Lesson Plan
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Sample the Solar System

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students identify different features of the solar system. They analyze the sun, moon, planets, comets, and asteroids. They use the Internet and other resource sources to find information about the solar system.
Lesson Plan
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Interdisciplinary Global Warming

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders are given a wide variety of earth science topics to choose from to write a report on. This lesson also has a scoring rubric imbedded in the plan. They utilize the internet and other sources to complete their research.
Lesson Plan
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Making a Karst Dictionary

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Pupils practice using the correct vocabulary in geology and hydrology. They use the Internet to research topics and practice their researching skills.
Lesson Plan
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Environmental Risk Management

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the concepts related to managing the environment. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Students cite examples of different organisms that have been targeted to become endangered. They answer questions...
Lesson Plan
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Properties of Minerals

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Young scholars research properties of minerals. In this science lesson, students search the web, create a folder, and store information on properties of minerals. There are many excellent worksheets and study guides embedded in this...
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Rocks and Minerals Composition Database

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders research a specific rock or mineral. They compile the facts into a database which students access for information.
Lesson Plan
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Inventions of the 19th Century

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore inventions that have been created since the nineteenth century.
Lesson Plan
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Ida Tarbell: Hysterical Woman vs. Historical Facts

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars examine journalism and its different styles.  In this effective communication instructional activity students create an editorial message and articulate an article.
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Molecular Sequences & Primate Evolution: Amino Acids, Hemoglobins in Evolution

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students compare differences in amino acids in the beta hemoglobin from representative primates, complete a matrix of those differences, and from these data, construct and interpret cladograms as they reflect relationships and timing of...
Lesson Plan
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Sports Participation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research statistics about sports participation in references such as the Statistical Abstract of the United States. They make and analyze a list of the 10 sports that the highest number of Americans participated in on an amateur...
Lesson Plan
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WHAT DARWIN NEVER SAW: Evolution, Science, Biology, Natural Selection

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students view video showing recent field work on a twenty two-year study of finch beaks on a small island in the Galapagos, showing natural selection clearly operating in the wild.
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The Natural Selection of Bean Hunters

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students, in groups, hunt for beans placed in the lawn. Each group uses a different tool (hand, spoon, fork, etc.) and there are three different colors of beens.
Lesson Plan
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The Chips Are Down: A Natural Selection Simulation

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students, in teams, use different colored paper chips to represent prey and a piece of fabric as the environment.
Lesson Plan
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The Selection and Variation in the Egyptian Origami Bird

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students participate in a contrived natural selection simulation in which they build and modify simple paper airplanes. They study divergent and convergent evolution and how it is isolated in sub-populations.
Lesson Plan
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Natural Selection.... a Cumulative Process... it's in the cards!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers working in pairs attempt to produce a full sequence of 13 cards of one suit (ace - to king). This must be done by shuffling the suit of cards for each round, then checking the cards.
Lesson Plan
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Sports Helmets and Impact Testing of Polymers

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Learners examine the importance of good quality safety gear. In this investigative activity, students will tests various polymers, collect data, and analyze the data to determine which polymer is best for safety helmets. They will design...
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The Periodic Table

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders examine the history and development of the periodic table and properties of elements. They complete worksheets, take notes during a teacher-led discussion, and produce their own periodic table.
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Exploring Scientists/Presentation

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students research a scientist of their choice. They write a research paper on him or her. They select ten important facts from their research paper and prepare a PowerPoint presentation using their facts.
Lesson Plan
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The Natural Selection of Stick-Worms

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students discuss and role-play the elements of natural selection. They use toothpicks to represent Stick-Worms and discover the mechanisms of change of traits in populations.
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Lamarck vs Darwin: Dueling Theories

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students, in groups, study cheetah, blind cave organisms, and naked mole rats to explain facets of evolution.
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13 Ways to Tell Time Backwards

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore different ways geological time can be measured: comparing the time dimensions for each method, the mechanisms of each method, and the materials used.
Lesson Plan
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Why Don't Whales Have Legs?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are given a variety of materials and are asked to design a heat loss experiment that results in a reasonable explanation of "Why don't whales have legs?" students work with the theory of natural selection.
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Water Quality of Local Lakes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers research the quality of water in a regional lake of West Bloomfield in the past and present. They compare conditions of the lake, past and present. They then give examples of local and regional human activities that may...