Lesson Plan
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Life's Big Questions: Where Did Life Come From?

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students explore the life forms that live in the hot springs of Yellowstone. They examine how microscopic creatures can survive in these extreme conditions. Students perform experiments to observe growth samples and demonstrate how a...
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Six Levels of Ecological Organization

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders describe the six levels of ecological organizations and give examples of each. They also differentiate between food chains and webs and identify trophic and consumer levels in food chain and food webs.
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Carbon Dioxide: The Heat is On

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine the greenhouse gases affecting the atmosphere. In groups, they participate in activities in which they examine the effects of heat on the atmosphere and phytoplankton. They research how the phytoplankton differ in warm...
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Building an Ecologically Balanced Living Space

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils design and build an ecologically balanced living space based on the principles of an old growth forest. They take one part of a house (or structure in the community) and redesign it according to the principles of the forest cycle.
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Constrating Cinderellas/ Connecting LA Cenerentola

For Teachers K - 3rd
Young scholars contrast the traditional Cinderella character with a modern, independent and socially conscious Cinderella. To activate prior knowledge by eliciting from the students some of the familiar story elements of the traditional...
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A Living Watershed

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students, through this series of lessons, use local resources, speakers, print and video materials, as well as standard text materials to study the ecosystem of the local watershed.
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Using Yeast as an Ultraviolet Light Measurement Tool

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students accurately measure the relationship between radiation dose and either survival or some genetic event such as mutation or recombination. They investigate the damage that was done to the DNA molecule as a result of exposure to...
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Human Evolution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers make and use observations of Laetoli footprints to provide clues to life in the past. They collect and analyze data to study the relationship between foot length and body height.
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Honduras: Going Bananas

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils explore the popularity of bananas. They conduct a survey to understand the reasons for their popularity. Students research a banana's journey from the farm to school lunch. They compose a children's book about bananas explaining...
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Studying Fossils

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students hypothesize dinosaur size and speed by looking at dinosaur track way or by measuring a dinosaur models water displacement. In addition, techniques to help students become familiar with the ways paleontologists study fossils can...
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Studying Fossils

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students study the Evolution in the Light of Fossils. Activities in this lesson range from quantitative measurements of hominoid skulls to the comparison of hominoid bone structures. They hypothesize dinosaur size and speed by looking at...
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Lesson 3: Understanding Population Growth

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students explain population growth in Maryland and its relationship with age structure, household growth and consumption of land.
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An Investigation into Effects of Rhizobium Soil Bacteria on Nitrogen Availability

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars identify the control and the variables in the experiment. They describe the growth of plants with and without nitrogen fixing bacteria, then name the bacterium responsible for making nitrogen available to the plant.
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Three Cold Realms

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Pupils identify organisms within the realms of pelagic, benthic and sea ice. They explain how these three interact with each other.
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2005 Hidden Ocean Expedition What's Eating You?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Analyze data and make inferences about the trophic position of organisms in the Canada marine food web. After a review of the geography and formula, discuss results and write an essay to improve the understanding of Artic food webs.
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Endangered Species- Florida Panther

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners investigate the concept of the conservation of the Florida Panther and examine the effects of the Everglades water restoration project. They conduct a web based activity that includes the following: Listing what they know,...
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Kure Waste Chase Game Lesson

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students work together to identify marine debris. They explain the effect of the debris on various ecosystems. They draw different types of ocean currents as well.
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Vertebrate Dioramas

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students are able to describe the development of their chosen form of vertebrate life from the past to the present in a four to six page typed paper. They explain the use of phylogenetic tree. Students use the phylogenetic tree to...
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Studying Fossils: Hominoid Skull Comparison

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers collect data on the differences in Hominid skulls using acrylic casts of fossil skulls. They measure a series of structures on skulls from six different species then use the data to determine evolutionary relationships...
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Natural Inquirer Ecosystem Article Lesson

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students discover new ways to preserve the ecosystem by completing graphic organizers.  In this environmental lesson, students read an article from the Natural Inquirer in small groups and fill out a graphic organizer based on the...
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Tread Lightly: Where We Stand

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Learners explore the concept of ecological footprints. In this environmental stewardship lesson plan, students calculate their ecological footprints and consider how to reduce them.
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Trouble in the Troposphere

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars Use data sets from MY NASA DATA to produce graphs comparing monthly and yearly ozone averages of several U.S. cities. They analyze and evaluate the data and predict trends based on the data. In addition, they discuss and...
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Weathering Landforms

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders brainstorm a list of ways the Earth's surface can change. As a class, they are introduced to the concepts of erosion and weathering and discover how wind and water cause changes to the surface of the Earth. To end the...
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ESL Integrated Literature Unit

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read and analyze information related to the book Island of the Blue Dolphin. They select appropriate information for the purpose of investigating part of the book.