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The Heat is On!
Fifth graders investigate evidence for changes in matter that occur during a chemical reaction.
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Wind Energy
Students explore wind energy by making a pinwheel to model a wind turbine. They experiment with their turbine by placing it in different locations for optimal energy.
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Pandemics and Epidemics
Students evaluate data related to population growth, along with problems and soultions: disease cvontrol. They are able to explain how changes in habitat may affect organisms. Students evaluate evolutionary theories and processes.
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Soil Erosion
Students examine how erosion is affected by the composition of the soil and the slope of the land. They look at plant roots, rocks and land slope as experimental factors. They complete the associated worksheets before discussing their...
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Sounds Like Music
Students define and examine the connections between sound and music and how engineers design instruments. They listen to examples of musical instruments, view a demonstration of a tuning fork and bottles filled with varying amounts of...
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Planting Parts
Each student plants two lima beans in a plastic cup with a paper towel so they can be observed growing. The beans are misted with a spray bottle, and placed in a warm sunny area. Students view the beans each day for the next two weeks,...
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Lighten Up!
Third graders observe light as a form of energy, that it can be reflected/bounced, refracted/bent and absorbed. They explore how different types of light affect our lives as a whole. Songs are researched that involve light (ex. "You...
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What Makes a Tropical Rainforest Special?
Students examine the characteristics of the tropical rainforest. Using a map, they locate the rainforests found around the world, continents and the equator. Using the internet, they research the various layers of the rainforest and...
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Fossil Fuels (III), The Geology of Coal: Interpreting Geologic History
Students hypothesize about why various samples of coal have different characteristics. Pupils use information that they found during Internet searches to ascertain the validity of their hypotheses and verify the "story" of coal. ...
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Water Resources Engineering
Students illustrate the chemical differences between surface and tap-water. They investigate the common chemical and physical parameters relevant for water quality and gain hands on experience with water quality testing.
They enhance...
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Grant Proposal
High schoolers experience the creativity, anticipation and peer review of obtaining a grant for scientific research at the poles. They work in cooperative groups to assess the dynamics of polar regions. Each student proposes an original...
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Leaf ID and Leaf Bingo
Third graders explore the parts of a leaf and use a dichotomy key to identify leaves. In this biology lesson, learners study characteristics of various leaves and play a game of bingo to identify leaves by their traits. Students find and...
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Wood You Believe: Wood Products
For this wood products lesson, students walk to a forest near their school where they sit by themselves for a few minutes and quietly observe their surroundings. Students brainstorm wood or wood by products, discuss everything we get...
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The Great Barracuda
Students explore oceanography by researching the great barracuda. In this animal life lesson, students read several vocabulary terms dealing with ocean life and examine a drawing of a barracuda. Students examine the many...
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Aquatic Invertebrates
Students examine the impact that human development has on streams. In this stream sampling lesson students compare macroinvertebrate data and graph it.
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Polymerization Experiments
Students study the concepts of polymerization and the function of crosslinkage. In this polymer lesson students complete a lab activity and write down their observations.
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Population Growth
Students grow duckweed, observe what happens when an organism population is allowed to grow without predation or competition, view videos about invasive species, and develop a proposal for controlling the growth of an invasive species in...
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Teaching about the Effect of pH on Aquatic Organisms
Students perform experiments to determine the PH, acidity, and buffering qualities of a lake that make them sensitive to acid deposition.
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Bag Balloons
Students demonstrate that heat can change air. They determine that hot air rises. Students construct a working model of a hot air balloon. They understand that there are two ways that a balloon can rise: it can (1) be filled with a...
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Sociobiology: Heredity Factors
Students examine DNA replication and how proteins are synthesized from DNA codes and continue to explore the effects of genetics in additional lessons. Among the topics covered are: protein synthesis, cell chemistry, environmental...
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Air Module Scenario (Exercises #1-5)
High schoolers, after researching/analyzing the concept of environmental health to air quality, role-play the basic principals of epidemiology. They act out a specific scenario to generate questions, draft a research plan, and generate...
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Minerals and the Products of Mining
Students plot where minerals come from and have an awareness of how mineral use makes the world interdependent. They examine how to identify some sort of mineral products they use each day.
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Classic Trash
Students investigate how trash is classified and the options to deal with it. In this trash and recycling lesson, students perform an activity to classify trash into organic, renewable/ recyclable, now renewable/recyclable and...
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Feeling the Heat
Students investigate the urban heat island effect. In this urban heat island effect lesson, students learn how trees, grass, asphalt, and other things on the school grounds effect temperature. They use the information to generalize it to...