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Plants are Growing and Changing
Learners explore living things. In this agriculture activity, students read the book A Tree is a Plant and participate in an experiment to explore the patterns of change in living things. Learners continue to observe the plant throughout...
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Splish, Splash Poetry
Students write weather shape poems and sing weather related songs. In this creative writing activity, students read the book, It's Raining, It's Pouring and list weather words they heard in the story. Students use the writing process to...
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We're Zoologists!
Students listen to story, "Never, Ever Shout in a Zoo," by Karma Wilson, practice finding information from Internet, write information about one chosen zoo animal, draw picture of their zoo animal, pair up and read their My Zoo Animal...
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"War of the Worlds": A Broadcast Re-Creation
Why did Orson Welles' 1938 Broadcast of a adaptation of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds cause such a panic? To answer this question, class members listen to the original broadcast and research the panic that resulted. They then engage...
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I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Students contemplate the questions raised by the book/movie I, Robot. In this theoretical physics lesson, students consider the pros and cons as well as the possibility of robots that can think.
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America in Film and Fiction
Students begin the lesson by reading a book on film study. After watching the movie "Citizen Kane", they work together to identify the issues concerning the United States before World War II. As a class, they discuss how the ideas and...
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Non-Fiction Read-aloud
Students listen to the reading of a book about the area of science they are currently studying.
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"Standing Woman" by Yasutaka Tsutsui
Students explore the key concepts of the story, "Standing Woman" which portrays futuristic settings, and the search for artificial happiness. Parallels are drawn to Orwell's "Brave New World" and the movie, "Solent Green."
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Bird Stories: Fact or Fiction
Students evaluate/distinguish scientific fact from fiction. They discuss similarities and differences in the life cycles of various birds. Student use the Internet as a research tool.
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Lions and Tigers and Bears - Oh My!
Research animals and develop a non-fiction presentation. Students will complete research on a particular animal and determine the animal's characteristics as well as habitat before choosing a differentiated project to present using the...
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The Life Cycle of the Butterfly
First graders, after listening to fictional and non-fictional literature about caterpillars, and observing caterpillars from egg to butterfly, write a "biography" of a caterpillar using appropriate vocabulary and time lines.
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Endangered Species... It's Not Too Late
Students choose an endangered species to research and report on. In this endangered species lesson, students complete a worksheet to gather information about their endangered animal and then use to write a book about the animal and...
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Science Performance Assessment
You can use performance assessments to obtain a richer and more complete picture of what your students know.
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Magnificent Mammals
Students experience center activities to study the habitats and traits of mammals. They play a memory game, eat like mammals, produce artwork and read mammal books.
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Apples and Apple Activities
Students investigate apples. In this reading comprehension lesson, students read a book about apples then compare and contrast, make graphs, distinguish between fact and fiction and work in groups. Students work in groups to search the...
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Arthropods at Home- Spider, Isopod, or Any Arthropod
Learners design a habitat for an arthropod. In this organisms lesson, students read the book, A House is a House For Me. Learners find an arthropod and create a terrarium.
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Jack and the Beanstalk
Third graders read a story and grow a beanstalk. In this literature and life science lesson, the class reads "Jack and the Beanstalk," then lists fairy tale elements and write a puppet show. The students plant pinto beans and observes...
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Trash! How Cities Work: Dealing with Garbage in the US and India
Students identify how different cultures deal with the challenge of trash. Read an excerpt from a chapter book based on real life written from the Southern Indian perspective. Describe the life of a street child in Southern India....
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See the Stars
Students explore the nighttime sky. In this space science lesson, students read the book Maria's Comet and and investigate the sky using their naked eyes. Students compare the view of their naked eyes to the view of a telescope.
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Teen Angst
Students gain a broader understanding of new scientific research about the life cycle of the Tyrannosaur, and translate their knowledge into the creation of an illustrated studenT book produced and created by the entire class.
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Can I have a Pet?
Students read the book Can I have a Pet?, by Gwendolyn Hudson Hooks. They determine which animals the main character asked to have as a pet, explain why zoo animals do not make good pets, and study the pictures to make predictions.
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Eating the Rainbow: A Student's Guide to Healthy Foods That Grow
Third graders examine the nutritional value of different foods. In this health science lesson, 3rd graders create a daily log of the foods they eat and categorize them. They plan a healthy menu for their family.
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Where in the World is...?
Students work in groups to locate an appropriate planet where inhabitants of a fictional place can be relocated. They create a PowerPoint presentation to introduce their relocation site, as well as ecosystem information about the site....
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Online Planetary Tour
Students develop an interactive presentation about the planets for their fictional interplanetary travel agency. They demonstrate their knowledge of internet research techniques and the Solar System through their interactive planetary...