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Northwest Hawaiian Islands
Students compare and contrast places around the world. Students analyze the effects of human activity on the physical environment and devise plans to address the consequences. Students also focus on geographical topics such as formation...
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Antibiotic Resistance
Students using the scientific method, study bacteria as a covering surface of the earth in many forms. They discover that not all bacteria is bad and introduce the topic of antibiotic resistance. Science Fair expectations are addressed.
Polar Trec
Recess at 25 Below
Is there any difference between the ways a child from the polar region gets ready for recess, and the way a child from a tropical region gets ready for recess? Youngsters use a checklist to dress their Arctic Barbie and Polar Bob dolls...
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Earth Day...Comin Atcha!!!
Students explore the idea of consequence that every individual leaves a daily environmental footprint. They read articles about creative solutions to solid waste issues and then create an artwork from household trash.
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Fossil Fuels: Facing the Issues
Students explore energy by researching fuel usage on Earth. In this fossil fuel lesson, students define fossil fuels, the energy created by burning them, and the impact on the environment when using them. Students conduct pollution...
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Benefits, drawbacks of alternative healing
Learners discuss alternative healing techniques, then chart the potential benefits and drawbacks of alternative health therapies. They design symbols representing alternative healing techniques.
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Medical Help for Microbe Attacks
Students discuss sicknesses and how medications have been designed to combat microbial illnesses. They review microbial groups and learn more about treatment of microbial illness. After viewing the lab students conclude that antibiotics...
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When Microbes Attack
Students study how the body defends itself against the invasion of harmful microbes and how certain types of drugs can provide assistance. They design and execute their own experiments to test whether increasing the number of types of...
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Air, Air Everywhere! Lesson 2: Acid Rain
Middle school environmentalists record the pH of four different liquids, including two aerosol cleaning products. They liken the products to acid rain and speculate in writing which might affect the human respiratory system. Although...
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Your Body's Defenses When Microbes Attack
Students study how being exposed to a harmful microbe doesn't automatically make them ill. They discover the lines of defense against microbe invaders and explore the roles of skin and mucus membranes, white blood cells, and lymphocytes...
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Reinforcing the Scientific Method
Seventh graders explore a variety of situations and make hypotheses before designing possible experiments. They then are presented with an experiment actually done to solve the original problem and compare it with their results. Students...
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Urban Ecosystems 2: Why are There Cities? A Historical Perspective
Second in a series of five lessons, this lesson encourages preteens to consider cities as urban ecosystems. First, they keep a food diary for a few days. They visit the Natrional Agricultural Statistics Service website for current data...
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Casual Patterns in Ecosystems
Ecology explorers or beginning biologists view a time-lapse film of decaying strawberries. They discuss how decomposition occurs and what factors might affect the rate of decay. Alone, the lesson plan is lacking engaging attributes....
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Disperse or Decrease
Students explore the dispersal of animals.. Students take on the role of a specific animal. They simulate finding a new home due to overpopulation. Through hands-on activities performed during the simulation, students discover the area...
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Vacancy: Habitats Available!
Sixth graders pick a native animal and write a classified housing ad to match the animal's habitat requirements, paste it on posterboard and then try to match each habitat with the animal it represents.
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What Happens to Our Bodies When We Get Sick?
Seventh graders explore ways in which they become sick. They find out ways that there bodies fight off bacteria. Students watch a video from the Magic School Bus series:"Inside Raphie." After reviewing video students can openly discuss...
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Pollution Research
Fourth graders explore pollution. They conduct preliminary research on pollution using the internet. Students share their findings with the group. They work with a group and create lists of facts on pollution.
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What If There's No Light?
students discuss the importance of light and the consequences of living without it. Using a plant as a demonstration, students predict and observe what happens to a plant when it does not receive enough light. In groups, they experiment...
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How Clean is the Water?
Students read about and discuss water and how it is used as a resource and how engineers use technology to preserve it. In this water lesson plan, students look at a picture of water treatment and tell what is wrong with the picture.
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The Delicate Balance - Iowa's Natural Resources
Discover the natural resources in Iowa by studying it's history. In this environmental instructional activity, your students will observe a topographical map of Iowa and identify where its most valuable resources are. They complete an...
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When Disaster Strikes: Flooding in Pakistan
Students complete various activities after reading about flooding in Pakistan. In this lesson on humanitarian efforts, students read about flooding that occurred in Pakistan, discuss what they have read, and synthesize the information...
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The Gulf Oil Disaster
Students take a closer look at the Gulf oil spill of 2010. In this global issues lesson, students analyze political cartoons related to the crisis. Students discuss their impressions of the crisis and U.S. energy policies.
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Chapter 16, Food Biotechnology
Although the points given on these slides are valid, the visual accessibility is poor. Consequently, many viewers would be distracted or entirely unable to view the presentation. The content is a review of microorganisms and their...
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Links in the Chain of Life
Using the prairie dog community as an example, middle school ecologists examine the food web. Pairs of learners take one species in the community and research its role in the ecosystem. They share their findings with the rest of the...