+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Classification

For Teachers K - 12th
Students gather and classify samples of a given item (rocks, fossils, seeds, etc.) They discuss various ways of classifying and that there are many different ways that are acceptable.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tracking Current "Earth" Events

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders utilize Internet research skills, and practice their communication skills by presenting their research to the clas. They actively consider the types of hazards for humans associated with Natural Disaters and ways that...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earthquakes

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore reasons for earthquakes. They discuss and describe the types of faults. Using the internet, 6th graders research a specific location of a former earthquake. They describe the damage, magnitude, the epicenter,...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's In A Name

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders read Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. They then discuss where various names come from. They create a individualized biopoem and publish it on word processing software. Their poems are compiled into a class book and presented...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

There's a Volcano in my Backyard!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students study Mount Ranier and its activity as a volcano.  In this investigative instructional activity students locate cities around Mount Ranier and complete an activity. 
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Give me Food!

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students study the food guide pyramid and use it to create their own eating program.In this health lesson students visit websites to calculate their BMR, activity level and weight then create a nutrition plan
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Microscopic Organisms in Fresh and Polluted Water: An Invitation To Inquiry

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Pupils have the opportunity to develop and formulate ideas and explanations through the scientific standard of inquiry. They identify organisms by using an identification key for specific aquatic geographical area.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigation 3 - Examining Your Fossil

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine the fossils they made previously. They examine the details of the fossil with a hand lens and come up with conclusions about the fossils. They record what they see and draw conclusions about the environment of the...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Half Life Lab

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders model radioactive decay using pennies, collect data from their model, apply scientific visualization techniques to their data and create animated models explaining the concept of radioactive half-life.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sedimentary Rocks

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners discover how sedimentary rocks form. They identify different examples of sedimentary rocks. They also discover what types of rocks are in Illinois soil.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dell House Dig

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students experience an archaeological dig exploring off the shore of Black Hawk Island and Wisconsin River. They study in the same place where the infamous Dell House once stood. Dell House and its historical significance is reviewed...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Using the Internet

For Students 7th - 8th
In this using the internet worksheet, learners search several websites to review information about the heart, human senses, the solar system, and planets. Students also read information about the rock cycle and answer provided questions.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Crater Lakes and the Volcanoes of the Cascade Mountains

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students study volcanoes. For this Earth science lesson plan, students read, discuss and take notes on the volcanoes of the Cascade Mountains. This lesson also includes an art project.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Archaeology and Prehistoric Native Americans

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars study the terms paleontology and archaeology and examine how they can help us learn about prehistoric Native Iowans.  In this archaeology lesson students discuss these terms and view a video on Native Americans. 
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Edible Coal Mining

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners explore the concept of bituminous coal and the role it plays within our world.  In this economic and earth science lesson plan, middle schoolers discover and model the extraction methods with hands-on activities.  Learners also...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Minerals, Crystals, and Gems

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Young scholars discover the relationships between minerals, crystals and gems. They bring in rocks that they find at home, in the schoolyard, etc. and examine them and attempt to identify them. They set up a classroom exhibit that...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Impressions in Clay

For Teachers K - 8th
Students examine how fossils are created. They make impressions of different objects in clay and compare them to examples of fossils.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Do New Species Form?

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students read an article by Niles Eldridge about species and the environment and break into small groups to discuss it. They write essays noting strengths and weaknesses of punctuated equilibrium and gradualism, or other topics listed.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring our Community

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students research Los Angeles and its surrounding communities. They create digital presentations of the information they have gathered by answering the question included in the lesson.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating Artwork to Explain Environmental Change

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars review artwork that relates to the environment and communicates a value. They view and analyze art by Andy Warhol, Eric Carle and Albert Bierstadt and then create original pieces with an environmental theme.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biomes in a Box

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers construct a three-dimensional model of a biome which illustrates the various biotic and abiotic factors unique to that biome. They use everday materials to represent the important characteristics of a particular biome...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dig It Up

For Teachers K - 6th
Students participate in an archaeological excavation to determine how archeologists make inferences about various cultures. They reconstruct the site using layers of drawings. They discuss the kinds of information they learned.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hydraulic Mining

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore reasons for supporting and opposing hydraulic mining. It was the most efficient and used mining method until 1884. A simulated court hearing is held where a decision is made whether to allow the continued use of this...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Candle-Wax Fossils: Casts, Molds, and Impressions

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students examine and define fossils. They create their own impressions and molds in clay and candle wax, making external and internal molds.