Curated OER
Does Shape Affect Drag?
Students study drag and how it affects a parachute in the sky. For this parachutes lesson students build models and compare their drag.
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Make Quiz Time a Fun Time
Learners investigate a topic and prepare a quiz activity. In this space science lesson, students investigate one of the planets and construct a quiz for their classmates.
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Explore Efficient Energy Uses
In this energy learning exercise, students explore different ways to conserve energy. They write a short description for each of the 10 methods presented.
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Comparative Stream Quality
Students examine water quality on a nearby stream. They collect water samples and test for various factors, including any contamination from the treatment plant, and present their information in a Powerpoint presentation.
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Field Research Project: Comparing the Parent Rock Material of the San Francisco Terranes With Local Soil Types
Students investigate rocks and minerals and take a field trip to sample soils. They analyze rocks and soil, research the geological terrenes of the topology of San Francisco, and produce a lab research report.
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Planet Earth
Students explore and analyze data from different maps in order to explain geographic diversity among the continents. Student groups research continents' physical features and examine how they contribute to quality of life for inhabitants.
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Understanding Climate
Fourth graders create two dioramas out of household materials to compare the influence of various factors that impact climate. Each group discuss how the change in factors influenced the climate, flora, and fauna of their area.
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What's The Difference?
Students identify geologic features that are associated with volcanoes. In this volcanic exploration lesson students compare and contrast convergent and divergent volcanoes and are able to explain why some erupt more explosively.
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Regolith Formation
Students compare and contrast the process of regolith formations. In groups, students define regolith and discover how regolith is formed on the Earth and on the Moon. They participate in experimental activities to simulate regolith.
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Space Science: A Scoop of Moon Dirt
Students discover soil characteristics and how it is formed on Earth and the Moon by examining local samples to a lunar simulant. They replicate the effects of wind erosion by scraping dry bread with sandpaper. Students use rocks and...
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Rivers, Maps, and Math
Students use maps to locate and label the major rivers of North and South America. Using the internet, they identify forests, grasslands, mountain ranges and other landforms on the continents as well. They compare and contrast the...
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Greenhouse Gas Lab
Young scholars compare the ability of a sample of carbon dioxide gas to
absorb thermal energy compared to a sample of air. They build a visual representation of the greenhouse effect to illustrate the heat-absorption of
atmospheric...
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What Does Plant Biology Teach Is About Climate?
Students examine what factors influence climate. In this investigative instructional activity students compare the factors that influence climate and how they effect tree growth.
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What's the Difference?
Young scholars discover how volcanic processes differ at convergent and divergent tectonic plate boundaries. They identify three geologic features that are associated with most volcanoes on Earth.
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Classification of Clouds
Students view a cloud slide show presentation and identify types of clouds. They estimate height based on cloud's appearance. They discuss the vague nature of cloud nomenclature and compare it to the English standard measurement system.
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Water-Holding Capacity
Students design and conduct an experiment to compare the water-holding capacity of sand, soil, and moss. They measure the change in weight for each material after adding the same amount of water to each material.
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Sonar Simulation
Students explore how a side-scan sonar can help locate underwater objects. In this hands- on lesson students compare side-scan sonar and other methods used to search for underwater objects by creating their own "simulation" of a...
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Our Solar System
Third graders describe the composition of our solar system. They recognize the names of the planets in our solar system and compare and contrast the nine planets that orbit the sun.
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Warm and Toasty
Students are introduced to the concepts of specific heat and heat capacity. In groups, they design an experiment to test these two topics on various fabrics. They compare and contrast the amount of heat loss on the different materials...
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Eyes on the Estuaries
Students study estuaries and compare several ones in the U.S. In this estuary activity students interpret data and compare the distribution of different species.
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As the World Turns
Students will use their bodies to act out the motions of Earth by exploring orbits, rotations, and the turning of the earth as it revolves around the sun. Doing research to find correct answers to their questions will help them act out...
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Plate Tectonic - Volcanoes Pre Lab
Second graders draw and compare parts of volcano. They investigate parts of a volcano and distinguish between magma and lava.
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The Mesozoic Era
Sixth graders recognize that the Earth was different in different eras. In this Mesozoic Era lesson, 6th graders compare the time frame of the different eras and how long they lasted for by graphing them. Students study the...