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Beach Comber
Learners investigate threats to our oceans by investigating items found on a beach. In this environmental safety lesson, students examine several items found on a beach and identify them as natural, harmful, organic or inorganic...
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Getting to Know Saturn: Moons, Rings, and Relationships
Young scholars identify the different objects that orbit Saturn. In this space science lesson, students plot the graph of orbital speed and distance. They explain why planets and asteroids remain in orbit around the sun.
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Food Chains
Fourth graders study food chains, producers, consumers, and decomposers. They play a food chain game and create food chain mobiles or posters. They take a nature hike around the school and observe various parts of a food chain.
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Minerals Make Rocks
Students examine that all rocks are made from one or more minerals (or plant material, as in the case of coal). They make mock rocks and discuss the difference between a rock and a mineral.
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The Egg Activity
Students comprehend the three basic steps of science: 1) Observation, 2) Statements of cause and effect (Hypotheses), and 3) Testing. By working with an egg, students are required to observe an object that is very common to them. This...
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My Hometown
Students identify the basic requirements needed for survival and identify the resouces needed for survival that are found within their own community. They use craft materials to create a model of it and then. create a color key to...
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Weather, Climate and Atmospheric Process
Students explore Earth science by completing a could identification activity. In this weather lesson, students discuss the different forms of measurement for the weather of Earth. Students discuss global warming and examine a list of...
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Make a Comet Model and Eat It!
Learners construct a comet model based on procedure provided. In this space science lesson plan, students compare the physical properties of comets to the models they made. They record their observations and share them with the class.
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Who Dirtied The Water/Clean Water: Is It Drinkable?
Students enter the room, receive a film canister that contains materials that be added to the dirty water bell jar. They record on their data table who or what is doing the adding and the actual substance that has been added to the bell...
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Swinging on a Star
Learners explore the issues that might arise if humans were to go on an interstellar space mission. They synthesize their understanding of interstellar travel by writing scenes from a science fiction novel that would depict such a mission.
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Magnetic Field Activities
Learners explore the idea of magnetic field through investigations of magnetic fields as produced by various common magnetic materials and direct currents. They study the vector nature of fields, the ubiquity of field sources in the...
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Stardust Delivers Comet's Clues
Young scholars explore the NASA test center and comet facts through an interactive program. They examine the idea if comets are predictable. They finally analyze the materials that combine to make a comet.
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BOWEN'S REACTION SERIES
Students research Bowen's Reaction Series and recreate the process in an experiment which details the crystallization sequence of minerals that can be observed in nature.
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Roy G. Biv Has Feelings Too
Young scholars test their memory recall and discuss its association to color. After reading an article, they discuss the natural and psycho-sociological significance of the color red. As a class, they participate in a mood-color...
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Viruses and Host Evolution
Students are organized into groups of four. On Day 1 they are given a worksheet about viruses and their effects on the evolution of a rabbit population. After about 30 minutes of group work, a class discussion of the material begins. ...
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How Does Your Ecosystem Grow?
Students consider that under certain conditions in nature tend to remain the same or move toward a balance. They observe populations and determine the functions (e.g., de-composers, producers, consumers) they serve in an ecosystem. They...
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Understanding Cladistics
Students explore cladistics and create a cladogram of their own. They are shown how the scientist at the American Museum of Natural History use a method called cladistics to group animals. Students are asked how the animals (lion,...
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Genetic Drift
Students use a mathematical simulation of genetic drift to answer questions about the factors that influence this evolutionary process. They run a series of simulations varying allele frequency and population size and then analyze their...
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Chemistry is pHun
High schoolers investigate the pH of solutions and they learn how to use different types of indicators. In this pH lesson plan, students test various solutions with pH paper and determine if they are acidic, basic or neutral. They also...
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Adhesives: Measuring Stickiness
Students test the stickiness of natural substances. In this adhesion as a property of matter lesson, students build a tool to test the adhesion of natural "glues" such as honey, peanut butter, flour and water paste, and jelly. Students...
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People Change the Landscape
Students examine ways in which humans have brought change to the natural environment. In this ecology and literacy lesson, students listen to the book Island Boy by Barbara Cooney. Students observe and define map-reading vocabulary as...
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Hurricane
Students learn about and track hurricanes. In this natural disasters lesson, students discuss hurricane formation and research the impact/effects of hurricanes in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin. Students use a hurricane tracking map to...
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Weathering and Erosion
Students conduct two experiments. In this weathering and erosion lesson, students identify the different ways that weathering occurs, name the natural elements of weather and explain the process of erosion. Students watch a PowerPoint on...
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Deserts: How Do You Define One?
Second graders identify what constitutes as a desert by reading a habitat checklist. In this environment lesson, 2nd graders read a nature website to discover facts about the desert and where they are located. Students utilize art...