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A Good Boat is Hard To Find
Eighth graders design and construct a safe and efficient human powered watercraft that can be used on a trip on the Great Lakes. Students utilize math and measurement skills to design and cut the pieces for their boat. Working in...
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Bringing Justice Home ~First Steps toward Community Action
Students explore activities that might some day bring "justice for all" to their communities. They assess how justice is a day-to-day, life or death matter that faces their communities. Interviews are conducted to explain how justice is...
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When pH Changes What Happens?
Learners explore the pH of water in this fourth through ninth grade science lesson. They test water samples to determine the pH, then record observations at the aquatic site and compare their observations with the pH readings.
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Life in a Forest Stream
Students assess macro-invertebrates from a stream. In this science lesson plan, students observe, classify and identify organisms found in a stream. A lab station is constructed at the stream sight and students study the different...
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Get- To Know Mammals
Students take a field trip and record information about mammals. In this mammals lesson, students hunt for tracks, waste, or other evidence that a mammal exists in this habitat. Students complete a worksheet on the evidence they have found.
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The Changing Coral Reef
Students record changes in the composition of a coral reef. In this Coral Reef lesson, students recognize the needs of Coral Reef species to survive. Students chart changes in population over time. Students write an essay about factors...
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Rain Forests
Students investigate claims of medicinal plants found in the rain forest. In this research skills lesson, students examine the validity of Internet sources as they visit websites in search of information about rain forest plants that are...
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Intertidal Zones
Students explore intertidal zones. In this intertidal zones lesson, students work in small groups and use ready-made materials to create a model of intertidal zones. Resources are provided.
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KWL Chart and Background Article
Students discuss an ecosystem. In this coral reef lesson plan, students fill in their own KWL chart and contribute ideas to a whole class KWL chart. They read an article as a class to spark ideas for facts they can add to the "K" part of...
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A Symphony of Decomposers
Young scholars discover decomposition. In this environmental lesson, students explore different types of decomposers and their role within the ecosystem. Young scholars also discover how waste interferes with the decomposition process.
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The Important Role of Biomes
Travel the world from the comfort of your classroom with this unit on the Earth's biomes.
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No Magic Borders: Haleakala Style
Students discuss borders and boundaries. They discuss pollution and the fact that boundaries cannot stop pollution and that pollution affects even protected wildlife and plants. They participate in an activity in which they must place...
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The Rain Forest
Students explain the basics of the tropical rain forest ecosystem. They list the four general layers of vegetation found in the tropical rain forest.
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Observation: It's A Natural!
Students play the role of naturalist in their own community just as Thoreau was in his. They observe their communities looking for positive and negative aspects on the environment. They work together in groups to complete a model for...
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The Integration of Science and Math Through Ecosystems
Students use the disciplines of math and science to examine ecosystems. In groups, they calculate the amount of supplies they would need to live in the classroom for one day, a week and a year. Using this information, they apply it to...
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Creating an Experimental Design
Students research the damage to the environment by certain plant species. They create an experimental design which they test how these species take over certain habitats. They share their information with the class.
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Predator-Prey Relationships
Students explore the interrelatedness of predators and prey in four different activities. They simulate an aquatic insect, fish, and osprey food chain during a poker chip game, play an M&M game to simulate the relationship between...
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The Rain Forest
Middle schoolers acquire knowledge about the basics of the tropical rain forest ecosystem. They analyze the cause/effect relationship between humans attitudes and behavior and the evnvironment. Students list the four general layers of...
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How Does Evolution Work?
Learners pretend they are a scientist like John Endler in this Web activity. They visit his pools, from hypotheses, and test them out. In the process, the explore about natural selection and sexual selection. They are able to explain the...
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Rainforests of Madagascar: Role Playing and Decision Making
Students examine reasons for deforestation and become familiar with Madagascar and its culture, while describing biological and abiotic components of a rainforest, and looking at aspects that must be addressed to resolve the issue of...
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Everything's Coming Up Roses: Creating Beautiful Areas in Your Neighborhood
Learners study the history of Pennsylvania and the city beautification movement that originated in that state. In this community service lesson, students study the city beautification movement started by Mira Lloyd Dock. Learners make...
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The Changing Coral Reef Community Game
Students examine organisms that inhabit the coral reefs and their living requirements. In this coral reef lesson students chart population changes and play a game.
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Hands On Biodiversity: Networking Students and Their Biomes
Students telecommunicate and use the US Mail to network students from five biomes in the United States in order to monitor water quality in each area. They have e-mail pals and exchange materials representative of themselves and their...
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Invertebrate Research Project
High schoolers keep a scientific research notebook on an invertebrate detailing its behavior and responses.