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Celebrate Winter!
Students understand, and participate in, both the historical and scientific aspects of this year's celebrations by introducing them to a selection of activities.
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Classroom Meteorologists: An Experiential Approach to Learning about Seasons and Weather
Students examine several concepts about weather in the seven lessons of this unit. This year long activity helps students to gather data seasonally about wind, clouds, precipitation, and temperature. Earth's three climate zones are...
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Lunar Lollipops
Students simulate the phases of the moon using a lamp and styrofoam balls. In this lunar phases lesson, students stand around a lamp and act as Earth. They hold styrofoam balls and rotate to show the phases of the moon.
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Volcanic IntEruptions
Seventh graders research about a devastating eruption of a certain volcano. In this earth science lesson plan, 7th graders discover the climate changes that occurred due to a volcanic eruption. They create a presentation about their...
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Get Ready to Rumble
Young scholars use the Internet to examine earthquakes. They discover the theory of tectonic plates and analyze faults throughout the world. They also examine the science of seismology to explain how earthquakes are measured.
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Minerals and the Products of Mining
Students plot where minerals come from and have an awareness of how mineral use makes the world interdependent. They examine how to identify some sort of mineral products they use each day.
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Why is Summer Hot?
Students examine how variations in temperature are due to the Sun and length of day. For this solar lesson students complete a lab activity using thermometers and artificial sunlight to see how the earth is heated.
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The Sun in Our Lives
Third graders identify the different parts of the sun. In this astronomy lesson plan, 3rd graders examine how the sun's energy drive life processes on Earth. They construct a model of a solar system using large rolls of toilet paper.
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Timekeeping by the Sun
Students measure shadows to learn about the Sun-Earth relationship. In this astronomy lesson, students create a shadow stick of a Pokemon character and record measurements of its shadow in a data chart. Follow-up discussions guide...
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Moon Phases
Sixth graders investigate the phases of the moon. For this moon phase lesson, 6th graders discover that the moon changes in a cycle as it orbits Earth. Students label pictures of moon phases and keep a moon phase journal. Students...
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Weather
Learners explore the earth's atmosphere, weather, and climate. They begin class with a discussion about weather patterns, atmosphere, and the layers of the earth. After the class discussion, students rotate through four stations to...
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Astronomy with a Stick
Learners describe the movement of the Earth as it relates to the sun and
formulate a hypothesis for the movement and the changing length of the shadow. They express the relationship between the sun and the Earth and how that causes the...
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Water Pollution Prevention and Conservation
Learners examine how to conserve water. They also discover how to prevent water pollution. They examine the Earth's water distribution as well.
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Solar Storm Timeline
For this solar storm timeline, learners read about a series of events that took place in space beginning with a solar flare. Students gather the information and create a time line of events mentioned. They determine the length of time it...
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Creating New Forms of Life
High schoolers are asked to use their imaginations to take the idea of biotechnology one step further. Before beginning this activity students read and complete a report on the book "Jurassic Park," which deals with the use of...
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Backyard Birds: Who's Who Out There?
Young scholars practice techniques of field observation and data-gathering while studying local bird population, describe ecosystem as complex combination of elements, which can affect or be affected by each other, and determine effects...
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Student Exploration: Summer and Winter
In this recognizing the seasons online/interactive worksheet, students explore the Earth's positions and determine the summer and winter season. Students answer 21 short answer questions
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Weathering and Erosion
Students perform experiments to simulate weathering and erosion. In this earth science lesson, students view a PowerPoint presentation that includes weathering, erosion, and the Dust Bowl. Students conduct a series of experiments to...
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Water, Weather, and the World
Young scholars in a special education classroom examine the role of weather and water in their lives. Each day, they add a symbol for the weather outside and identify the proper activities for the weather on that day. In groups, they...
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Agriculture is a Cycle
Young scholars explore cycles in nature. In this cross curriculum agriculture lesson, students define "cycle" and research weather and planting folklore. Young scholars make a bracelet in which individual colored beads represent the many...
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What Goes Around Comes Around
Students investigate how the ocean plays a part in the water cycle. In this earth science activity, students locate a puddle outside and mark it with chalk. Students observe the changes in the water during the next two days.
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Using the Synoptic Code for the Prediction of Water
Students construct a thermoscreen for the experiment. For this earth science lesson, students make observations and interpret them using synoptic codes. They predict the weather based on gathered information.
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The Environment and You
First graders examine the human environmental impact and discover ways to lessen effects. They create a pollution damage flow chart and write down what they think Mother Earth might say. They create inventions from recyclable materials.
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Prehistoric Discoveries
Young scholars agree or disagree with several statements about ancient animals, then read a news article about recent prehistoric discoveries. In this earth science and current events instructional activity, the teacher introduces the...