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Exploring Rocks
Students recognize differences in the size, shape, texture, and color of different rocks. In this rocks lesson plan, students also learn and repeat back how a volcano erupts and make one out of a toilet paper tube.
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What is the Rock Cycle?
Students investigate the rock cycle. In this geology lesson, students read about the rock cycle on a website and discuss the steps of the rock cycle. Students visit a rock cycle website to complete a quiz. This is the first introductory...
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Energy and the Environment: What Can We Do?
Students consider the impacts of global warming and brainstorm ways to help decrease their contribution to the problem. In this climate change lesson, students are exposed to facts concerning global warming and think of ways to...
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Volcano!-Thar She Blows!
Pupils describe how volcanoes are formed. They name the types of boundaries where volcanoes occur. They utilize models to illustrate the occurence of volcanoes and earthquakes along plate boundaries. They compare and constrast the...
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Weather: It Works, or Not?
Students discover the techniques meteorologists use to examine the atmosphere. In groups, they build their own weather station and observe the various weather conditions. They identify the types of weather patterns that allow the...
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How Volcanoes Grow
Pupils study volcanoes including rock fragments, ash, aerosols and gases. For this volcano lesson students divide into groups and build models of the three major types of volcanoes.
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Investigation 2 - Classifying Rocks
Fourth graders identify basic properties of minerals and rocks. They access websites and utilize worksheets imbedded in this lesson plan to further their understanding of rock classification.
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The Environments of Big Sur -- Which Do We Protect?
Students investigate the geological, climatic, and biological features of Big Sur. They watch a video, conduct Internet research, and create a script and images in the form of an outline in a simulation of an environmental group.
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Structural Geology Laboratory
Learners explore modeling of geologic structures in experiments. They study how compressive and tensile forces produce these structures. The compression makes the flatlying strata shorter and tension make the strata longer.
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Plate Tectonic - Volcanoes (1)
Learners learn the different shapes of Volcanoes and discuss why volcanoes only have a few shapes.
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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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Planetary Weather
Students study the weather on other planets in our solar system. In this planetary weather lesson students create a display of the different weather conditions on the other planets.
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Reservoirs and Production
Students complete activities for a lesson about reservoirs and production. In this geology lesson, students complete a 7 page packet of activities to explore porosity, permeability, and rock properties.
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Getting to Know Soil
Young scholars make predictions and analyze soil. In this soil properties lesson, students make predictions about soil properties for various soil samples. Young scholars examine the types of soils and record their observations. Students...
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Dating Popcorn
Students simulate the dating process with popcorn. In this geology lesson, students discuss how geologist find the age of rocks by gauging the amount of decay of radioactive elements. They have 6 bags of popcorn and each group microwaves...
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Soil Formation
Seventh graders investigate how soil is formed. They analyze types of soil samples, examine soil using a magnifying glass or microscope, complete a chart, conduct a soil and plant experiment, and construct a soil profile.
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Earthquakes
Students observe the melting of ice. In this phase change instructional activity, students observe ice as it melts. They discuss the process and create a Venn diagram comparing water and ice.
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Asteroids
Students examine a potential asteroid impact site. They describe evidence and theories for extinction events.
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My Friend, The Volcano
Students describe the positive impacts of volcanic activity on marine ecosystems. In this volcano lesson students explore the process that causes volcanic activity along the Mariana and Kermadec Island Arcs.
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Comets
Students explore the nature and composition of a comet. They research comet facts, legends, and myths. They identify different types of comets and describe what happens to a comet as it travels closer to the Sun.
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The Water Cycle
Middle schoolers describe the water cycle. Students identify the processess in the water cycle. They draw an illustration of the water cycel with arrows showing the path water takes through the cycle. Middle schoolers label condesation,...
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Metals, Nonmetals, Metalloids
Students recognize that metals, nonmetals, and metalloids have common attributes. They Identify physical and chemical properties. Students define ores and identify where ores can be found.
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It looks Like Champagne
High schoolers interpret phase diagrams and explain the meaning of vocabulary words. For this ocean explorer lesson students describe two uses of super-critical carbon dioxide.
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Rocks and Minerals: Sedimentary Rocks
Students explore the concept of rock formation. In this sedimentary rocks instructional activity, students observe and record their findings about sedimentary rocks. Students then create limestone, coal, and sandstone models...