Curated OER
Build a Model Watershed
Collaborative earth science groups create a working model of a watershed. Once it has been developed, you come along and introduce a change in land use, impacting the quality of water throughout their watershed. Model making is an...
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Rocks: Mineral Mixtures
A 22-slide set provides pretty much everything you need to teach the rock cycle except the actual specimens. All of the slides contain graphics or photographs to help describe the process, and most even have links to educational videos....
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Stream Quality Assessment
Students investigate many of the factors that affect water quality. They take measurements and water samples at a local stream and evaluate the health of their community's watershed. They write a report detailing their findings.
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Adapting to the Dark-Bats and People
Students consider how cavers make adaptations to the cave as do bats.
Smithsonian Institution
Watching Crystals Grow
Amazing science can sometimes happen right before your eyes! The class gets cozy as they watch crystals grow. They use Epsom salts, rocks, and food coloring to create crystals. They'll observe the entire process, documenting every step...
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Water Cycle (Grades 2-4)
Students demonstrate their understanding of the water cycle and how it effects the environment by graphically depicting and describing the water cycle.
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Science: Making Trace Fossils
Students explore types of fossils and discover how sediment affects fossil preservation. They focus their study on trace fossils and create their own using sediment, water, and a small organism such as a snail or lizard. Students use...
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What's in the Water?
Young scholars make a water sampler and use proper techniques to collect water.They write a essay explaining the inter-relationship of factors such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, and phosphates in a lake that might cause...
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Impact Craters: Holes in the Ground!
Students simulate crater formation through a lab activity. In this space science lesson, students calculate how much energy is transferred during meteorite impact. They identify different factors affecting the size and depth of craters...
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Mineral Scavenger Hunt
Students complete a scavenger hunt worksheet as they find examples in their classroom, at home, etc., of minerals. Excellent worksheet!
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Create a Classroom Exhibit: Rocks and Minerals
Students bring in rocks and minerals from home. They observe them and describe them carefully, completing a worksheet. Finally, a classroom exhibit is created.
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Medieval Catapults
Students design and build a working catapult or trebuchet to explore the concepts of force, motion, and distance.
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Creating Craters
Students explore parts of an impact crater and compare and contrast craters found in Earth, the Moon, and Mars. Crater formation is modelled and the relationship of mass, velocity, and size of the projectile to the crater formation is...
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The Carbon Cycle
In this carbon cycle worksheet, students will read about the carbon cycle and study a diagram showing what creates carbon dioxide and what uses carbon dioxide. Students will then complete 4 short answer questions.
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Advanced Matching--Land Formations Part 1
Using this activity, learners could review information they have covered about land forms, such as hills, mountains and plateaus. This 17 question activity could be used with upper elementary or ESL students to test or review information...
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Rocks and Minerals
Learners bring rocks and minerals from home to investigate in the classroom. In this rocks and minerals lesson plan, students observe all the rocks and minerals brought into the class and answer 7 questions about the features of the...
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The Deep
In this deep ocean worksheet, students answer twenty questions after watching a video about the species that live in the deep ocean. Topics include jelly fish, hatchet fish, anglers, tubeworms, sea urchins, and plants that grow in deep...
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Lesson 1 - What Are Fossils?
Students define and research fossils. In this fossil lesson, students access teacher assigned Internet sites to examine images of fossils. They determine the definition of a fossil and find out how fossils are formed. They also define a...
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Dinosaur Detectives
Middle schoolers write a report about a paleontologist. For this paleontology lesson, students research and write a report about a noted paleontologist. They discuss the importance of technology to paleontologists and how paleontologist...
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The Invention of the Parachute
Students study the invention of the parachute and how Leonardo da Vinci came up with the design. In this aerodynamics lesson students test the properties that make parachutes more efficient.
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Cardiac Arrest! Using Forensics to Investigate Cardiovascular Anatomy and Function
Students identify the different parts and functions of the cardiovascular system. In this forensics lesson, students collect and analyze evidence on a fictional crime. They describe different causes of cardiac arrest.
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Rock Cycle Activity
A few of the components of this lesson are not possible to carry out because the rock cycle diagram and challenge handouts are not included. Hopefully, you already have your own rock cycle diagram or worksheet to use as a concept...
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Idaho Earthquakes
Students examine the types of earthquakes that occur in Idaho. In groups, they compare and contrast the types of energy released and how they affect the movement of the Earth. To end the instructional activity, they analyze a map showing...
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Candle-Wax Fossils: Casts, Molds, and Impressions
Students examine and define fossils. They create their own impressions and molds in clay and candle wax, making external and internal molds.