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W Is for Water
Third graders gain appreciation of water by watching online video, "Weather Smart: The Water Cycle and Clouds," exploring how water cycle works, comparing and contrasting three states of water as solid, liquid, and gas, and discussing...
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Tools of the Trade
Third graders explore and identify the tools that can be used to measure length, mass/weight, and volume. They discuss how things are measured using different units, and observe the difference between the English and the Metric systems....
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How to Read a Thermometer
Students' temperature is measured using an instrument called a thermometer.
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Invisible Ink!
Young scholars explore how chemical reactions occur. After a brief discussion of household chemicals and how they work, students prepare a solution of invisible ink. Young scholars create a message with their ink and watch the reaction...
Reach Out!
Paper Clip Sailing
Students explain that some things can float on top of water because of what we call "surface tension." They see that if something happens to disturb these water molecules from tugging on each other, the skin-like surface breaks up.
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Solar S'Mores
Students see that solar energy is the energy given off by the sun. They explain that when light energy is absorbed by objects it is changed to heat energy and that dark-colored objects absorb more light and store more heat from sunlight.
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Taste Buds
Students sample several sweet, sour, bitter and salty foods. They determine what part of their tongue tasted each flavor.
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Red Means Danger
Students describe some common pests. They study three levels of pest control from the IPM pyramid.
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Where Do Eggs Come From?
Pupils study the many characteristics that they share with other animals and how those characteristics relate to the proper care of animals. Students also study facts about chickens and chicken-related vocabulary. Finally, they study...
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Animal Classifications
Third graders work in small groups to investigate how to sort a variety of items into groups and subgroups. They work on a class chart based on the activity which show how the items are classified based on commonalities. Upon completion...
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Making Fossils
Third graders examine the differences between cast and mold fossils. They discuss geological time and how many fossils are millions of years old, then create a cast fossil using clay and a shell, and a mold fossil using a shell and...
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Binary Coding
Students identify different uses and forms of coding information, such as memory chips, discuss and create list of everyday items in which memory devices are used, watch video, play Bits and Bytes Game, and use binary code to encode and...
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Marshland Ecosystems
Students identify animals in ecosystem depicted on 16th Century ceramic basin and classify them as herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores based on physical characteristics and prior knowledge, determine which life forms in ecosystem are...
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Keeping Warm When it is Cold: How does a polar bear keep warm?
Students make a model of a polar bear and discuss why fur/skin color is important. They also perform a simple experiment using black and white socks to determine how color affects temperature.
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Ants
Third graders study the habits and habitats of ants. They research the use of technology as a valuable investigation tool and access other web sites for future research projects. The students make successful decisions while playing SimAnt.
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Electricity and Energy
Students demonstrate that electricity can flow in a circuit. They demonstrate safe practices during lab investigations.
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Ocean Murals
Students identify characteristics of water. They describe the process by which light decreases and pressure increases as water depth increases. They demonstrate the principle of water pressure in a small group experiment.
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Finding Balance
Young scholars examine the relationships between force, mass and balance through the lens of clay sculpture. They discuss the definitions and concepts behind Newton's Third Law of motion then individually apply these principles to the...
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And the Verdict Is...
Young scholars identify the unique pattern DNA forms in each individual, and how that pattern can be used to identify criminals. They have the opportunity to simulate the process of matching DNA samples to those taken at a crime scene.
National First Ladies' Library
Save the Animals: The Creation of the ASPCA
Students read Black Beauty and study the history of the founding of the ASPCA and learn about endangered species today. Then they write a short paper about the book, or on some aspect of the history of the ASPCA, and, after exploring the...
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An Introduction to Light Unit-Third Grade
Third graders are introduced to light in an eight part unit which includes activities, additional resources, and rubrics for each part. Students address topics such as energy, reflection, absorption, and refraction through hands-on...
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Economy of Ecology
Students work in groups to decide which statement best fits with each type of sustainable development from a handout about specific strategies countries are utilizing to promote sustainable development.
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What Makes Shadows? Observing and Drawing Shadows
Students make accurate drawings of a classmate's shadow. They note position of the sun in the sky. They identify a connection between the direction of the shadow and the location of the sun. They observe changes in shadows over time.
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Conservation in Costa Rica
Students brainstorm what they do that requires land use and use a worksheet to calculate their footprint (the total area of land and water required to produce all the resources they consume). They then compare their footprints to each...