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Earth Composition and Plate Tectonics
Students investigate the composition of the interior of the Earth through a teacher lead lesson. They study the theory of plate tectonics before creating a model of the earth's interior. They use a hard boiled egg to synthesize a model...
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Earth's Just Peachy!
Students are introduced to the various layers of the Earth. Using fruit, they discover each layer and discover the use of similies in describing it. They watch a video to better describe each layer of the Earth and its purpose.
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Making Rocks
Students use their imaginations in order to journey to the center of the earth to find different types of minerals. They create minerals using playdough and create scientific drawings of them. Finally, students create a map to locate the...
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History of the Earth
Students work together in groups to research the characteristics of the Mesozoic Era. Using various sources, they must include information about climate, landforms, plants and animals found during this time period. They create a...
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The Sun's habitable Zone
Pupils explore the average surface temperature of planets. They use the Planet Temperature Calculator to find the average temperature. Students explore how the distance from the sun affects the Earth's average surface temperature. They...
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Comparing Earth and Mars
Students work together to compare and contrast Mars and Earth. Using the internet, they answer questions given to them by their teacher and calculate answers showing their work. They graph their answers and discuss the results of the...
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Astronomy: Earth/Moon
Pupils investigate the Earth and the Moon. They select activities from a menu of options including viewing videos, drawing magnetic fields and plate tectonics, creating vocabulary flashcards, observing the phases of the moon over a two...
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The Dynamic Earth
Pupils participate in assessments related to the layers of the Earth. They read chapters of text, answer questions, watch videos, and identify and label continents and oceans on a map. They design posters, create vocabulary cards,...
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Day and Night
First graders study that day and night result from shadows produced by Earth's rotation. Students work to show how shadows are produced, look for and identify shadows and observe shadows produced from different sources.
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Stratospheric Ozone
Students explore about the structure of Earth's atmosphere and about the stratospheric ozone. They discuss how it is produced and destroyed, where it is located, why it is important, and how it is changing. Students investigate about...
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Earth's Radiation Budget
Twelfth graders explore the Earth's radiation budget using Earth radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) data archived at the IRI/LDEO Climate Data Library. They use photometers and light sources to work through several hands-on activities...
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Scale Model of the Solar System
Students work in groups of 4-6 for the experiment/activity part of this exercise. Students know that earth is the third planet from the sun in a system that includes the moon, the sun, eight other planets and their moons, and smaller...
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Our Special Planet Earth
Students explore what is special about our planet. They explore the various climates that are found on the planet Earth. Students create an advertisement to convince people why their favorite environment would be the best place to visit.
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Earth: The Apple of our Eye
Students are led through a demonstration in which they cut open an apple, which represents the earth. They follow through the hands-on activity, cutting the apple into various portions--each representing some aspect of the earth.
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From Arbor Day to Earth Day
Students discuss their answers to a given set of questions regarding Earth Day and Arbor Day. They research using the internet then write a bigraphical sketch of their character.
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The Earth is Tilted, What Does that Mean?
Students examine the tilt in the Earth's revolution around the sun. Using that information, they draw a picture and label the indirect and direct rays of the sun. In groups, they answer discussion questions and complete an assessment...
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Earth and Sun's Distance
Students consider the shape of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. They view the first segment of Science Court video and use Timeliner software to construct a scale of the distance between the Earth and the Sun.
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"Vary" Bright Days
Students explore how the Earth's axial tilt and revolution around our sun lead to differences in day length through the year. In groups, they create and use a model of the earth on its axis to demonstrate the concepts.
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The Many, Varied, and Unusual Places and Things on Earth
Students discover how energy flows through communities because of the relationship between producers, consumers and decomposers. Examining various ecosystems, they identify the materials that cycle continuously through them. They label...
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Earth, Sun and Moon
Students investigate that the sun is at the center of the solar system through role play. One student is the sun and one student is the Earth. The students then show how the Earth orbits around the sun. Students view a flashlight and...
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TE Activity: Space Shelter
Students simulate that they need to develop a new home on a different planet. They design a shelter that will ensure their survival after researching the characteristics of the other planet. They write an essay about their home design.
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Rotation Around the Sun
Third graders participate in a hands-on demonstration of the rotation of the earth around the sun. They identify the equator and the North and South Poles on a Styrofoam ball and then spin the ball on a pencil while they also revolve...
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Not So Lost in Space
Students investigate how engineers navigate satellites in orbit around the Earth and on their way to other planets in the solar system. They study vocabulary words and participate in studying a satellite by learning about times and...
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Mercalli Scale Illustrated
Students study the Mercalli Scale and analyze how it is used to rate earthquakes. They construct a booklet with drawings that represent each rating of the scale. They study why engineers develop rating scales for earthquakes.