties. This allows students to understand how living things are classified.
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Classifying Rocks
Students classify rocks into groups after they observe the rocks and identify properties that can be used to divide them into groups. They then identify other properties that could be used to classify other objects into groups.
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A Taxonomic Key and Local Trees
Pupils gain an understanding of the science of taxonomy and how it is used in classifications. They use an identification key and construct a key of their own. They identify tagged trees on the school property with their lab group and...
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Sort It Out
Young scholars study classification systems by sorting Legos and determining how the different pieces are classified. They list as many attributes as possible to use for sorting.
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Adaptations
Pupils identify features of animals that enable survival in particular environments and group animals on the basis of their similarities. They compare and contrast features of groups of animals.
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Populations
Learners calculate the area of grasslands needed to support a small pride of lions. They also identify food web links in an ecosystem and trace the energy pathways in an ecosystem.
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Animal clues
Fifth graders use general knowledge to make educated guesses about the habitat and survival strategies of animals from Australia, Antarctica and Africa. They research to confirm and check ideas and group animals in a variety of ways.
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Survival
Students identify characteristics of Australia, Africa and Antarctica and compare and contrast them to each other. They work together to identify adaptations that animals have used to survive. They also practice classifying animals.
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Analysing Scientific Explanations for Megafauna Extinction
Students compare explanations for Australian's megafauna extinctions and identify reasons for popular acceptance of certain scientific explanations. They debate and analyze scientific explanations.
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This Place is Going to the Dogs
Students study different breeds of dogs. They watch a video, "Extraordinary Dogs", about special dogs and how they are categorized according to their adaptations. Then they create a digital video that demonstrates the qualities of dogs...
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Learning To Identify Insects
Pupils utilize the Internet to locate a variety of insects. The pictures located are compared and contrasted and placed into a book which is published by the class.
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Paleoecology of "Fossilized" Owl Pellets
Students examine fossilized owl pellets to determine how a species environmental preferences allow us to reconstruct probable past environments. Differences in anatomy are used to identify species in this lesson.
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Scientific Inquiry
Learners make inferences about what activities occur at different places in school. They form a hypothesis as to how space is used. They simulate how archeaologists explore past people by designing and conducting a research project.
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Who Am I?
Fourth graders identify and classify insects while working with a live insect. They collect an insect to study.
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What Kind of Insect is That?
Fifth graders characterize insects and classify insects according to the Linnaean system. They use hand lenses or microscopes to examine insect body parts.
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Classification
Second graders sort insects into groups by determining similar characteristics. They role play as Entomologists to sort insects.
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"Bug Hunt"
Fourth graders find bugs represented on a grid and then identify their name and physical characteristics that provide a picture of the bug using imagery.
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Show Some Backbone and Teach Invertebrates
Fifth graders identify two similarities and two differences between two phyla, assign fictitious invertebrate to its phylum and explain why it belongs in that grouping, and construct member of given phylum and explain why it should be...
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In a Family Way
Learners research a rare species of animals that are a step away from the well known animals of our zoos. They create a mobile which displays the geography, habits, population and habitat of the animals. They draw a picture.
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Classifying Organisms within Kingdoms
Young scholars examine animal kingdom classifications. They discuss how animals are placed into kingdom classifications and compare similarities and differences of animals within a kingdom.
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Rock Hounds
Second graders read Byrd Baylor's book "Everybody Needs a Rock", and select a rock, study it, and describe its attributes.
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Nuts & Bolts: is Classification, Arbitrary, Or Not?
Students, in groups, classify furniture, share their categories and rationales, then note how their different schemes vary, perfectly logical and useful, but completely arbitrary.