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Drug and Alcohol Prevention
Seventh graders investigate the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. They prepare a written report on the chosen topic related to drugs and/or alcohol. Students utilize technology to share the information about alcohol and/or drugs with an...
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Flour Beetle
Students observe the life cycle of the common flour beetle and make observations of its life stages. They also design and implement an investigation on food preference for the beetle and record data over a period of several months....
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Preparing a Business Plan to "Be Your Own Boss"
Do your scholars strive to work for themselves some day? Help young entrepreneurs create a business plan for an original idea and present it to a "board of directors." They complete online research (some links provided) and put...
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Drugged Out Daphnia
Ninth graders participate in experiments to investigate the the effects of nicotine, caffeine, aspirin, alcohol, and sleeping pills on the heart rates of Daphina. They describe the relationships between common drugs and heart rates....
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Multiplying Microbes
Ninth graders investigate the techniques of culturing bacteria. They culture bacteria using agar plates. Students identify and describe some environmental conditions that effect bacteria growth.
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Reporter Rights vs. Legal Access...
Students explore cases that have occurred in the past in which reporters refuse to reveal their confidential conversations with government sources and investigate the status of the current bills in Congress. Students use this information...
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Executive Government: Ministerial Responsibility
Students are introduced to the principal of ministerial responsibility and identify ways in which ministers account for their actions. For this executive government lesson plan, students roleplay a situation to determine...
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Lead Poisoning A Home Health Hazard
Students read background material on lead poisoning, assessing its impact on students. They locate local sources that might contain lead-based paint. Students research what is being done in the community to alleviate the problem. They...
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Minority Graduation Rates: A 50-50 Chance
Learners read the Civil Rights Project report. Students collect data from graduation rates in their school/district or city. Learners compare state and local data. Students discuss and analyze minority graduation rates. Learners compare...
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Classroom Critters Developing Our Writing Skills
Students investigate animals and how it adapts to its environment. They write notes and gather information on a chosen animal. After research is completed, students create a report about the animal's characteristics, appearance, food,...
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Written Document Analysis Worksheet
Investigate different types of documents with your middle schoolers. They look at newspapers, letters, maps, reports, etc. and answer a list of questions provided. Introduce them to different primary sources!
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Interrogation Tactics in the News
Students investigate interrogation tactics at use in the world. In this global issues lesson, students watch "Torturing Democracy," and discuss the implications of interrogation techniques used by the United States following 9/11....
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Water Wars
Students investigate the water wars taking place in East Africa. In this global issues instructional activity, students watch video clips and read selected articles about the water shortages in East Africa. Students estimate their own...
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"You're Hired!'
Students investigate linear programming using the TI. In this algebra instructional activity, students collaborate and graph linear inequalities on a TI. They analyze their data and present it to the class.
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Calories in a sports drink
How much can a company round numbers without being misleading? Learners investigate the accuracy of claims made by a sports drink company. Teachers could easily modify the activity by bringing in their own beverage bottles, or by taking...
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The Mysteries of El Nino: How Much do We Really Know?
Seventh graders investigate the causes and effects of El Nino and explore its global impact on weather related occurrences through this series of activities.
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Passport to the Eastern Hemisphere
Seventh graders explore the Eastern Hemisphere. They investigate the customs, currency, climate, location and other facts needed in order to travel to a specific country. Students receive a stamp on their "passport" when their research...
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Sunshine Week: Your right to know
Students read background material about accessing open records, including how to file a Freedom of Information request. Students choose a restaurant close to school they want to investigate and contact the county health inspection office...
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How Do Cells Reproduce?
Beginning biologists prepare a sugar solution for yeast cells to live in, and divide it into two different jars. Samples from each jar are viewed with a microscope, and then one jar is placed in a warm environment and the other a cold...
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One Step at a Time
Students investigate the customs and habits of other cultures by reading letters from a Peace Corps Volunteer. In this global customs lesson, students discuss how analyzing a culture is similar to analyzing art, no two people see...
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Panama Canal
Students investigate a way to sail a boat around the world without touching land while learning about the Panama Canal. In this Panama Canal lesson plan, students learn about the relationship of socio-political continents and how the...
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Centripetal Force
In order to investigate cetntripetal force and angular momentum, youngsters compare the motion of erasers hung from a string. It is not clear what type of Amish toy is needed in the warm up activity, so you may not be able to use it. The...
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Building Understanding of Rate of Change/Slopes Using Alice
Students explore slope as a rate of change. For this eighth grade mathematics lesson, students investigate real-world problems to determine rate of change and transform it into a linear representation, thus determining slope. Students...
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Heroes Portrait
Eighth graders investigate art appreciation and Renaissance portraits through time. They create a portrait.