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Flipbook Succession
Students review succession charts for their native area before going to an outside site to view the changes. At the site, they follow the transect line and observe the changes in the plant life. They draw the changes on note cards that...
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The Nitrogen Cycle
Young scholars design and create a compost pile in order to study the Nitrogen Cycle. They then use the scientific method to determine if plants grow better when they add organic matter from their compost pile to the plant's soil.
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Wildlife Animal Skulls
Students observe skulls of wild animals and determine their characteristics for survival. They evaluate the skuylls to discover the diets, and if the animals were predators or prey. They complete worksheets on mystery skulls.
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Cell Cycle Portfolio
Students work together in groups to complete various stations on the cycles of cells. Individually, they keep their completed work in a folder after following specific instructions on how to complete each experiment. They use the...
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Cell Structures and Functions
Fifth graders search into animal and cell characteristics and their functions in this seven lesson unit. Replicas of the cell are constructed out of Jell-O as students probe the internet for details of the concepts.
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Arbor Day
First graders study the importance of trees to our environment. they make their own version of the story by completing the following sentence and then completing an illustration for their writing. "A tree can be ______."
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If It Smells Good, Is Edible, and Attracts Wildlife, Then It's a Practical Garden
Students explore landscape design. In this practical gardening lesson, students design landscape plans that call for shrubs, trees, and plants that can be used for aesthetics, cooking, and wildlife.
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Invasive Species
Pupils study exotic and native species, and examine how exotic species can impact native ones. They study how the mute swan effects native species.
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Web of Life
Students collect information about various organisms in a forest ecosystem and create a mural that depicts organism interdependence. They then simulate a food web using a ball of string.
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Biodiversity in Illinois-Pond Habitats
Second graders construct a pond habitat in the classroom using a small swimming pool partially filled with water, real cattails, a tree log adjoining, and plastic animal life appropriate to a pond setting. They examine the frog in detail...
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Outdoor Survivors
Fifth graders complete a survey to decide what are most popular plants among the class. They test the water quality in a nearby pond. Studnts test the quality of soil samples taken from their homes. Different plants are moistened with...
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LOSING GROUND
Students will observe wind erosion and how crop residue prevents erosion.Point out the three kinds of fields to the students. Do as much or as little instruction as needed to explain the pan with crop residue. Conservation tillage...
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Centipede or Millipede?
Students discuss millipedes and centipedes in terms of their classification as arthropod. Using a diagram, students categorize and compare and contrast the characteristics of millipedes and centipedes based on their discussion of...
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Arbor Day Alphabetical Order
In this Arbor Day alphabetizing instructional activity, learners read 16 words in a word box that pertain to trees. Students put these words in alphabetical order.
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How did rice first come to America?
Students discover how rice first came to America. In this rice history activity, students discuss how a boat captain gave people a bag of rice seeds for fixing his ship. They draw a picture of a ship and create pictures that show how the...
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Exploring Limu Diversity
Students explore limu diversity. In this ocean ecosystem lesson, students classify limu according to its physical properties. Students work in small groups to generate scientific observations and sort limu by characteristics.
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Where the Red Fern Grows: A 4th Grade Literary Focus Unit
Fourth graders explore the human and animal connection along with the idea that death is a part of the life cycle. They read "Where the Red Fern Grows." Students examine the feelings and emotions surrounding death and they discover the...
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The Miracle Fish: Learning to Design an Experiment
Learners develop procedures to explore the behavior of fish. For this scientific experiment lesson students from a hypothesis, write a question, identify different variables and controls in their experiment.
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Climate Change Challenge
Students explore the issue of climate change through participation in an interactive game show. They explore climate change issues in the news. Students write and discuss their own questions about climate change.
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Island Culture: Puerto Rico
Students explore the culture of Puerto Rico. They create maps of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. They work in small groups to research a decade in history and add drawings and pictures to a timeline of their decade. They practice...
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Shells on the Mountain Top?
Pupils work in groups to remove fossils from sediments, classifying as many organisms and parts of organisms as possible into major groups. They study the data from each formation and make conclusions about the types of organisms and...
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Ozone Layer Day
In this ozone layer day learning exercise, students read or listen to a passage about ozone layer day, then match phrases, fill in the blanks, choose words, unscramble words and sentences, put sentences in order, write discussion...
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Fish Parasite Survey
Students count nematodes, cestodes and crustaceans on approximately one-hundred and fifty fish. They fill out autopsy reports for external and internal parasites then complete and discuss guide questions to make inferences about parasite...
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Fish Parasite Survey
Students survey and dissect as many fish as possible. They count nematodes, cestodes and crustaceans on the fish, fill out autopsy reports, and transfer data to a chalkboard data table. Students graph the results of the entire class...