Curated OER
Making Waves with the Electromagnetic Spectrum
Students explore various types of electromagnetic waves, the range of the spectrum, and common sources of electromagnetic waves.
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Making a Solar Eclipse Book: The Sun and Moon During a Solar Eclipse
Students make book covers displaying the Sun during a solar eclipse and a labeled illustration of the Sun.
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Ocean Life
Young scholars examine the fossil remains of ancient sea creatures. They create casts of fossils and identify how sea fossils are formed and consider what type of information fossils can give to scientists.
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Physics: Force and Motion
Students use the internet to discover the basic concepts in physics. They complete interactive simulations where variables can be changed. They answer comprehension questions to end the lesson.
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Mighty Minerals
Students investigate the physical and chemical characteristics of minerals. They make a list of the uses of minerals found in Illinois. They write a report individually based on their observations.
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Sediment Sleuths
Students classify sediments based on their physical characteristics, such as size, shape and color. They identify and describe rocks and minerals that are common to their region of the state.
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Let's Think About Day and Night
Students explore day and night and the relationships between the Earth, the sun and the moon. They discuss the ways in which the sun and moon help us. They watch a short video that helps illustrate these concepts.
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Our Healthy Bodies
Students complete a variety of activities designed to enhance their awareness of their bodies. They examine pictures of themselves, taken at various points in the year and examine and compare their bodies. They enjoy a healthy snack...
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Observing Fall Migrants
Pupils observe the migration of monarch butterflies. They collect data regarding the number of monarchs they see, the location, the butterflies' behavior, the temperature and the date and time. Then they send their data to a university...
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Migration Migraine
Students partipate in a demonstration in which they role play animals migrating between breeding and wintering habitats and encountering hazards at each end of the journey.
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Skeletal System
Seventh graders explore the functions of the skeletal system. They collaborate in small groups to determine the function of the skeletal system, the types of joints and movement, bone strength and growth, and bone injuries including...
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What is the Underlying Causality of a Simple Circuit?
Young scholars explore simple circuitry. They compare four models of circuits and explain how each works. Students contrast the cyclic cequential and cyclic simultaneous models using a shower curtain illustration and software simulation.
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Electricity Newsletter
Pupils create a newsletter about electricity. They view a completed newsletter and discuss its information and format and research the Internet to find facts about electricity. After researching their facts, they write a rough draft of...
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What Is Mining
Student develop a vocabulary of "mining words" and study about exploring and mining for minerals. They break into groups and are assigned an area at the "mine" to do their "exploration" for the valuable "coal". The coal is represented...
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"Fall"owing Changes in the Season
Students create a whole class A-B-"C"eason Book. Each student is responsible for creating a "letter" page relating to changes, adaptations, or other fall concepts. After hard copies of the class ABC books are created, the teachers using...
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Saving Energy Through Ecological Landscape Design
Students are able to transcribe to scale the plant features of a common landscape. They determine true north and south and collect and record data on a table. Students calculate a rating for and describe a definition of insulation and...
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Rocks and Minerals
Fifth graders examine different types of rocks and classify rocks by their different characteristics. In small groups they sort their rocks into two categories, then create three categories to sort by on a sorting worksheet. Next, they...
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Human Impact on the Environment and Pollution
Learners illustrate the impact humans have on the environment through analogies and models. They observe demonstrations of human impact and pollution and create a composite picture of how people can have an impact on their environment.
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Forms of Energy
Students, working in expert groups, study a form of energy. They plan a slide show presentation using pictures, clip art, and student taken digital pictures that show the energy type they have become experts in. They use a planning sheet...
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Electric Current and Circuits
Compare the drift speed of conduction electrons in a current-carrying wire to the signal speed of changes in current. They also distinguish between DC and AC and describe how AC is converted to DC.
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How the Body's Immune System Responds to a Virus
Students study the immune system. In this biology lesson plan, students explore illustrations that show how viruses can appear as foreign invaders in the blood. Students also role play how the immune system responds to a virus.
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Pitch
Young scholars experience sounds with different pitches. In this pitch lesson, students use open pipes as they are introduced to pitch, then make Straw Pan Pipes.
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From Vibration to Sound
Students observe a series of demonstrations to illustrate wave movement. In this sound wave lesson, students witness how objects create waves when dropped in a dish of water, use a rope and slinky to produce transverse and longitudinal...
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Taking Care of Nature (Religious)
Students discover how they can help care for the earth. In this environmental protection instructional activity, students discuss how God created the earth and what will happen if they fail to care for the earth properly. Students grow...