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Making Hail
Fourth graders investigate the different types of precipitation and conduct a hail experiment. They identify the types of precipitation during a slideshow, and define key vocabulary terms. Next, in small groups they follow the...
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Funky Fungus
Students discuss decomposition, bacteria, fungi and other microscopic organisms. They participate in an experiment to grow fungus on bread. As the fungus colonies grow, students observe them under a microscope to identify and locate...
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What is Matter?
Students understand what matter is and that it can be changed. In this matter lesson, students participate in an experiment to get rid of matter. Students record their results.
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Making a Cave
Students discuss caves. In this science lesson, students experiment with how dissolution, a chemical weathering process, leads to the formation of caves. Once the cave is finsihed students draw a picture or describe in writing what it...
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Storm That Drowned a City
Students use a map to locate New Orleans and watch a video on the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. As a class, they watch a demonstration on how a wetland can reduce the impact of a hurricane. In groups, they perform their own...
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Energy Transformation
Students experiment with variety of materials to investigate, develop inferences, and differentiate between concepts of motion energy and heat energy, and the part played by friction in the transformation process.
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Can Cruncher
Learners experiment with boiling water and cans to study changes in pressure. In this pressure lesson plan, students use pop cans filled with varying amounts of water heated to boiling. Learners drop the cans in cold water and observe...
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Life Means Water Environment
Students investigate pH levels in bodies of water and experiment with acid/base reactions. In this water and pH lesson, students observe changes in pH levels of a sample solution and observe a Bronsted-Lowry reaction. Students...
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Making Sounds
Learners perform three experiments to gain understanding of how pitch changes. In this sound lesson, students create a variety of sounds with different pitches. Learners will record their data as the observe the differences in the sounds...
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Getting A Charge Out of the Sky
Students investigate electricity from the sky. In this electricity lesson, students participate in an experiment to simulate the electric charges from the sky. Students discuss results.
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Carbon Cycle Game
For this carbon cycle lesson, middle schoolers review the carbon cycle and visit stations in the room where they experience every phase in the carbon cycle. Middle schoolers journal about their journey through the cycle and...
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What Are the Layers of the Rain Forest?
Students investigate the different levels of the rain forest by comparing it to an apartment. In this ecology lesson plan, students practice using forest related vocabulary words and complete a vocabulary data sheet. Students...
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The Great Ocean Conveyor
Young scholars investigate water density. In this water density lesson, students conduct an experiment with food coloring, water and salt to see how the salt effects bodies of water.
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Photosynthesis Explored
Students observe the production of gas as an effect of photosynthesis. In this biology lesson, students perform an experiment with pondweed and make measurements and predictions about photosynthesis and the plant.
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Draft-o-Meter
Students conduct an experiment to measure the location and amount of air drafts present in their homes. They discuss the effects of drafts on healing and cooling efficiency in their homes.
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Balloon Fun
Learners conduct an experiment with balloons and skewers. They speculate the reasons for the balloon's reactions to the skewers and write about their observations.
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Water, Water Everywhere, Even Underground
The "Engage" section of a wetlands lesson plan asks young ecologists to examine a wetlands poster. You can easily find one online and display it using a projector. Pupils immerse a piece of sandstone and a piece of granite in water to...
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The Way a Tree Works
Students explore nature by conducting botany experiments. In this plant life lesson, students define the necessary resources for a plant to thrive on our planet while defining scientific vocabulary terms. Students utilize different plant...
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Cooperative Learning Experience Through the Flipping Lid Demo
Students create a cartoon illustrating a lab demonstration. In this lab safety lesson, the teacher demonstrates a small methane explosion to demonstrate the importance of safety in a laboratory setting, then students work in groups to...
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Sensational Soil
Fourth and fifth graders explore soil by taking a simulated field trip under the earth. They go to an Internet site that runs a simulation which charges them with finding a source of pollution that could destroy all of Earth's soil, and...
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Wonders of Weather
Students investigate weather disasters by creating a virtual tornado. In this wild weather lesson, students define a vortex and describe how a vortex keeps a tornado moving and causing damage. Students utilize salt,...
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Rain On
Fourth graders study the water cycle and clouds. In this water cycle and cloud lesson, 4th graders determine the definition of condensation and watch a demonstration in which the teacher makes a cloud in a bottle. They discuss the water...
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Making Ice Cream
First graders create ice cream in class. In this matter lesson, 1st graders discover solids, liquids and gases and the properties of each. Students produce a batch of ice cream in class using household items.
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Oxygen Levels and Aquatic Plants and Animals
Students design an experiment to test the effects of a change in the amount of dissolved oxygen of water on aquatic plants and animals. Questions are offered for exploration and experiment design. Results are tabulated and conclusions...