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Black and White Bottle Experiment
Students investigate solar energy and color. In this solar energy lesson, students assess the benefits of solar energy. Students discover that solar energy is attracted to darker colors and conduct an experiment using colored bottles to...
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Growing a Native American "Three Sisters" Garden
Students explore plant life by creating their own gardens in class. In this food growing lesson, students discuss the types of gardening methods Native Americans used in order to keep healthy. Students plant corn seeds in their school...
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Build an Outdoor Compost Heap
Students study how to create a compost heap. In this composting instructional activity, students create a compost heap. Students write an essay describing the process.
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Iridescent Insects
Students examine how some insects change colors as they move to camoflauge themselves. Using the internet, they examine their favorite one more closely and make an outline of the body on construction paper. To end the instructional...
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Interviews and Beyond
Students get to know their classmates by interviewing them. Individually, they develop questions they want to know about their classmates and ask one a week. To end the lesson, they use a tissue box to draw their partner and the answers...
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International Currency Exchange
Students examine coins from around the world and write down their observations. As a class, they discuss the types of symbols used on the coins from different countries and locate the country on a map. To end the lesson, they calculate...
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Intergenerational Interviews
Young scholars develop questions to ask their famiy members to discover their family history. Individually, they conduct the interview and videotape if possible. To end the lesson plan, they draw a picture of the person they interviewed...
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Glowing Constellations
Students conduct their research to creating an artistic image that shows what their constellation represents. They demonstrate their ability to represent data in their own artistic manner. Afterward, they recognize constellations both...
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Earthquake Detector
Students investigate earthquakes and describe the interactions inside the Earth that cause them to occur. Then they research the equipment and systems for detection and measurement of earthquakes. Students also build and engage in a...
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Corn-Husk Characters
Students examine the traditional Native American and early American craft of corn husk dolls. They conduct interviews with grandparents or other elders about corn-husk dolls, and using a variety of craft materials design and create a...
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Gadget Anatomy
Sure to be a hit with your charges, here is a science lesson plan that has lots of hands-on activities packed into it. The focus is simple machines, and how they help us perform work. After a discussion and demonstration session, groups...
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A Hilly Ride
Different types of energy are the focus of this science resource. Learners identify situations in which kinetic and potential energy are exchanged. They conduct an in-class inquiry which leads them to discover that there is a limit to...
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Peregrine Falcon
Young environmentalists study the effects that pesticides have on birds, such as the peregrine falcon. They also look at predator/prey interactions. Some wonderful in-class activities accompany an inventive instructional activity. After...
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Light
Light is such a fascinating subject. This lesson does a great job of illuminating the mysteries of light for your young scientists. A series of demonstrations which are explained in the plan should help your charges to understand how...
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Changes in Nature
The goal of this science lesson is to have youngsters be able to identify the physical and chemical changes in the carbon cycle, and water cycle due to weathering. The in-class inquiry/experiment is quite interesting and easy to...
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Alka-Seltzer Cannons
The scientific method is emphasized in this engaging and exciting chemistry activity. Learners get to create Alka-Seltzer cannons out of film cannisters, water, and Alka-Seltzer tablets. Carbon dioxide gas builds up inside the cannister,...
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He Said, She Said, So: What's the Point?
Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin! Upper graders and middle schoolers read the story The Three Little Pigs and other tales related to the story from various points of view. They use the Internet to find more stories from...
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Greenhouse Gases
Although the worksheet for the lab activity is not included, this is an activating activity for your class to do when learning about the greenhouse effect. They lay three thermometers underneath a lamp: one out in the open, one under a...
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Communication Delay
Construct a maze in your classroom and have a blindfolded scientist act as a space rover, maneuvering unfamiliar terrain while another scientist plays commander. Classmates record the number of occurrences of the commander having to...
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Let's Discuss Current Events
Investigate articles from the daily news and share opinions with classmates. Using current events, learners view a news program without sound and predict what news is being discussed by analyzing the visuals. Then they read news articles...
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The Sugar Snap Pea Experiment
Young scholars examine types of plant structure. In this plant biology instructional activity, students observe various types of plants, such as ivy and grapes, and discuss the differences in structure. Additionally, young scholars plant...
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Everything Breathes!
Fifth graders test plants in the dark and in the light to see which grows better and produces more carbon dioxide. For this plants lesson plan, 5th graders also create ways for plants to go through photosynthesis that they can observe.
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It's Just Dirt
Students discover how seed germination varies according to the soil type. In this soil science instructional activity, students discuss what plants need in order to grow and investigate various types of soil. Students use their senses to...
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Eco-Healthy Lunch
Students plan healthy lunches and how to dispose of their lunch waste. In this pre-field trip lesson, students and teachers plan healthy, nutritious lunches to bring on a field trip. They also discuss how to sort their garbage into the...