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Science: Schoolyard Trees
Sixth graders choose specific trees to research while taking a nature walk around the schoolyard. They discuss tree and leaf parts and observe various types of leaves. After writing their reports, 6th graders present them to the class...
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Adjective? What's an Adjective?
Mount a variety of pictures (fantasy, rustic, portraits, action) on large sheets of paper and post them around the classroom. Groups rotate from poster to poster, adding adjectives to describe each of the pictures. Writers use these word...
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Educated Action
Learners review what they already know about birds. Using the internet, they discover major issues involved with birds in Illinois. In groups, they determine what they can do to help them and contact a local agency.
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Summer Camp in the Classroom
Students explore wildlife plants and summer activities. In this natural science lesson, students identify plants and animals and create a scrapbook of their findings.
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Words and Pictures Connect Nature and People: The American Conservation Movement
Students research some of the men and women who help to raise the environmental consciousness of the American people through their writings and drawings. They write a persuasive piece about an outdoor place which will connect their...
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Poetry and Nature
Learners observe an object in nature and record them. In groups, they create a group poem about the same object. They create their own poem based on another object using other their senses to help them. They share their poems with the...
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Teaching with Nature
Students participate in a nature walk to learn about their natural environments. For this nature study lesson, students brainstorm a list of things to look for on their nature walk. Students go on the nature walk and locate objects they...
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I Got a Lava Livin' to Do in Pompeii
Scholars imagine themselves as citizens of Pompeii in 79 AD. First they are assigned a job (or place in society like a child or slave). Then they record their daily activities for the weeks leading up to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in...
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Science: Where the Worms Live
Students build mine-earthworm habitats to discover their niche in them. They make predictions about what the niche looks like in a week and draw a picture of it. Students notice the tunnels in the soil and how the sand and dirt are now...
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Get Your Skates On
Young scholars enjoy winter activities. In this field trip opportunities lesson, students may visit the Royal Botanic Gardens, Bocketts Farm, Clapham Common, or the Dinosaur Museum online or in-person.
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Guidebook
Students create a guidebook page about a plant on the school grounds. In this life and plant science lesson, students identify plants around the school, then research the plant and write a narrative about it. Students publish the book...
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Surviving the Conditions
Students explore Earth science by participating in an environmental care activity. In this natural resources lesson, students discuss ways to protect themselves from the environment if they are ever in need of shelter in the wilderness....
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Pen Pals
Students make their own predictions about the amount of different types of birds at each site before they go there. In groups, they collect the bird data and compose letters to their pen pals sharing their information. To end the lesson,...
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Comparative Stream Quality
Students examine water quality on a nearby stream. They collect water samples and test for various factors, including any contamination from the treatment plant, and present their information in a Powerpoint presentation.
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Project Design
Twelfth graders study Thoreau as "philosopher" and developing a personal philosophy of life (both metaphorically and literally). They come to an understanding of the interconnectedness of the natural world. Students come to a realization...
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Bats Migrate South
Students examine the life of bats in Illinois. Using the internet, they research the history of the bat in Illinois and describe the way they find prey by using echolocation. They report their findings to the class and answer any...
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In the Wild
Third graders examine the concept of ecology and how animals are suited to their habitats. In this animal adaptation instructional activity, 3rd graders identify a variety of plants and animal species that live in a Beech forest.Students...
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What Is It?
Play the game of Tag and differentiate between plants and animals. Explore the characteristics of plants. Identify the major parts of plants (e.g., seeds, stem, pistil) and describe their basic functions. Compare the requirements of some...
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What is a National Forest
Students select and research a National Forest near their local community. They read and discuss the pamphlet "A Guide To Your National Forests," view photos of national forests, conduct Internet research, and complete the student...
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The Physics of the Planets: How 16th and 17th Century Physicist Helped Us Understand Our Solar System
Eighth graders draw the paths of the planets in the solar system. In this astronomy lesson plan, 8th graders calculate speed of objects using distance and time information. They research about the work of scientists in the 16th and 17th...
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Taking a Closer Look (Critical Viewing)
Students explore persuasive writing in advertisements. For this advertisements lesson, students evaluate tobacco advertisements for persuasion techniques. Students then create a counter advertisement against smoking.
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Identifying Indoor Environment Pollution Sources (List, Group, Label Activity)
Young scholars identify the cause of indoor air pollution. In this indoor air pollution lesson, students list, group, and label sources of indoor pollution. They brainstorm a list of all of the indoor pollutants they can think of before...
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Career Explorations and Personal Finance
Students use various search engines and Web sites to find out information for a career they think they might like to pursue. They present their information to the class in an oral report.
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Sea Turtles
Students investigate eight different species of sea turtles while being involved in classroom lecture and video presentation. The characteristics used to identify sea turtles is taught to help students identify unknown species.