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Ecological Footprint
Eighth graders discover their own ecological footprint and create a plan for reducing this figure. They extend this to the school and community to see how they are doing on this scale. They discuss the concept of the ecological...
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Sports Helmets and Impact Testing of Polymers
Students examine the importance of good quality safety gear. In this investigative lesson, students will tests various polymers, collect data, and analyze the data to determine which polymer is best for safety helmets. They will design a...
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Music of the People - Native American Music
Third graders complete a unit of lessons on the singing, instruments, and dancing of Native Americans. They identify and play various instruments, complete worksheets, define key vocabulary, sing songs, and perform dances.
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Getting To Know the Healthy Food Pyramid
Young scholars examine a healthy way of eating while following a vegetarian diet. They study the components suggested by the American Dietetic Association that comprise a healthy diet, prepare appetizing foods from these groups, and...
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Pointillism Landscapes
Students examine Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works of art, use watercolors to create effects of light, color, and shadow, consider what ideas are important and what ideas they want to visually communicate, and paint their own...
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Metric Olympics
Students participate in a Metric Olympics event and use metric measurements to measure actual performances in their events. They throw a plastic straw for a javelin event, participate in a long jump and high jump event, and a variety of...
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Beatrix Potter's Naughty Animal Tales
Students gain insight into the unusual, solitary world of Beatrix Potter's Victorian childhood and can compare/contrast it with their own world to explain why Potter wrote such simple stories and why she wrote about animals rather than...
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Computer Passwords
Students determine an appropriate numerical representation of a problem situation, including roots and powers. They determine an appropriate number of digits to represent an outcome. Pupils are asked to determine how many years it...
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Emotion Masks
Students analyze and discuss masks of different cultures as an art form to evoke emotion. This lesson culminates in the creation of individual mask designs and self-directed assessment (included).
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Analyzing Logos
Learners analyze common logos they see daily and describe what the logos bring to mind. They redesign a company logo incorporating the company's philosophy into their sketches. Students present their findings and redesign to the class.
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Bodaciously Beautiful Butterflies Take Flight
Students complete study on butterflies using real caterpillars, keep individual daily journals of observations, and complete timeline for their caterpillar/butterfly.
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Animal Migratory patterns
Students use field research and traditional research to identify migrating species of birds as well as their migratory patterns. Students generate a list of questions regarding migration and a plan to research the questions. A field...
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Lewis and Clark: Prized Possession
Students create a Sacagawea-inspired wampum belt. In this Native-American lesson plan, students study Sacagawea and her influence on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Students learn about wampum and prized possessions and work in groups to...
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Similes, Metaphors, and Symbols
Here is an outline of a lesson in which learners examine the use of similes, metaphors, and symbols in poetry. They define similes, metaphors, and symbols, complete a handout, and create a poem using types of figurative language.
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Enduring Understanding
Fourth graders explore indigenous people of rainforest and examine their customs and ways of life. They discuss how rainforests should be protected not only for their plants and animals, but also for indigenous people who live in them,...
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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: Parenting and Discipline
Students discuss discipline in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and compare it to how children are disciplined today. In this comparisons instructional activity, students identify different ways parents discipline their children. Students...
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Adapting a Musical
High schoolers transform literature into musical productions. In this integrated arts instructional activity, students discuss how musicals are written and produced. High schoolers then select literature they are familiar with to adapt...
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Campus Habitat Improvement Plan
Students work to improve a plot of land. They assess the needs of the environment and formulate a plan. They plant trees and gardens, build bird boxes, construct waterholes. etc.
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Portrait of the Artist - Georgia O'Keeffe
Students study the work of Georgia O'Keefe. They use a digital camera or scanned images from a regular camera and the PhotoShop application to create a landscape of their own which reflects the important shapes or objects in their...
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Classroom Meteorologists: An Experiential Approach to Learning about Seasons and Weather
Students examine several concepts about weather in the seven lessons of this unit. This year long activity helps students to gather data seasonally about wind, clouds, precipitation, and temperature. Earth's three climate zones are...
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A Clone of Your Own: The Legal Issues and the Future of Genetic Engineering on Humans
Twelfth graders define cloning in their own words and examine the different types of cloning. After reading an article, they summarize it in their own words and use the internet to research the history of cloning. In groups, they...
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Using Excel, the Internet, And Word To Create a Spreadsheet, Chart, And Instructions
Students improve data entry in a spreadsheet.
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Heroes and Legends
Students use print and nonprint sources of different heroic myths to generate a definition of the word "hero." They conduct a character study on three mythological heroes and formulate a definition of the word "hero" based on...
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Immigration Research Project
Students formulate guiding questions to use as an aid for research and then use the guiding questions worksheet to help gather information necessary for meeting all criteria for completing the project. They then work together to collect...