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Liquid Crystal IR Detector
Middle schoolers experiment with one method of detecting infrared radiation. They simulate the detection of infrared radiation using a liquid crystal sheet.
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Take A Look Around! Architecture and the Built Environment
Young scholars examine the types of architecture used to build the San Jose Museum of Art. Based on the grade level, they participate and answer questions based on the different pieces of art examined. They also discover how weight is...
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Interpreting Aerial Photographs
Students interpret aerial photographs. They view aerial photographs or satellite-produced images to locate and identify physical and human features. They study satellite images and label their images for bodies of water, clouds,...
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Air Pollution: A Local and Global Problem
Students work together to solve the problem of air pollution. Using the Internet, they research the pollution problem in one city. Using the data, they develop their own solution and pitch it to the class. They must identify the...
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Collecting Electromagnetic Radiation
Students using different experiments and activities explore electromagnetic radiation and the effect on the Earth.
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Cloud Shadows
Learners classify clouds as transparent, translucent or opaque. They conduct an experiment to determine the visual opacity of several classroom objects and then conduct further observations of clouds.
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Primary Producers
Students examine the role of carbon in the oceans and how phytoplankton determine the levels present. In groups, they practice measuring primary productivity using two methods. They use the internet to research the role of phytoplankton...
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What's it Like Inside the Sun?
Learners perform experiment in which they model convection as it occurs in our Sun. They also explain that convection acts where the effect of gravity and heat are present (low density fluids can rise and cool, and high density fluids...
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DAY AND NIGHT
Students use a lamp as the sun and his/her body as the earth. They rotate in different directions to explain how the earth moves around the sun. Using specific questions in their discussion, students discover the reasons for day and night.
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Is Air a Fluid?
Students discuss the physical properties of fluids and then demonstrate that air carbon dioxide and oxygen) is a fluid by creating currents.
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Linkages Between Surface Temperature And Tropospheric Ozone
Students organize and analyze data regarding changes in tropospheric ozone and then hypothesize about the consequences of these changes.
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Ground Level Ozone Testing
Young scholars prepare Shoenbein Paper to test the ground level of ozone. They dip a strip of their test paper in distilled water and hang it at a data collection site. They determine the relative humidity of the data collection site....
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Weather Vocabulary
In this weather activity, 3rd graders study words pertaining to all aspects of weather. Students respond to 19 questions, matching the vocabulary words on the left with the correct definition on the right.
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Clouds as Art: Torn Paper Landscape
Students create a torn paper landscape and use it to study clouds. In this cloud study and art lesson, students make a background art image from torn paper. Students create a torn paper landscape and use cotton balls to illustrate...
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Effects of Ozone in the Air
Fifth graders learn how ground-level ozone is an air pollution problem. Students measure ozone levels and graph the results.
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Write Simple Rhymes
First graders observe that rhyming words have different beginnings, but the same endings by viewing examples on the overhead projector. They say the beginnings of the words that go with the correct endings. They then come up one at a...
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Mars
First graders listen as the teacher reads a copy of the WEEKLY READER that talks about Mars and ask questions accordingly. They again listen as a section about Earth is read from the magazine. Now, the class orally compare and contrast...
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The Chemistry of Coal
Students investigate the chemistry of coal. This lesson serves as a review of conservation of mass, simple reactions and equation balancing. During the lesson, students research chemical components of coal, as well as environmental...
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Creating the Water Cycle
Students create a terrarium to examine the stages of the water cycle. In small groups, they plant and water a seed in an enclosed plastic container. Each day they diagram and write observations of the terrarium using water cycle vocabulary.
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The Undiscovered Planet
Students find a planetary object using star fields. In this investigative lesson students determine the distance to an object using trigonometric parallax.
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Cast of characters -- Lost in Space Lesson
Students examine how artists use the picture plane to depict two and three dimensions. They view online images, discuss how space is used to depict three-dimensional space, and create a painting.
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Ozone Pollution: Smog Alert
Students explain ozone pollution and make them aware of how it is formed. They simulate the development of smog and infer how it occurs in nature.
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The Rumblin' Road
Students determine the distance to a lightning strike. They complete a number of examples that determine the distance to a thunderstorm or lightning strike. They focus on safety during a thunderstorm.
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Ozone Pollution: Smog Alert
Students simulate the development of smog. They discover how it forms naturally in nature. They read news articles about the ozone and pollution. They discuss what they can do to lower the pollution they generate.