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Know Your Boundaries: Earthquake Lessons in the Classroom
With all the recent attention on Haiti, and now Chile, it is the perfect time to teach your students about earthquakes!
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Air Is All Around Us!
Students design an instrument to show that air is all around. In this air lesson plan, students research, construct, and present a design that proves that air is all around, even though they can't see it or touch it. A teacher and self...
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Zoo Habitat Design
Students design a zoo habitat for an animals. In this zoo habitat lesson, students develop an idea for a zoo habitat that would meet the needs of a specific animal. They solve problems that might be encountered by using their knowledge...
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Science Performance Assessment
You can use performance assessments to obtain a richer and more complete picture of what your students know.
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Reading in the Science Content Area
Help your students internalize scientific ideas by teaching strategies for reading in the content area.
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Oil Spill Lesson Plans
With the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, now is a great time to educate students on issues related to oil.
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Geography: Caribbean
Students research and view a video on the geography of the Caribbean. In this Caribbean geography instructional activity, students go on an imaginary trip to the Caribbean and write postcards and letters telling of their trip. Students...
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A Yuccy Situation
Learners examine the concept of nuclear waste storage. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students research Yucca Mountain in order to compare and contrast opposing views regarding the nuclear waste site there. Learners compose a letter...
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Airplane Design
Students design an airplane. In this transportation instructional activity, students review the parts of an airplane and their functions. Students work in groups to design their own airplane, reflect on the ideal plane, and compare...
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Local Habitats
Students create dioramas that depict a habitat. In this habitat lesson, students use a variety of art items to develop either a marine, freshwater/pond, or forest habitat in a box. They write an expository essay about their habitat, and...
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Middle Ages Timeline
Learners research a historical figure from the Middle Ages. In this Middle Ages lesson, students present important events of their characters life and of the time. Learners write a time card for each significant event. ...
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Parasite Development and Life Cycle
If you are new to teaching agriculture classes, this outline may be helpful when you are preparing a lecture on parasites in livestock. In addition to lecturing on this topic, the lesson plan suggests that learners research the life...
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It's Alive! Or is it?
Students differentiate the characteristics of living and nonliving things. In this life science lesson, students compare and contrast robots and living things. Given an object, they decide whether it's is living or not and defend...
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Shiny Surfaces
Here is a simple PowerPoint to support your lesson on the behavior of light. As you go through the slides, use real examples of dull and shiney materials for your elementary learners to view. Use the torch, sun, lamp, candle, and bulb...
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Orville and Wilbur Wong and the Fantastic Flying Machines
Upper elementary and middle schoolers examine the role of Chinese immigrants in America. They investigate literature, history and cultures of Chinese-Americans. This ambitious plan takes two weeks to complete, and it brings in elements...
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Plants and Ecosystems
The relationships within and between ecosystems can be explored. after examining an area for living and non-living things students complete the same examination in the forest ecosystem. Students identify abiotic and biotic elements in an...
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The Transfer of Energy 2: Electrochemistry
Students study about electrochemistry by increasing their understanding of electron transfer and its role in chemical changes. They explain that energy appears in different forms. Heat energy is in the disorderly motion of molecules.
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Exploration of 'pill bugs'
Fifth graders define words. They create a dichotomous key. After carefully examining pill bugs, 5th graders record observations. They compare and contrast habitats of pillbugs.
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Plant Parts and their Function
Discover why plants are important to our world. View plant parts and categorize them as stems or buds. Students do a cut and paste of pictures of plants into correct categories. Students also plant a carrot top,and record...
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What is an Ecological Footprint?
Introduce youngsters to the term ecological footprint. Learners identify ways in which humans affect the environment. They look at the problems associated with the use of natural resources, and focus on ways to preserve natural...
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Introducing Models to Elementary School Students
Students explore the concept of models. In this model lesson, students examine 3-dimensional models of various objects and body parts to better understand the natural world.
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Lesson plan: History Underfoot
Students study Native Americans of Virginia. In this Virginia history lesson plan, students take on the role of archaeologists as they analyze a site and its artifacts. Students use the information to draw conclusions about the natives...
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Earth Science: The Sun-Earth Relationship
Students examine the sun's impact on the Earth. They read online articles, explore various websites, and answer questions using information found on the Internet.
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Initial Fraction Ideas Lesson 5: Overview
Students demonstrate fraction symbols. In this fractions lesson plan, students use paper strips to represent various fractions. Students then use fraction circles to compare various given fractions.