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Planting a Xeriscape Garden
Fourth graders use a plant database to discover new vocabulary associated with plants and ecosystems. Using a pile of dirt behind their school, they design a garden to make it a more enjoyable place. They print out the types of plants...
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Prairie Plants Lab
Students recognize and identify 3 grasses and 9 common forbs of the fermilab prairie and which were common in IL, identify using resources and write 3 critical attributes of each plant.
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Wastewater
Students discuss what happens to their wastewater. They read about the wastewater treatment process. Students are asked what types of things get flushed down toilets or goes down drains in sinks and showers. They are taught what happens...
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Heat Transfer
Students examine heat transfer using energy efficient houses. In this heat transfer lesson students calculate the heat that is transferred between a system and its surroundings.
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Science Meets Artistry: the Work of Cai Guo-Qiang
Learners discuss and examine the work of artist Cai Guo-Qiang. In this art lesson, students analyze how cultural and historical factors impact the visual arts.
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Investigating Erosion in an Outdoor Classroom
First graders observe the effects of erosion. They work in groups to simulate erosion in a streambed, participate in class discussion, read books about fossils and rocks and then go on a fossil hunt.
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Art Nouveau
Students study the design elements of Art Nouveau, its sources and development. They create art projects in ceramics and glass that exemplify the focus of Art Nouveau as a decorative style.
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"The Vision" Contest
Students study a current technology and predict what that technology will be like 30 years from now. They research the technology's origins, how it presently works, and what it might entail in the future. They develop higher order...
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Aerodynamics of Cycling
High schoolers study aerodynamic forces - lift and drag - and see how those forces affect cycling performance. They see how those forces are calculated and how
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Species Diversity in Ecosystems with Different Techniques of Land Management
Learners visit numerous places to help in their understanding of Ecology. For this biology lesson plan, students will learn about characteristics and how to identify numerous plants and animals. This lesson allows for many field trip...
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Magnetic Energy
In this magnetic energy worksheet, students are given the formula to calculate the magnetic energy of an object. They use the formula to solve for the magnetic energy of the Earth, a geotail, the Sun, and a solar prominence given their...
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Student Internship Program
Students research and identify their own internship opportunities. They keep a daily journal describing their experiences during their 30 hour volunteer internship programs
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What Happens When Invasive Species Are Introduced
Helping students understand the dangers of nonnative species is an important part of ecology and environmental science lessons.
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Bugsicles (A Frozen Insect Larva You can Find!)
Students explore how animals survive in the winder. After attending a gall-collecting field trip, students place them in a freezer. Once frozen, the students open the gall flay larva and observe it as the larva revives. Students...
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Scientific Approach to Forest Management
High schoolers use wireless laptop computers to collect, store, communicate, and organize data from the 1999 Jasper Fire area. They collect data in the field and compare it to student-collected data from prior years to develop...
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Contaminated Water
Students review and use the steps in the scientific method to complete the experiment. In groups, they research the importance of water to plants and animals in their local area. They examine how water can become contaminated and take...
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Discovering the Oasis
Fourth graders investigate riverbanks and oxbox ecosystem at the Truckee River. They observe the plants, animals, insects and water organisms located there. Students document water samples, flow and then categorize them in class. This...
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So -- What's Happening Here? On this Old Christmas Tree Farm
Pupils take a field trip to an old Christmas tree farm near their school. In groups, they gather data at the site and analyze the data in an attempt to discover what happened to the area. They identify human activities that led to the...
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Writing About Estuaries
Pupils use the internet to research an aspect of interest to them about the Tijuana Estuary. After the unit on the estuary is completed, they reflect on their experiments and thoughts in a paper. They also participate in a field trip to...
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Plant Collection II
Students mount their first pressed plant specimens and cover some basic plant morphology. They complete a homework assignment to practice their plant collecting and observational skills at home.
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Local and Global Impacts
Students conduct an interview with Dr. Hajo Eicken to discuss local and global impacts. They hold an audio conference to ask about characteristics of the Arctic environment, climate, climate change, the greenhouse effect and global...
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Environment: Arctic Climate and Geoscience
Pupils conduct a thorough investigation of the Arctic and how climate change affects it. After listing a KWL chart, they record their findings on a bulletin board. Finally, in an Arctic Alive! interactive lesson, students take a virtual...
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Life in Streams and Ponds
Students collect microorganisms, demonstrate correct laboratory/Gram stain procedure, and design and construct tables to organize data.
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Raleigh Bound!! A Virtual Tour
Fourth graders navigate a DPI web site to answer questions as they preview the Capitol, Legislative Building, and Museum of Natural Sciences before an actual trip to Raleigh.