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Food Safety Lab
Students use the scientific method to investigate the role of temperature in microbial growth. In this food preservation instructional activity, students set up an experiment with fruit in room temperature and in a refrigerator. They...
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Bacterial growth
Students explore the exponential growth and decay of microbial populations in relation to the organism tolerance ranges in their environment, They observe the impact of changing variables which can affect microbial populations.
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An Egg-celent Gravity Experiment
Fifth graders record at least four hypotheses concerning what happens when they drop an egg from a high spot. They record at least five observations or supporting ideas about the egg drop. Students test gravity by dropping an egg from a...
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Cooler in the Shadows
Students explore how the amount of sunlight and heat change in areas that are shaded.
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Science Safety is Elementary
Third graders are introduced to the importance of science safety. As a class, they role play through different safety procedures and decide which senses need to be protected for different scenerios. They discuss how to avoid hazardous...
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Death On Board La Belle: Finding Clues from Old Bones
Students practice analyzing skeletal remains for clues by using the Internet. For this scientific investigation lesson, students research the La Belle shipwreck using the Internet and written materials, later completing a Skeletal...
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Cooler in the Shadows
Students explore Earth science by creating a scale model in class. In this shadow lesson, students research the impact the sun has on Earth shadows and complete a space science worksheet. Students create models of the Sun and Earth and...
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Look Alikes
Third graders compare and contrast the physical features of parents and offspring. In this life science instructional activity, 3rd graders classify a set of animal pictures according to their similarities. They share and explain their...
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The Dinosaur Body
Students recognize that body design affects balance. They investigate the basic structure of a dinosaur body to see how it achieved balance, then build any dinosaur body system they want, using small marshmallows and extra straws as needed.
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What's That Tree?
Fifth graders identify trees along a nature trail. Using a dichotomous key, 5th graders answer questions to aid in their identification of trees along a specified nature trail. Observations are recorded in their science journals. Sample...
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Abrupt Climate Change
Students explore how scientific knowledge changes in the context of abrupt climate change. They are introduced to some recent ideas about abrupt climate change. This gives them a glimpse into how scientific theories are formed and...
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Frost Depth
Learners explore the concept of frost depth. In this frost depth lesson, young scholars conduct a scientific investigation that requires them to use a frost tube to measure, record, and graph frost depth data.
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Timeline of Extreme Weather Events
Students research and chart extreme weather events on a timeline. In this extreme weather lesson, students interview older people who have experienced extreme weather events. Students complete a worksheet based on the information of the...
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Levers
Fifth graders participate in a review discussion of the parts of a lever, resistance or load, fulcrum, and effort. Next, they complete activities at six experiment stations while collecting data that they share with the class. While...
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Reflecting on Reflectivity
High schoolers plan and construct a "mini-lab" to measure the reflectivity of different earth surfaces. They measure reflectivity of materials, including ice, soil, rocks, etc., and then extrapolate from what they have learned to...
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Activity #4 What Do Equations Mean?
Students practice with writing and balancing simple chemcial equations. they comprehend that chemical equations are a method of using a set of univeral symbols to represent what happens experimentally in chemical reactions. Pupils...
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STRAINING FOR SOUND
Sixth graders use a laser along with computer microphone probeware and the appropriate software, 6th graders determine the speed of rotating objects.An audio amplifier is connected to a solar cell to change the laser light signal into a...
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The Gingerbread Boy Comes Alive
Students make cut-out gingerbread cookies. After reading "The Gingerbread Boy", their cookies "disappear" and students must make predictions and draw conclusions about what happened to their cookies.
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Activity #1 Reactions: Chemical or Physical?
Learners distinguish between physical changes and chemical changes. They comprehend that chemical reactions produce new substances with compositions and properites which are different than those of the starting materials. Pupils also...
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Activity #3 Are Particles "Real?"
Students verbalize a simple particle theory, They apply their particle theory to explain what happens during chemical reactions and how this theory supports the law of conservation of matter. Pupils comprehend that the atomic theory,...
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Greek Gods Who Are They?
Sixth graders research a Greek God with a partner and prepare a presentation for the class. They use the computer and Internet, as a motivator for a Social Studies unit and explore the mythology, legends, values and beliefs of a people.
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Using Primary Sources to Discover Reconstruction
Fifth graders discover how reconstruction had an impact on racial issues in the United States. In this Reconstruction lesson, 5th graders are introduced to primary vs. secondary resources and then rotate through stations to view...
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Bushy Run: A Decisive Battle of Pontiac's Rebellion
Students study the battle at Bushy Run. In this Pontiac's Rebellion lesson, students examine an 1765 map of the Bushy Run battle as well as letters and a modern topographic map of the area in order to simulate the event and research how...
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Child Labor in the Carolinas
Fifth graders explore child labor and how children were exploited and used in the work place. In this Industrial Revolution lesson, 5th graders research child labor by reading, looking at photographs and drawing conclusions...