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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
Students 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
Young scholars 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
Middle schoolers 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
Young scholars 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
Students 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.
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Trees, Trees, Trees! - Adopt A Tree
Students adopt a tree, take a bark rubbing from that tree, and conduct research about that type of tree. They write an original piece about their tree using three facts and in a genre of their choice.
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Got the Whole World in My Hands
Young scholars review factors that threaten survival of different species. this lesson is part of a multi-segmented unit on animal survival.
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Diversity of Life
Young scholars explore the diversity of life forms and the role that interdependency plays in our world through a mult-segmented unit. This segment introduces the unit.
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Lords of the Night
Second graders explore bird classification, specifically owls. They dissect their own owl pellet and explain the predetor and prey relationship.
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It Takes All Kinds!
Students view video clips and observe similarities and differences between animals. They sort animals into groups for a zoo. They make a graph of their observations and review scientific classifications.
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Physical Difference and Classification
Students use a microscope and observation skills to compare and contrast several physical properties and develop a classification system.
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Applemania
First graders read "Ten Apples Up On Top!" and view real apples in a basket. They taste different kinds of apples and describe the tastes: sour, sweet, etc. They graph everyone's favorite apple. They interpret the graph and draw their...