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Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Natural Selection and the Evolution of Darwin's Finches

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Darwin explained the connection between species of finches 150 years before scientists understood DNA. Technology and progressing science proved he was right, yet many struggle to understand how natural selection happens. Scholars use...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Alexander Graham Bell: Scientist, Inventor, and Teacher

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Hello? Hello? Scholars investigate the impact Alexander Graham Bell's telephone had on the American landscape. Using drawings, video clips, and primary sources, the mind of the inventor comes to light as pupils dream of new inventions to...
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Lesson Plan
Personal Genetics Education Project

Using Primary Sources to Examine the History of Eugenics

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
Eugenics philosophy takes survival of the fittest to a whole new level. With a research-focused lesson, young scientists examine the history of the eugenics movement and its impact on society. Pupils engage with a video clip, primary...
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Activity
NASA

Air Temperatures Around the World: Student Activity

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Check out climate anomalies just like NASA climatologists! Investigators use a GISTEMP map from NASA to analyze one month of climate anomalies. Scientists look for data extremes and generate possible explanations for observable patterns. 
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Lesson Plan
American Institute of Physics

Women and the Manhattan Project

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
The Manhattan Project was a massive undertaking involving multiple sites and thousands of scientists and technicians. To gain an understanding of the women who participated in the project, groups select an oral history of a woman...
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Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

Thinking Like A Soil Scientist

For Teachers 6th Standards
Ready to roll up those sleeves and get your hands dirty? Dirty with soil science content, that is! Overcome those "But it's just dirt" objections with a trip outside to collect soil samples for some in-class analysis. Use the variety of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Butterfly Life Cycle

For Teachers K - 2nd Standards
Focused little scientists will flitter their arms back and forth across the room with excitement as they learn the life cycle of a butterfly and how living things grow and change over time.
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

What is DBH?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
When measuring the circumference of a tree, does it matter how high you place the measuring tape? Most scholars have never considered this question, but scientists know that measurement techniques must be standardized. The 13th...
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Lesson Plan
Omaha Zoo

Monitoring Amphibians

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
What sort of shoes do frogs wear? Open toad sandals. If your scholars want experience collecting field samples, this is the lesson for you. After learning the proper way to collect field samples, pupils catch amphibians to test for...
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Unit Plan
National Library of Medicine

Electricity, Frankenstein, and the Spark of Life

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Shocking! After viewing a short clip from the 1931 movie, Frankenstein and reviewing electricity references in Mary Shelley's novel, class members examine Luigi Galvani's and Alessandro Volta's observations on electricity and muscle...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making Regolith

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
You may not be able to take a field trip to the moon, but that doesn't mean your class can't study moon rocks. Using graham crackers as the moon's bedrock and powdered donuts as micrometeorites, young scientists simulate the creation of...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Nano Waterproofing

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
This lesson will make an impact, especially on scientist-athletes who may have an interest in waterproof clothing! Acting as materials engineers, they work collaboratively on waterproofing pieces of cotton fabric. This challenge is...
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Lesson Plan
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Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Got Lactase? The Co-Evolution of Genes and Culture

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Does the human body evolve as quickly as human culture? With a stellar 15-minute video, explore the trait of lactose intolerance. Only about 1/3 of human adults seem to still have the enzyme lactase and therefore, the ability to digest...
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Lesson Plan
Growing Classroom

Space Travelers

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Groups of three scientists from the rocky planet Zog investigate the composition of soil so that they can take the information back to their home, create soil there, and begin to grow food.
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Lesson Plan
Micron Technology Foundation

Forces of Motion: Rockets

For Teachers 5th - 9th Standards
Young scientists design a rocket to launch using Newton's Laws of Motion in order to discover for themselves the forces of motion. 
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Lesson Plan
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Science 4 Inquiry

Layers and Laws: The Law of Superposition and Index Fossils

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What can layers of rock teach us about the climate? Young scientists solve a mystery about who stole a cookie by applying the law of superposition. Then, they apply the same concept to solve a more difficult mystery, trying to determine...
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Lesson Plan
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Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Using Our Senses to Observe

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Look around and explore. Little ones use their five senses with some day-to-day activities designed to guide observation and apply STEM strategies. Young scientists learn through comparing/contrasting and observing with magnifiers as...
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Lesson Plan
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Science 4 Inquiry

Expanding the Universe

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
When Einstein first heard the theory of the expanding universe, he dismissed it as bad physics. Now scholars learn about the theory and how scientists prove it has merit. Through a hands-on simulation and videos, class members measure...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Air Pollution: The Issue of Global Warming

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Here is an outstanding 10-page lesson plan on global warming. Learners discover that there is a lot of controversy surrounding this topic in that the science behind global warming is difficult to prove. The best thing about this plan is...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Identifying and Explaining Reactions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Introduce high schoolers to chemical reactions with this series of activities. In a little over an hour, scientists observe four gas-producing reactions: the combination of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide, placing pasta in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Designing a Crew Exploration Vehicle

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Take your class on an out-of-this-world adventure with this fun engineering design lesson plan. Working in small groups, young scientists design, build, and test crew exploration vehicles using some creativity, teamwork, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Playing With Science

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scientists investigate the scientific concepts and principles that help make common toys such as hula hoops, yo-yos, slinkies, and silly putty work. As a class, they read "Backyard Rocket Science, Served Wet" to get a look behind...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Debating Controversial Issues: Integrating Science and Current Events

For Teachers 9th - 12th
In order to give young scientists experience with critical thinking skills, introduce them to a current controversy and prepare them to debate. Choose a topic, such as genetically modified organisms, and assign groups to represent...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossil Fuels (Part III), The Geology of Coal

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Do not overlook this set of lessons just because your school does not have a data analysis system. There is plenty of material here to administer a complete mini unit on the formation, distribution, and properties of coal. Since it...

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