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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life in Streams and Ponds

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students collect microorganisms, demonstrate correct laboratory/Gram stain procedure, and design and construct tables to organize data.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scavenger Hunt

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Learners study a research telescope to obtain quantitative information about these objects. They use the SkyServer Navigation Tool to identify objects and record celestial coordinates. In addition, they associate star brightness and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Glaciers and Ice Wedging

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders observe buckling sidewalks and potholes before attempting to determine how these things are caused. They freeze water filled plastic cups that have been covered. As the water freezes, the students observe what happens to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Habitat Collage"

For Teachers K
Students create a collage of habitats in which insects are found.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cafeteria Compost

For Teachers K - 12th
Students gather information on composting. They create their own compost pile using proper materials from the lunchroom. They work together to record observations.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Guided Journey Into the Past

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders use guided imagery to discover and judge an alternative way to enjoy artifacts without removing them from archaeological sites.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Space Shuttle

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students share what they comprehend about the space shuttle program. They are given information about the first space shuttle mission. Students work in groups to investigate the different shuttle missions from April 1981 through January...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Storage, Use, Pollution,& Clean Up of Water

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students synthesize water resource educational posters into class presentations based on the poster's theme. Working in groups, they make presentations on wastewater, water uses, watersheds, groundwater, wetlands,water quality, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Space - In Your Face or Not?

For Teachers 2nd
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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Do Human Practices Affect Water Quality?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students determine if human practices have any noticeable effects on the quality of stream life as measured by the presence of certain macroinvertebrates. They collect, preserve and identify macroinvertibrate samples and quantify the data.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Physical Habitat of a Stream

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students measure in metric units and use a stopwatch, calculator. They collect data with minimal instructions after the initial pre-activity briefing, then record data in the data sheets provided.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Noah's Ark, Revisited

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders do a visual presentation for a specific endangered species.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bats Migrate South

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

NOAA Research Project

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students research any topic relating to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research cruise that Mrs. Richards be participating in.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Miners

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students complete various activities related to mining and mining safety. They write an energy sentence, complete a word puzzle, cut and glue safety equipment on a mining character, solve a math code word puzzle, and complete a maze...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Moon WebQuest

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders research basic information about the moon and identify the phases and order of the phases of the moon. They conduct Internet research, complete a moon WebQuest, and write a magazine article about the moon using their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ions in the Environment

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students explain the importance of the five main biogeochemical cycles. In this chemistry lesson, students discuss how ions are transported in the environment. They design an experiment to collect data on eutrophication.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mining Reclamation and Cookies

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders are introduced to the process of mining. In groups, they use the internet to research the effect of mining on the environment. They work together to create their own make believe mining company and discover the process of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solid Waste/Recycling

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars see that when we throw away garbage, it usually ends up in a landfill. Landfill space is getting increasingly scarce, and every time we throw something away we throw with it the energy, the money, and the raw materials it...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Away with Waste!

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students read and analyze the story Away on the Bay as a springboard to discuss water pollution. They may look into ways in which water can be cleaned and a watershed restored.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Community Action

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders brainstorm a list of decisions that students make daily that affect the welfare of the environment categorizing them as being either helpful or harmful. They then trace local actions to distant consequences to determine how...
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Lesson Plan
Teach Engineering

Solar Power

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
How much solar energy is available at my location? An engaging resource provides a presentation along with script to give the class background information on determining solar radiation. Pupils then work through a worksheet to estimate...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Warm is the Water?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research how surface sea temperature changes throughout the year. They draw a time series of sea surface temperatures for each month of the year and a depth profile for a summer and winter month using an OceanExplorer Profiler...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Air Pollution Over Where?

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Learners predict the movement of an air borne pollutant using their understanding of air currents. They determine which governments and/or communities should be contacted to be forewarned. They also explore the properties of their...