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Measurement: Stream Flow & Stadium Capacity
Eighth graders study the scientific fields and how information can be monitored and recorded. For this scientific inquiry lesson students view a PowerPoint presentation and complete a hands on activity.
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The Power of Atmospheric Pressure Process
Middle schoolers are introduced to the basic principles of atmospheric pressure. After watching demonstrations, they discover the capability of air pressure and how it affects weather. In groups, they use an inquiry template to solve...
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Weightlessness
Students use a coffee cup to demonstrate weightlessness. After a lecture/demo, students read an article on free-fall. They perform a simple experiment which helps them explain the concept of weightlessness.
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From the Farm to Your Table: Where Does Our Food Come From?
Students discover where the food they eat comes from. Using maps, they identify the agricultural areas of the United States and the products that are grown in each area. Using the internet, they research how food gets to America from...
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Clouds and Your Weather
Seventh graders identify clouds and the weather associated with them. They use informational articles and personal weather observations to learn about the relationships between weather fronts and clouds.
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Lesson Plan: Global Warming
Students explore the concept of global warming. In this climate change instructional activity, students explore the provided links to PBS NOW sources and research the greenhouse effect and the effects of global warming. Students...
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What's Up? Clouds and Your Weather
Seventh graders identify clouds and the weather that is associated with them. In this weather instructional activity students work in groups and design their own weather map.
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Will It Rain Today or Tomorrow?
Students examine how to forecast weather. They examine the different types of weather and learn the correct vocabulary.
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The Miracle Fish: Learning to Design an Experiment
Students develop procedures to explore the behavior of fish. In this scientific experiment instructional activity students from a hypothesis, write a question, identify different variables and controls in their experiment.
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Magnetic Discovery Bottle
Students examine how to conduct simple investigations and use simple equipment to gather data. In this magnet lesson students decide what types of objects are attracted to magnets.
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Beaver Ecology
Learners explore the lives of bgeahvers. They identify the physical and behavioral adaptations that help beavers survive in their environment. Students compare and contrast how beavers influence the ecology of both forest and aquatic...
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The Drinking Bird
Pupils discover how the "drinking bird" functions. In this investigative lesson, students discover what makes the drinking bird drink by analyzing relative humidity, temperature, and barometric pressure.
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Shake, Rattle and Roll
Students compare the weathering of different-sized materials. Comparisons are made and data analyzed to reach conclusions about the process of weathering. Applications can be made for the higher grades.
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The Atmosphere and Flight
Students investigate evaporation and condensation, and apply the concepts to understanding cloud formation.
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Keep the Environment Clean
Students discuss ways our environment becomes polluted. They make a list of ways to keep it clean.
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Let's Take a Rock Apart
Young scholars take a crushed rock and sort the remains of the rock minerals into different categories based on the different properties. In this sorting lesson plan, students learn what makes up a rock and how to sort something into...
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Energy/Light/Heat/Sound
Fourth graders study the properties of heat in this series of lessons. They discuss sources of heat and experiment to determine its properties. They identify insulators and conductors by measuring temperatures, and graphing their data....
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Effects of the Sun on Our Planet
Pupils examine the effect of different types of light on the Earth. They discover the role of evaporation and the effects of the sun on the magnetosphere. They also observe different solar phenomena.
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Dirty Decomposers
Seventh graders design and conduct experiments to determine what environmental factors favor decomposition by soil microbes. They use chunks of carrot for the materials to be decomposed, and their experiments are carried out in plastic...
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Structure of the Earth
Sixth graders define atmosphere and hydrosphere, explore through experimentation how the atmosphere was formed, and describe the layers of the Earth's atmosphere and their distances.
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Why So Many Frogs?
Students explain the different stages in the growth of a frog, then analyze and collect data to make generalizations about a larger population. They determine the survival rate of a population of tadpoles under controlled conditions.
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Fossil Fuels, Who Needs Them
Ninth graders explore how electricity is created and distributed through alternative production methods. Students participate in hands-on activities, research, lecture based instruction, and CD ROM resources.
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Annotated, Detailed Example of Socratic Questioning
Students identify and define the main components of the hydrosphere and the ways in which they interact with one another. They explore how changes in Earth's surface materials affect components of the hydrosphere and evaluate the effect...
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Wood is Everywhere!
Fifth graders diagram and label the parts of a tree. For this lesson plan on how trees obtain food, 5th graders diagram and label the parts of a tree, and determine the diameter, height, and age of a tree.