Lesson Plan
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Ecosystem Interactions Web

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students pick an ecosystem (forest, desert, coral reef, open ocean, grassland, mountain, savanna, etc.) and design an interaction web for their chosen ecosystem. Each group shares their ecosystem's web of life with the class.
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Families and Neighborhoods

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the concept of community. In this community instructional activity, students explore the cultural flavor of their neighborhoods as they discuss the history of their neighborhoods and draw pictures of their family and a...
Lesson Plan
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End of the Line: What Happened to the Blue Ridge Railroad?

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders study the westward expansion and the role of railroad construction to the expansion. In this railroad history lesson plan, 6th graders complete KWL activity for the topic. Students view a PowerPoint about the growth of...
Lesson Plan
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Down By the River

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students examine how watersheds work and determine the difference between point and nonpoint source pollution. They research management practices to reduce pollution and investigate how everyone can participate in reducing water pollution.
Lesson Plan
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Species at Risk: Recovery Teams to the Rescue!

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders discuss how certain species and plants are deemed endangered. They work together in conservation recovery teams to research an endangered species. Then they explore efforts to make sure that the existence of these species...
Lesson Plan
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Erosion Explosion

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders explore soil erosion. Through a class discussion, they examine soil conservation methods. Given a potted plant, 9th graders observe the effects of erosion when water is poured over the soil. Students brainstorm terms...
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Where Oh Where

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students read a current event article orally and make connections regarding the geographic themes of the newspaper location. In this current event article lesson plan, students use a map to locate where the event from...
Lesson Plan
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Reindeer Herders

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the life of of nomadic herders in Siberia. They read and discuss an article and maps from National Geographic, identify threats to this way of life, and write a letter to the Russian government identifying ways to...
Lesson Plan
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Waterwheel Work

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Pupils investigate the history of the waterwheel and common uses for water turbines today. They construct an experimental waterwheel using a two-liter plastic bottle, measure the rate of revolution of a waterwheel, and complete a...
Lesson Plan
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Weathering Rates

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students calculate weathering rates from tombstone weathering data. Atmospheric (and precipitation) chemistry determines the rate of weathering for marble tombstones. They are shown data from a rural and an unrban cemetery, and are...
Lesson Plan
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Location, Location, Location: Civilization's Ultimate Advantage

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils discover how geographical advantages, locational and regional, ultimately led to western Eurasian societies' disproportionate accounting of world power and innovation. They utilize a workbook which can be downloaded within this plan.
Lesson Plan
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Silk Road Caravan

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students determine how the geographic features of the Silk Road trade route contributed to the economic development and diffusion of culture in both Eastern and Western Civilizations.
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Ecology Explorers: Historical Air Photo Interpretation

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students identify and analyze land use changes over time with historic aerial photographs, and classify different land use into categories.
Lesson Plan
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Does Hawaiian Agriculture Feed Hawaii's People?

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students research background information about Hawaiian agriculture in a variety of resources, then read and collect newspaper ads marketing local produce. They suggest food preparation ideas using local produce.
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Making & Breaking : The Rock Cycle

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the rock cycle and how rocks can change over time.  In this geotechnical engineering lesson students draw a diagram of the rock cycle.
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This is Your Life

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle or high-school pupils choose a scientist to research. They collect biographical information and explore their contributions to scientific understanding. With all that they compile, they create a scrapbook of the scientists' life....
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Spirit and Nature

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine sources of spirituality. In this religion instructional activity, students investigate ties between the spiritual and natural worlds. Students design community and personal projects that feature relationships to the...
Lesson Plan
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Keep Off the Reef!

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars study coral reefs and global warming.
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Climate Change: Is there a Controversy

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore climate changes. In this climate changes lesson, students research what causes changes. Students search the Internet, summarize reports they find and create a poster with the information.
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Physical Features

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students draw physical land features using ClarisWorks or Kid Pix, write their definitions, create slideshow, and create class geography book.
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The Gift of the Nile: Egypt and its River

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students begin with a piece of a puzzle that shows an artifact from ancient Egypt. They find others who have pieces that go with their puzzle piece. Students work in these groups to construct a relief map of the Nile River Valley.
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Dust in the Wind

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students investigate causes and effects of droughts by participating in a simulation 'town hall meeting.' Acting as community members, students make informed decisions to help a town and its surrounding areas suffering effects of a...
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How Much Water?

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students investigate amount of water available in different countries around the world, compare it to their daily water use, and explore how unequal distribution of water can cause challenges to survival. Students then discuss need to...
Lesson Plan
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Endocrine Disruptors in Our Drinking Water: Should We Be Concerned?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the different hormone contaminants in the water supply. In this math lesson, students analyze data tables and graphs. They demonstrate exponential growth and decay using frog populations.