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Forest as a Filter
Students experiment using soil and water. In this forest as a filter lesson, students identify the role of forest cover, vegetation, and foliage impacts erosion and evaporation. Students conduct a simple experiment, form a hypothesis,...
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Pond Life
Students recognize the habitats of animals that live near or in a pond. In this pond lesson plan, students examine pond water and look for pond organisms. Students observe organisms with a loupe and complete a worksheet.
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How Good Is Green?
Students explore the amount of electricity used and wasted in homes and at school using kilowatt meters. In this environmental energy instructional activity, students compute power usage by appliances over time and identify ways in...
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How Does Your KinderGarden Grow
Learners find forecast and graph weather by using WeatherBug site, create flower books by using Wiggleworks, and plant radish seeds both on KidPix and in class garden.
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Building a Better Sentence
Sentence construction is both a science and an art. This bare bones lesson ties an analysis of earth's geology to sentence formation. Although referenced as a major part of the activity, there are no links to the technology or resources...
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Vary Your Veggies and Focus on Fruits
Third graders study a healthy diet. In this healthy diet activity, 3rd graders investigate the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables. Students compare a healthy diet to their personal diet.
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Practice PT - Encode an Experience
Encoding What I did Last Summer. Class members develop a way to encode a personal experience using a top-down approach to determine components and sub-components of their experience They then pick one portion of the experience and go...
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Elephant Seals - Evolution
Students create posters or skits based on specific adaptive characteristics of elephant seals.
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Mountain Lions in Arizona Lesson 5: Humans and Lions - Encounters in Nature
Fledgling felinologists are taught how to recognize when a mountain lion is preparing to attack. They identify proper actions to provide the greatest chance of survival if they are attacked. Learners play a matching card game in which...
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Biomes of Canada
Fifth graders, in groups, research one of the biomes of Canada. They create a multi-slide PowerPoint presentation about their biome that contains specific types of inserted/downloaded pictures, recorded voice, and a sound effect.
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Comparing the Amoeba to Paramecium
This laboratory activity is valuable practice in comparing features of different organisms. You could use it to introduce junior biologists to protozoans. The materials and procudures for the learners are simple, and analysis...
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Food Chain
Third graders role-play various organisms from a food chain to illustrate how a food chain works. In relay style, 3rd graders fill their cups (stomachs) and, in turn, fill a larger organism's cup (stomach) to visualize the importance of...
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Then and Now, A Watershed in San Francisco
Students compare recent and historic maps to explore landscape changes. Using photos provided, students identify prominent features on the maps. They discuss differences in landscape, human impact on watershed, and changes in natural...
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Nature Rules In The Great Flood of 1993
Learners examine the event of the Great Flood of 1993. Using the internet, they research the economic, social and ecological changes that impacted the area. They conduct a town meeting in which they debate the positives and negatives of...
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The Elements
Fifth graders explore the differences between elements. In this elements and atoms lesson students complete an activity that shows how chemicals react to a flame test.
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Biology of Bats
Your class will love exploring animal conservation through this lesson on bats. Learners discuss the importance of bats in the ecosystem and talk about the different types and their characteristics. As a follow up, a model of a bat or a...
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I Wonder What Other Dangerous Diseases Insects Spread...
Students use the internet to research diseases spread by insects. They create a brochure using the information they gathered. They present their project to the class.
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Cell Game
Make a prototype of a game based on cell biology. Researching game design and working in groups to create a game will activate knowledge of cell biology. The review task will help young scholars learning as they test out the games and...
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Laser Types and Uses
Students examine the properties of lasers and research their types and uses. In this laser lesson students view several demonstrations.
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Nesting Bird
Your class will love this instructional activity! Learners discuss the birds they have seen in their region and create a collage. The collage contains a picture of a tree, a bird, and the bird's nest. As an extension, they can learn...
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Wildlife Conservation III
Discuss the importance of wildlife conservation. Learners talk about the animals and plants on the US Fish and Wildlife Services list of endangered and threatened species. Then, they engage in a detailed discussion of the reasons these...
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Marine Debris
Learners perform experiments to examine if debris float, or blow in the wind. The effects of these characteristics on the marine debris are then discussed. They determine how a material can influence what becomes marine debris.
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Cell Structures
Students differentiate between a prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell and give examples of both types. They differentiate between a plant and animal cell. Students will be able to name features common to both as well as unique features of each.
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Down in the Dumps
After an introduction to municipal sludge, middle school ecologists consider the pros and cons of dumping in the Hudson River Canyon. The class is split into two groups: one to debate in favor or dumping and one to debate against the...