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Aquatic Exotics
Students identify and describe the aquatic exotic species found in Illinois. Using the internet, they research the species origins and discover their effects on native species in the area. They discuss how appropriate it is to introduce...
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Easy Street
Students work together to complete a simulation on drought days. As a class, they discuss their results and compare water usage of the past to current numbers. After reading short excerpts, they answer discussion questions and review as...
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Go To The Head of the Cloud
Students pretend they are water droplets traveling through the water cycle. Using their text, they discover the steps in the cycle and the different paths water can take. They write a report about their journey through the water cycle...
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Leach Out and Touch Someone
Students discuss how groundwater becomes polluted. In groups, they design and create models of groundwater pollution sources. They demonstrate to the class how the water may become contaminated from local and nonlocal pollution sources.
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Migration Activation
Students play the role of migrating birds. As a class, they simulate a migration of birds to one place and back again. They relate their habitat size and changes to their current population numbers. They discover the many dangers of...
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Photosynthesis
Students are introduced to the process of photosynthesis. In groups, they test the effects of the lack of sunlight on plant leaves and compare the results with their hypothesis. They note the characteristics that plants and animals share...
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Sense of Place: No River Too Wide-Bridges
Fifth graders discover the history of their hometown Des Moines River. In this U.S. Geography lesson students speak with Iowans that tell stories of the settlers and early villages near the Des Moines River. Students document their...
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We Care About Fire Safety
Students investigate the hazards of fires and how to best protect themselves and their family. In this home safety lesson, students examine the importance of a smoke detector and discover how many homes are missing them among their...
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A Creative Way of Reporting on Books
By using creative ways to complete book reports, like using cereal boxes, you can motivate students.
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Dino Hunt
Students use the Internet to gather information about dinosaurs. They practice navagating through the different websites. They also practice listening to directions and also explore how to fill out a KWL chart.
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Interdisciplinary Approach to Investigating Popcorn
Students conduct a lab experiment using the scientific method. In this interdisciplinary lesson plan, students will test the difference in popping white and yellow corn. Students will write their lab report in their science, math,...
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Mouse
First graders are exposed to a variety of texts that deal with mice. The use of the library is recommended to saturate the classroom with available books. Young students work in groups with the help of the teacher to define traits and...
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Wind in the Willows
Students find further information about ows in their region or outside of their region. They prepare questions for Elders and community members in their own village and share their findings with students in other villages.
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ESL Poetry Unit
Students complete a twelve lesson unit on poetry. They read and respond to different forms of poetry, write a bio poem, complete an online WebQuest, and in small groups present lessons to the class on various types of poems.
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Rain Forests
Students watch a PowerPoint presentation about the layers of the rainforest. They create a paper rainforest in the classroom. They take notes from the presentation and write a paragraph to include in a layer book. They create a...
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Traverse City Trouble Makers
Students investigate how to become advocates in an authentic environmental issue, in this case the invasion of the zebra mussel invasion of the Great Lakes. They complete graphic organizers during Internet research, while reading...
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Hawks Migrate
Young scholars examine the types of hawks found in Illinois and compile a list of them. Using different species of hawks, they compare and contrast their characteristics. They work together to create their own hawk model for the...
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Bats Migrate South
Students examine the life of bats in Illinois. Using the internet, they research the history of the bat in Illinois and describe the way they find prey by using echolocation. They report their findings to the class and answer any...
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Bird Banter
Students listen to examples of common bird songs of birds found in Illinois. As a class, they discover the importance between the differences in songs and calls. They practice making their own bird calls and songs to end the...
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Coaching, Conferencing, and Correcting
Students, after revising their writing and identifying their strengths and weaknesses, edit their writing incorporating teacher feedback and examples from class exercises. In addition, they continue working on individual writing...