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Mountains of Erosion
Students study the change in land formations due to water erosion. They work in groups to build a model of a mountain that will be composed of materials that will best withstand water erosion.
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Global Climate Change
Second graders investigate the effect of melting glaciers to sea level. In this earth science lesson, 2nd graders simulate the process in the lab by conducting an experiment using ice cubes and clay. They explain the consequences of...
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What is Soil?
Third graders examine what makes soil by creating a Venn Diagram. In this Earth environment lesson, 3rd graders identify the different components that soil is made from. Students bring soil from their homes to examine and create a...
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Evaporation
Students study the evaporation stage of the water cycle. In this water cycle lesson, students participate in an experiment to study the process of evaporation that uses jars and water. Students complete an observation worksheet for...
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Soil Erosion
Second graders complete activities to observe the effects of erosion. In this erosion lesson, 2nd graders define erosion and learn the process. Students complete an erosion experiment.
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The Earth's Landscape#156
Students define a word from the natural disaster list, find a location in the world where this type of disaster has occurred and discuss what they have identified. They design a crossword puzzle of natural disaster words or check a...
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Global Change- Earth as Home
Learners create their own environment. In this environmental protection lesson, students pretend they are the owners of a tropical island. They create jobs for the citizens and develop the island as a model environment.
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Earth: The Food We Eat, The Seeds We Sow
Students explore the importance of seed diversity for cultural and ecological stability/health. They discover what an heirloom seed is and why they are important to conserve.
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Earth, the Universe, and Culture
Students view segment of documentary, Swift: Eyes Through Time, explore famous scientists, their theories, places of origin, and culture, document scientific viewpoints of famous scientists throughout history, and discuss geographical...
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Earth Surface Socratic Questions
Students explore the ways Earth's surface is shaped by hydrologic, climate and tectonic forces by participating in a whole class discussion. They respond to prompts that lead them to conclusions about the relationships between landforms...
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Solid Earth Socratic Questions
Students participate in a whole class discussion to relate what they know about earthquakes to the processes of plate tectonics. They respond to prompts that lead them to conclusions about the layers of the earth.
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Reading the Shapes of Volcanoes on Earth and Mars
Students compare and contrast the volcanoes of Earth and Mars, and examine specific volcanoes on Mars. They model the processes that create cone and shield volcanoes, and measure the slope angles of cone and shield volcanoes.
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Materials, Let's Do the Life Cycle
Students examine environmental and social impacts of products that consumers buy. In this environmental stewardship lesson, students play a game that requires them to consider real costs of products. Students consider the environmental...
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Smooth It Out
Fourth graders describe how weather events such as hard rains and floods cause weathering of the Earth's surface and rocks. They distinguish between erosion and weathering, and comprehend that water and friction show similar results in...
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Freezing Cracks
Fourth graders examine how weather events cause weathering of the Earth's surface and how freezing water creates cracks and broken rocks over time. They observe what happens when a jar full of water is frozen overnight, and record their...
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Water Cycle in a Box
Fourth graders investigate how the water cycle is vital for all living things to survive on Earth. They observe the teacher set up a simulation of the water cycle using a Plastic Earth Simulator, desk lamp, and water, and make...
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Water Speed and Erosion
Fourth graders investigate the process of water erosion. They observe the roots of a plant and discuss the concept of erosion. Next, in small groups they conduct an experiment to observe how water erodes soil on a stream table, and...
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The Water Cycle
Fifth graders identify organisms and processes involved in three cycles: the water cycle, the carbon cycle, and the nitrogen cycle. They produce a pictorial or abstract water cycle, and appropriately place life forms onto an existing...
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What is Soil?
Young scholars examine soil. For this earth science lesson, students define and describe weathering and erosion as it relates to soil. Young scholars compare and contrast potting soil with forest soil and complete a science observation...
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Classifying Rocks
Fifth graders examine and participate in the process of classifying rocks. In small groups, they sort the rocks into two categories and complete a Venn diagram. Next, they select three rocks, and complete a worksheet that is in the...
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It's Raining, It's Pouring: The Water Cycle
Students investigate the relationship of the steps in the water cycle, and create a simulation of the water cycle in a jar.
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Air Pressure
Learners participate in a series of demonstrations about Bernoulli's principle. They explain how air pressure varies with air speed. They write a detailed lab report about the activity. This is a great way to explore this concept.
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Volcanoes-Viscosity Demonstration
Students engage in a lesson which demonstrates that volcanism is the process whereby materials formed inside the Earth come out onto the surface. They participate in a simple, yet effective, activity which demonstrates how volcanoes...
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Earthquake Formation
Students explore earthquakes. In this natural disaster and engineer career education lesson, students identify features of the earth's surface that increase the likelihood of an earthquake. Students use visual aids to locate the earth's...