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Fun Through Fitness Day

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Make fitness fun at your school! A list of outdoor activities for a "Fun Through Fitness Day" could be helpful in planning your own version of this activity. The resource describes what one school district has done in general, but does...
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Biocomplexity Lab Activity: Permeability

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students identify how water moves through materials such as rocks or sand. Students measure the permeability of water through glass spheres to represent the movement of water in sand, an aquifer, or another sediment. During the...
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Fenwick Island, Maryland And Beyond: Who Owns the Sand?

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine beach processes and complex beach systems. They study the human efforts to stabilize an unstable environment can lead to complex problems.
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Erosion And the Cycling of Rocks And Minerals

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the concept of erosion by water in a problem solving activity. In small groups, they are assigned either sand, potting soil or rocks to construct a mountain that will hold up to a sprinkler can of water dripping on...
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Glaciers and How They Form lands

For Teachers 4th
As a whole class, the students define glacier and perform an experiment involving glaciers. The students brainstorm ideas of what a glacier is, and narrow the ideas down to a definition. The students then participate in an activity that...
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Eye On Conservation Drainage Basin

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students are able to describe the importance of wetland vegetation. They describe the impacts human activities have on water systems. Students compare and contrast the effect of different soil types on water filtration.
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The Effects of Agricultural Fertilizer Runoff Upon Aquatic Ecosystems

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Learners measure the toxic levels of runoff and discuss the effects it would have on the aquatic system. In this runoff lesson plan, students answer questions to how runoff would affect the animals in an aquatic system.
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Disappearing Rocks

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore the causes of erosion and observe how different surfaces erode differently. They recognize erosion and predict what type of erosion caused it. In addition, they predict the outcomes of erosion on different materials.
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Exploring for Petroleum - Modeling an Oil Reserve

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students experiment with locating oil reserves. In this conservation lesson, students use a cardboard box to create sand, rocks, and an oil reserve (water balloon). They use a probe to dig around in the box to find the oil reserve and...
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Voyage of Doom

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students view a video clip about cofferdams. They work together to design and construct their own. They discover the advantages and disadvantages of creating a model.
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Modeling an Oil Reserve

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students conduct an experiment.  In this oil and natural gas lesson, students learn how geoscientists identify and explore reserves of petroleum.  Students make a model of an oil reserve, record how much it would cost to drill...
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Rain Forest Terrariums

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders make rain forest terrariums in order to observe a simulated mini-environment. They place the layers and plants into container and place where it can be observed. They observe the closed water system in the container before...
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Home-Made Clouds

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders witness cloud formation in a jar during a teacher lead simulation. They research, draw and predict weather using information they gather about clouds.
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Help, I'm Melting!

For Teachers K - 5th
Students explore the parts of the rock cycle and the process of erosion as they build their own mountain and observe the effects of wind and rain as erosive agents.
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Jessica's Aquarium

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders use problem solving strategies to determine the amount of gravel needed to fill the bottom of an aquarium that is 50 cm long, 20 cm wide, and 30 cm high. Students use centimeter cubes and brainstorm strategies they might...
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Keep the Wet Out

For Students 3rd - 4th
After reading a short paragraph about certain materials and their ability to repel water, learners answer two questions regarding a variety of materials' ability to repel water. There are six different substances placed in bowls of...
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Tide Pool Discovery

For Teachers 1st
First graders visit the Discovery Pool, where they use their senses to investigate the different tide pool species. They touch different species. Students describe how each one feels, and what they look like in words. They draw the...
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Exploring How Rocks Are Formed

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Learners examine the three types of rocks. They discover the processes that occur so each type of rock can be formed. They participate in activities to help them see how rocks are formed.
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Sandscapes to Landscapes

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore landscapes and create their own in a creative project.
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Wreck Detectives

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Junior archaeologists examine types of artifacts from the Bronze Age on the internet. In collaborative groups, they create a story about a ship from this period and then construct a model of the ocean floor after their ship has sunk....
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My time to Shine!

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders identify and acquire the attitudes, knowledge, and skills that contribute to effective learning in school and across the life span. Then they identify and practice through an experiment, time management skills and why it is...
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Minerals and You

For Teachers K - 12th
Students study how mineral are used in everything around us-- from cereal to satellites. After informing the students about minerals they will discuss the ones that are in the area of the students.
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A Recipe for Soil

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders use local materials such as leaves and other plant matter; sand and pebbles to make soil. They plant seeds in the manufactured soil and in natural soil and then observe and record the results.
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Stream Table

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students build and erode a hillside. In this earth science lesson, students build a five inch hillside in a paint pan using sand, soil, and pebbles. They pour water over the hillside to monitor the erosion and how it is...