Curated OER
Is It Alive?
Eighth graders define the boundaries of living organisms. They determine what makes something a living organism and identify factors that constitute "living." Pupils write a conclusion about the evidence they found that yeast is alive...
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How the Amount of Solar Energy Absorbed by the Earth is Dependent Upon the Earth's Position
Students investigate the angle of light and how it faces the earth. They conduct a series of investigations with the following two objectives. Students determine if the angle of light is a factor in the absorption of heat. They correlate...
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Listen! Listen! Learn All About It!
Fourth graders view non-fiction videos. They write questions that can be answered with information in the video. Every 10 minutes the video is stopped and the class discusses the questions.
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Making Tracks
Fifth graders examine the fossil footprints of two and four legged dinosaurs. Using this information, they try to determine how the dinosaurs lived their lives. They use their own walking pattern to compare it to the dinosaurs and...
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Maya Mystery
Young scholars use the Internet and e-mail to research the Mayan culture. They participate in "Mayaquest" and create a multimedia presentation and a visual product of what they find in their research.
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Decomposing Artifacts
Seventh graders participate in an experiment in which they calculate the time of decomposition of different materials. In groups, they fill bags with different materials and cover them in soil. After six months, they create a line graph...
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Nuclear Transplants
Students model the removal of a cell nucleus and the insertion of an alternate control center. They define some of the challenges faced in this type of transplant procedure. Students discuss cloning.
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Balancing Bottles
Students explore the Law of Conservation of Matter using effervescent tablets. In this mass and energy instructional activity, students investigate how mass is conserved in the reaction of effervescent tablets and water. They will...
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A Guided Journey Into the Past
Fourth graders use guided imagery to discover and judge an alternative way to enjoy artifacts without removing them from archaeological sites.
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What Effects Do Trees Have On The Environment?
Students examine the interrelationship between trees, soil and people focusing on urban areas. They collect and analyze data about trees in their research area.
Mascil Project
Arranging Tables for a Birthday
Planning a party of 45 guests may be more complicated than it would seem. Learners must design the space in accordance with these constraints about the space available in the room. They need to calculate area, circumference, and linear...
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Composting -- Nature's Disappearing Act
Studenst work together to discover the concept of biodegradability. They build a model of a landfill and how different items decompose. They examine how engineers use this information for better waste management.
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Creatures That Glow In The Night
Students investigate the different bioluminescent organisms. They use microscopes in order to make observations and draw what is seen. Students demonstrate they have studies the differences between the process of photosynthesis and...
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Can You Make A Penny Float?
Students explore the concept of density by trying to make a penny and other materials float.
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The Water Cycle
Students research the water cycle and identify main vocabulary associated with the water cycle. They build and observe a closed system model that demonstrates the water cycle in action.
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The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Second graders watch a video about Eric Carle before listening to his story entitled, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. They notice how the caterpillar eats its way through the days of the week and they examine the life cycle of the...
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Can't Bayou this Water Cycle
Learners identify the stages in the water cycle. They observe a local water source and view the cycle in action. They create their own water cycle using software.
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What is a Cloud
Third graders study clouds and how they are formed. They write acrostic poems about clouds and analyze and graph temperature data collected during varying degrees of cloud cover.
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Using the Scientific Method to Determine Which Conditions Best Favor Plant Growth
Seventh graders examine how the environment can affect biological processes. They identify the best conditions for the germination of bean seeds. They record and analyze their data. They write about their observations in an essay.
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Selecting Soil Organisms in Compost
Students demonstrate that many of the enzyme systems needed to break down--and therefore clean up-society's wastes already exist in nature among the decomposers. They select the best starch-munching organisms by altering the environment...
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May the Force Be With You: A Unit on Magnets
Students uncover data about magnets and practice classifying them by amounts of attraction and magnetism as an invisible force is introduced. The unit presents the topic within eight lessons.
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Physical vs. Chemical Change Lab
Students recognize both a physical and chemical change in different substances. They determine which particles actually changed into different substances, and explain if it represented a physical or a chemical change.
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Batteries in Series: Voltage and Light Intensity
Students participate in a hands-on activity to explore the relationship between the number of batteries in a series circuit and its voltage. Students identify the relationship between two variables and plot points on a graph.
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Mystery Boxes
Students make observations about Mystery Boxes that their teacher has made up and describes the motion of the object inside the box and hypothesizes it's shape based on their observations.