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Investigating daylight
students investigate a natural factor affecting their everyday lives: daylight. First, they collect data on sunrise and sunset in their hometown, create a Microsoft Office Excel chart to help them understand the data pattern, and offer a...
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Moon Watch
Third graders read books about the moon and discuss its perceived changes as it moves across the sky. They observe the moon over the course of a month and chart their observations. They discuss their observations and conduct further...
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Visiting the Arctic Circle
Students familiarize themselves with the Arctic Circle by locating it on a globe and wall map. They discuss they climate in the North Pole and the reasons for its low temperatures. They compare and contrast the climates of the Arctic...
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Persistence Forecasting
Learners study weather forecasting. In this weather instructional activity, students explore forecasting weather methods and do a forecast. Learners study weather reports and discuss the elements of a forecast. Students study the method...
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Clouds and Your Imagination
Students study and illustrate clouds. For this cloud study lesson, students study clouds and then illustrate what they see. Students use their imaginations to interpret images from the cloud picture they drew.
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Where's the Beach?
Students use beach profile data to analyze how erosion and sediment transport changed seashore slopes. In this geology lesson, students plot the data provided and analyze erosion patterns. They also assess coastal erosion management...
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Fire and Fire Suppression
Students explore forest fires and forest service's new stategies. They study a case of natural burn and the impact of lowering the intensity of a larger forest fire.
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Water Quality Monitoring of Natural Water
Pupils create their own monitoring program for natural water. They collect samples from an appropriate sampling site. They perform chemical and biological analyses of their samples. They present their information to the class.
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Let's Think About Water
Students explore the different forms that water can take and conduct simple experiments to demonstrate some of its properties in each state. They watch a short video that illustrates some of these concepts.
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Using Yeast as an Ultraviolet Light Measurement Tool
Students accurately measure the relationship between radiation dose and either survival or some genetic event such as mutation or recombination. They investigate the damage that was done to the DNA molecule as a result of exposure to...
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Student Peer Review Through a Discussion Board to Develop an Invasive Species Paper
Students develop electronic communication skills through a discussion board while peer reviewing a paper on invasive species. Students work in groups of three to provide constructive feedback on a classmate's paper.
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Astronauts Train in Deep-Space Brine
Students examine an article on astronauts training in deep space brine then discuss what they learned. In this investigative lesson students get into groups and design an exercise that includes isolation, silence and conflict...
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The Intertidal Zone: Tides and How Creatures Survive
Students study the properties of ocean water and tides and learn about animals that live in intertidal zones. In this intertidal zone lesson, students participate in classroom stations to learn about fresh water and salt water, cold...
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The Effects of Ultraviolet Light on Lumbriculus
Students explore the effects of ultraviolet light on Lumbriculus. They expose ultraviolet light to Lumbriculus (worm) and determine the lethal exposure time. They examine the worm and record their observations.
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The Trash We Pass
Students engage in a study of trash and how it is disposed of in the environment. They also research the impact of recycling and its effects upon the disposal amounts. Students calculate the advantages of recycling using real world...
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Cloud Database
Learners research information on the types of clouds. They create a database and use a formula. They create various reports and access electronic information to obtain accurate pressure and temperature readings from the National Weather...
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Investigating Erosion in an Outdoor Classroom
First graders observe the effects of erosion. They work in groups to simulate erosion in a streambed, participate in class discussion, read books about fossils and rocks and then go on a fossil hunt.
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Bats Migrate South
Learners examine the life of bats in Illinois. Using the internet, they research the history of the bat in Illinois and describe the way they find prey by using echolocation. They report their findings to the class and answer any...
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Just How Big is this Place?
Students are introduced to the the formula for calculating travel time. They listen to different scenarios relating to long distance travel into space and calculate travel time using the formula.
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Space - In Your Face or Not?
Second graders, in groups, examine how it doesn't matter if they can see the planets in the solar system or not--they're there.
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Noah's Ark, Revisited
Fourth graders do a visual presentation for a specific endangered species.
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Waste Management
Learners set up a recycling program in their school. They first estimate the kinds and amount of trash generated and brainstorm ways to reuse the recyclables and create flyers explaining how their program will work at the school.
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Air Pollution: A Local and Global Problem
Students work together to solve the problem of air pollution. Using the Internet, they research the pollution problem in one city. Using the data, they develop their own solution and pitch it to the class. They must identify the...
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Creeping Sheets of Ice
Students conduct scientific investigation in which they observe glacial
effects on landscape, develop and explain their own theories of how glaciers change land, and demonstrate understanding and explain basic motion and force principles.