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Amazing -- Saturn Is So Far Away!
Students work together to create a scale model of the distances between the planets. They write a paragraph to describe Saturn and their make-believe trip to the planet. They identify other characteristics of Saturn as well.
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Missing Macroinvertebrates
Students investigate the concept of a macroinvertebrate. They observe the presence of increases or decreases in population in order to test for factors that contribute to the extinction of a species. Students predict the likelihood of...
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Birds of Wisconsin
First graders explore the job done by ornithologists. They role play identifying the characteristics that make a bird a bird. They discuss what makes each bird species unique. Students are introduced to Wisconsin's most common and rare...
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Pulling Together With Natives -- The Bradley Sisters' Story
Students identify the four ways to stop the spread of weeds in California. In groups, they practice the five methods of removing and controling the spread of the weeds. To end the lesson, they summarize the Bradley sisters way of...
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Make Sense of Nature
Students participate in this program that heightens their awareness and curiosity of nature as well as their sense of adventure and exploring new surroundings. They identify and choose an object from nature after exploring it with other...
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Florida Springs
Students discover the many uses of water and the sources of the water we see. They complete a worksheet about the water usage at school and at home.
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Piece of the Sky: Introduction for Making S'COOL Observations
Pupils observe and discuss cloud cover. They identify percent of cloud cover, calculate cloud cover by fraction and convert to a percent, and compare their models with the current real sky cloud cover.
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When Things Heat Up
Ninth graders investigate relationship between the temperature and concentration of dissolved oxygen in water. They examine how pollution and other natural influences can cause the parameters to change. In groups, 9th graders collect...
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Sea Turtles
Students investigate eight different species of sea turtles while being involved in classroom lecture and video presentation. The characteristics used to identify sea turtles is taught to help students identify unknown species.
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Into the Pond
Seventh graders use a pond to explore macroinvertebrates and other organisms. They use a dichotomous key to classify the organisms and maintain a journal recording their findings.
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Walk and Learn
Fourth graders take a nature walk on a nice sunny spring day. They discuss different things in nature. They write down observations in their notebook.
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Scientific Research
Students examine the process of scientific inquiry. They develop twenty questions, categorize the questions, develop a research proposal, analyze data, draw conclusions, and explain how their research connects to the state standards.
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Little Me in a Big World: Ants
Pupils use the life cycle of an ant to learn about their own self-esteem. In this self-esteem lesson plan, students read books about ants and discuss obstacles from the stories as well as the ant behavior.
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Predators & Prey
Pupils discuss what predators and prey are. Students participate in a playground game aimed at simulating predators and prey.
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Comparative Stream Quality
Young scholars examine water quality on a nearby stream. They collect water samples and test for various factors, including any contamination from the treatment plant, and present their information in a Powerpoint presentation.
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Eagle-Eyed
Students study the eyesight of eagles. They discuss raptors and their eyesight and compare it to their own. They measure how far away they can see a small object and its distance. They calculate the eyesight to measure an eagle's...
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Sea Turtles: An Issue Investigation
Fifth graders explore sea turtles and the issues relating to them as endangered species. They research sea turtles on the Internet and find reasons why the turtles are endangered. They identify potential issues to be considered when...
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Biological Control of Purple Loosestrife
High schoolers examine the role of Purple Loosestrife in Illinois and Indiana rivers. In groups, they collect a wide variety of plants in a wetland and raise beetles in a controlled environment. They introduce the loosestrife into the...
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Treated Lumber and Alternatives
Students copy the KWL chart for Treated Lumber and Alternatives. They include the provided websites. Students work with a partner to research the use of CCA lumber and its environmentally friendly substitutes. They create a PowerPoint...
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The Great Spider Debate
Students study about the survival and hunting strategies of several different kinds of spiders. They also be introduced to scientific classification of spiders and write a brief report about one of the spider families they observe.
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"Bug Hunt"
Fourth graders find bugs represented on a grid and then identify their name and physical characteristics that provide a picture of the bug using imagery.
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Indoor Air: What's the Matter?
Students develop a greater awareness of the variety and amount of particulate matter in the air. They try to locate general sources of pollution for a specific area and develop some suggestions for improving air quality.
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Temperature Variations and Habitability
Students, in groups, evaluate conditions outside the building and inside the classroom using thermometers, barometers, anemometers, etc. They compare interior and exterior conditions. They consider and discuss factors that contribute...