Society for Science & the Public
Easter Islanders Made Tools, Not War
When studying artifacts, especially tools, how do archaeologists determine what the devices were used for? In what ways might researchers' previous experiences influence their perception of an artifact? An article about researchers'...
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LBJ-- Escalation in Vietnam and Domestic Programs
Eighth graders investigate the Vietnam War. In this Vietnam War lesson, 8th graders research the escalation of the war during Lyndon Johnson's presidency. Students also explore the domestic programs that Johnson promoted. Students...
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Building Blocks for a Healthy Body
Students watch a video and discuss the benefits of regular exercise. They use books, Internet sites and interviews with health professionals to develop a list of activities to develop physical fitness.
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Weather Watchers
Students are introduced to an Underground Weather Stations. In groups, they use the internet to research the weather in different parts of the United States locating each city. To end the lesson, they summarize the information they...
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Informed Drawing Through Observation
Students practice observation techniques to improve their drawing skills. For this drawing technique lesson, students assess drawing as an art media and discuss realism. Students view examples of animal drawings and practice drawing...
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Let's Look at Legends: Oregon quarter reverse
Analyzing historical legends is a fun way to develop critical-thinking skills. Pupils will use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast two historical legends relating to volcanoes. While this lesson focuses on the image of Crater...
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African Safari
Seventh graders examine different countries in Africa to research. They choose one to concentrate their research on using the five themes of geography. They design a multimedia presentation that will make up the African safari.
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Hurricane Frequency and Intensity
High schoolers examine hurricanes. In this web-based meteorology lesson, students study the relationship between ocean temperature and hurricane intensity. They differentiate between intensity and frequency of hurricanes.
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High Mountain Retreat
Students explore and analyze atmospheric conditions for a high mountain retreat. They examine the relationship between altitude, atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity at a particular location. In addition, they write reports...
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Nutrition and Health and School Gardening
Students examine how healthy eating contributes to a healthy body and life style. They read nutritional labels on food items. They use the Five Foods Pyramid to evaluate their own eating habits. They plan, design, and create a school...
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Exploring Egyptian Culture and Pyramids
Students access a variety of Egyptian Culture and pyramid related resources on the Internet. They explore various websites, read articles, create an Egyptian art figure, construct a model of a pyramid, and describe the mummification...
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U.S. Post Office Mural Walking Tour
Students discover a sense of community by examining Post Office murals located in cities and small towns throughout the United States. They explore the significance of the murals by contacting and communicating with local Postmasters....
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Finding Satisfactory Solutions
Students decide where to locate ice cream stands in a town so that no one has to travel too far to buy a treat. The problem-solving strategies for this problem give students a chance to decide what makes a solution satisfactory.
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Westward Expansion
Middle schoolers explore the Westward Expansion Movement of U.S. history. For this Westward movement lesson, students use primary and secondary source documents research personal accounts of those who travelled west during the era....
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Ecosystem In A Bottle
Ecosystem activities show how everyone and everything is interconnected.  The smallest change can make a big impact.
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Com-Post With Us? Learn About Recycling While Having Fun
Students examine the importance of recycling to help the environment. In groups, they make a compost bin on the school grounds recording how the material changes from week to week. They collect other materials for recycling like cell...
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Fantastic Flying Journey
Third graders listen to a teacher reading of the "Fantastic Flying Journey." students research each country/continent using the Internet and creating a travel journal.
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Over the Rivers and Through the Woods
Sixth graders examine the purpose of the keelboat used by the Corps of Discovery on the Lewis and Clark expedition. They assess its strengths and weaknesses for navigating different rivers, and describe its overall purpose for the...
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Story Stretching: Tall Tales in North America
Students are introduced to tall tales. In this introductory tall tales unit, students explore the tall tales of Casey Jones and Johnny Appleseed. This unit includes many interdisciplinary lessons including graphing skills and geography.
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The Sound of Calm
Students examine the relationships that exist between ocean currents, wind and climate.  Using those relationships, they discuss how they affect the oceans.  They create their own music to represent the sounds of the ocean and share them...
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Lights On ! Lights Off! Exploring Human Settlement Patterns
Third graders write informational paragraphs based on the settlement patterns of the United States. In this settlement lesson plan, 3rd graders read about population and how it affects where people settle next.
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Understanding Computer Images
Ninth graders explain differences between bitmapped images and vector images. They calculate pixels and transpose the raw file size to bits, bytes, and kilobytes. They compare formats for displaying images on a Web page.
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Catch Me If You Can: Over and Under
Pupils read a story.  In this vocabulary skills lesson, students read The Gingerbread Man, use flannel cut outs to re-enact the gingerbread man running over and under.
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Happy Birthday Mathematicians and Me
Middle schoolers choose a mathematician or scientist born on the same day as the student and research them. They create a cube or tetrahedron and place required information on the sides (such as birth year, death yr., greatest...