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Temperature High and Lows
Students gather high and low temperature readings through email. In this temperature graphing lesson, students use a spreadsheet to input data for a graph. students interpret the graphs to compare and contrast the data from different...
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Earthquakes
Sixth graders explain that earthquakes are sudden motions along breaks in the crust called faults. They list the major geologic events including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and mountain building, which are the result of crustal plate...
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Scientist Tracking Network
Students correlate surface radiation with mean surface temperature of several geographic regions. They observe how these parameters change with latitude and construct an understanding of the relationship of solar radiation to seasonal...
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Using Vegetation, Precipitation, and Surface Temperature to Study Climate Zones
Young scholars begin their examination of the climate zones found around the world. Using a software program, they identify the relationship between the vegetation, climate and temperatures of the different zones. They also plot...
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Exploring the Night Sky: Summer
Learners explain how moon phases occur. They describe and explain at least two common misconceptions that people have about the moon. Students explain what a star is. They explain 3 ways that the night sky has been used throughout history.
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Introduction to Oceans
Students complete a variety of activities in preparation for a unit on oceans. They discuss their own proximity to the ocean, identify and name the oceans on a globe, and in small groups identify facts about a selected ocean. Students...
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Name That Tune
Students complete a fingerprint oil lab in order to simulate how geologists use the oil and natural gas in rocks to hear sound waves that signify there are oil in those rocks. For this rocks lesson plan, students learn that the rock...
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What Does Bird Flu Mean to Students?
Students consider the far-reaching effects of the avian flu. For this personal health lesson, students visit selected websites to discover information about the flu, viral infections, and intensive farming. Students...
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Harvest the Wind
Wind is a natural resource available around the world. Help your pupils appreciate the power and importance of wind by researching wind farms, making pinwheels, and designing windmills.
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Let's Rock
Students investigate the property of rocks and how to distinguish among the different types. They explore the hardness of rocks and perform streak tests to determine mineral color. They classify rocks according to their properties.
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Writing the Wind
Students make a windmill. In this wind lesson, students learn background information about the windmill, complete an activity where they create a windmill, discuss using wind as a natural resource and brainstorm other inventions...
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Climographs
Students identify trends and characteristics of climate zones and specific places within. Then, they graph annual climate trends (primarily Temperature and Precipitation) and create, interpret and extrapolate information based on...
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A Geological Puzzle
Students compare and contrast the various types of rocks on each continent. In groups, the calculate the rock ages and types to determine if the continents, in their opinion, were joined at one time. They develop two imaginary...
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We're Going on an Animal Safari!
Students take viewers on an animal safari. In this technology lesson, students research animals one would see on an African safari. Students collaborate to create a storyboard and use Flip Video Cameras to create a virtual safari. The...
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The New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-1812: Shaking Our Misconceptions about Earthquakes in United States History
Students Examine how earthquakes work and what plate tectonics and fault lines are. In this earthquake lesson plan students complete an earthquake scavenger hunt.
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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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Trouble in the Troposphere
Middle schoolers Use data sets from MY NASA DATA to produce graphs comparing monthly and yearly ozone averages of several U.S. cities. They analyze and evaluate the data and predict trends based on the data. In addition, they discuss and...
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Landforms
Students begin their examination of landforms. Using a map, they locate and identify the major landforms on Earth. They discuss how landforms affect the lifestyle of the community and determine which goods and services the community...
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Car Wash
Students determine the most appropriate site for a car wash, based on each site's soil characteristics (chemical, physical) and topographic features. They perform an experiment to determine the changes to three different soil types when...
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The Deforestation of the Temperate Forest Focus; Russian Taiga/Boreal
Twelfth graders complete a unit of lessons on the Russian Temperate Forest. They list the environmental problems associated with deforestation, conduct research, compare the Russian Taiga with other forests, create graphs, and develop an...
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Mystery of the Alaskan Seamounts
Students study seamounts and the processes that form them. In this Gulf of Alaska lesson students interpret data and investigate a hypothesis.
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Grandfather's Journey
Third graders explore world cultures by reading a children's story in class. In this Japanese heritage lesson, 3rd graders read the book Grandfather's Journey and identify the characters, setting and plot that takes place. Students...
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What Do We Know About Africa?
First graders explore Africa, its geography and climate. After completing a KWL chart, 1st graders locate Africa on a globe and discuss how its location on the earth affects its climate. Using the Internet and a given fact sheet,...
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Breaking it Down
Students discover how water expands when frozen during a glacier. In this matter instructional activity, students fill a glass jar with water, leaving no room for air in the jar and place it in the freezer. Students retrieve the...