Lesson Plan
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Lesson 7 - Our Rivers and Streams

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students examine the major rivers in Northeast Florida and how they are useful. They study the St. John's River, its tributaries, and unique characteristics.
Lesson Plan
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Environment: Rivers of Destiny

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students investigate the results of human intervention with the Mekong. Mississippi, and Amazon rivers. After watching a video about the status of the three rivers, they complete experiments demonstrating the effects of erosion and...
Lesson Plan
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War of 1812

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders locate the major land forms and bodies of water on a map of Louisiana. In groups, they discuss the role of the Mississippi River in the Battle of New Orleans and how land and water affect the outcome of battles. To end...
Lesson Plan
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The Time Has Come: Poetry and Drama Use in the Geography Class

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use drama and poetry in their Geography class. In groups, they role play an interviewer or the interviewee in various plays that were presented to them. In their role, they must locate and label where the countries mentioned...
Lesson Plan
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Sedimentary Rocks

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Sedimentary rocks are the building blocks of this geology lesson. In it, learners discover what sedimentary rocks are and how they form. They understand the differences between the major sedimentary rock varieties and learn what types of...
Lesson Plan
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Where in the World Is All the Water?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the distribution of the earth's water. They conduct a demonstration of water distribution, and create a pie graph to display the results.
Lesson Plan
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The Mussels Are Coming

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students work together to identify and describe the various types of mussels. Using a color-coded system, they plot the arrival date of zebra mussels in North American waters. They discuss the increase in their population with the class.
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Mighty Macroinvertebrates

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders identify the names and features of macroinvertebrates found in Turtle River.  In this ecology lesson students use digital microscopes and take pictures of invertebrates. 
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Water Management in Florida

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students discuss water management. They examine the water management districts in their area. They complete an experiment in which they role-play a water management manager.
Lesson Plan
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Microscopic Water Life

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students use a light microscope to observe the organisms living in a sample of ocean or fresh water. Students create a drawing of the organisms that they observe. Students then discuss the different body plans of the organisms and the...
Lesson Plan
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To Drink or Not to Drink?

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders compare water conservation issues as they impact the past, present, and future in Nevada. In this water conservation lesson, 2nd graders perform and ice experiment to comprehend water collection differences. Students...
Lesson Plan
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Reservoir Activity

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students research the economic importance of the major reservoirs in Illinois. In groups, they manage a budget for one of the lakes to promote tourism in the area. They also work together to create advertisements.
Lesson Plan
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Fish In a Bottle

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students work together to build their own fish ecosystems. As a class, they share their prior knowledge about catfish and use a diagram to label its body parts. They record their observations of the ecosystem and determine what they...
Lesson Plan
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Floodplain Modeling

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners simulate the impact of fluctuating river volumes on structures and landforms. They experiment with table top-sized riverbed models and water. Students consider how human design can help mitigate the effects of a flood.
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Evaluating an Illinois Earthquake

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students examine the frequency of earthquakes in Illinois. They discover the distribution of earthquakes in the Midwest. They also practice reading measurements from the Richter scale and Mercalli Intensity scale.
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Erosion: Slip Sliding Away

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders investigate the causes of erosion. Through several demonstrations including one using sugar cubes and warm water, they observe the effects of erosion. In groups, 4th graders conduct similar experiments and record their...
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Sedimentary Rocks

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers discover how sedimentary rocks form. They identify different examples of sedimentary rocks. They also discover what types of rocks are in Illinois soil.
Lesson Plan
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Wetlands/Watershed Model

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students make a model that will demonstrate the flow of surface water across the land in Texas and how materials that originate many miles away can end up in the wetland along the coast.
Lesson Plan
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Wetlands/Watershed Model

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students work together to create a watershed model. They discover the flow of surface water on different topography. They examine how materials originate from miles away and end up in a different wetland.
Lesson Plan
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Land Use and Nitrogen

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students consider the effects of development on water quality. They test nitrogen levels in waters before and after development, investigate wastewater treatment options and research best management practices to reduce nitrogen loads.
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Water: The Liquid of Life

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders complete a lesson on the properties, types and amounts of water on Earth. In groups, they travel between stations to identify water resources in Illinois and pollution sources. They complete the lesson with a field trip...
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Does cloud type affect rainfall?

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Student use MY NASA DATA to obtain precipitation and cloud type data. They create graphs of data within MY NASA DATA. Students compare different cloud types, compare precipitation, and cloud type data They qualitatively describe graphs...
Lesson Plan
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Does Cloud Type Affect Rainfall?

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Student uses MY NASA DATA to obtain precipitation and cloud type data. They create graphs of data within MY NASA DATA. They compare different cloud types as well as precipitation types. They describe graphs of the precipitation and cloud...
Lesson Plan
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What is Drought?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars explore and conduct an experiment on the effects of drought on the environment. They define what drought is and the impact that a shortage of rainfall can have on agriculture, municipal water supplies, tourism, recreation,...