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Lesson Plan
K20 Learn

Filling Our Land with Landfills: Solid Waste Disposal

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Though it comprises only 5 percent of the world's population, the US generates 40 percent of the world's waste. Scholars learn about landfills, their safety, and other solid waste methods. They use experiments and research to learn more....
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

A Trait Accompli: An Introduction to Mendelian Genetics

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Young scientists learn the laws of genetics through data collection and research. They use discussions and online resources to develop an understanding of the related vocabulary.
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Lab Resource
Serendip

Photosynthesis Investigation

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Can scientists increase the rate of photosynthesis to help clean the air? Scholars complete an experiment determining net photosynthesis. Then, they apply knowledge from the activity to design their own investigations of the factors that...
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Lesson Plan
Kenan Fellows

Sensors in Chemistry

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Environmental Protection Agency monitors sensors to track air pollution and set clean air standards. Enthusiastic young scientists use similar sensors to gather data in their area and then apply the gas laws and conservation of...
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Lesson Plan
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Population Dynamics

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Will human population growth always be exponential, or will we find a limiting factor we can't avoid? Young scientists learn about both exponential and logistic growth models in various animal populations. They use case studies to...
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Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Gorongosa: Making Observations Activity

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Do you have young scientists wanting to make new discoveries rather than just completing the same experiments? Young scientists use their observational skills to identify animals and patterns in animal behavior. Through tracking...
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Lesson Plan
Science 4 Inquiry

The Last Supper: Identifying Macromolecules

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Why do medical examiners always state the contents of a person's stomach? Scholars learn about the importance of macromolecules through a case study of stomach contents. They perform multiple tests to determine a conclusion before they...
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Lesson Plan
Science 4 Inquiry

A Whole New World: The Search for Water

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Scholars find Earth won't support humans much longer and need to identify a planet with water to inhabit. They test four unknown samples and determine which is the closest to water. Then they explain and defend their results.
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

How Does Your Garden Grow?

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Seventy thousand different types of soil exist in the United States alone. Young scientists learn about the importance of soil to the food supply. They test soil for a variety of factors and determine the best place to set up a community...
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Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Color Vision Genetics Evolution Simulation

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
At one point, all mammals carried only two color receptors, but now most humans carry three. An informative presentation and hands-on activity demonstrate how this evolved through genetics. By participating in the activity, pupils...
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Lesson Plan
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Scholastic

Prescription Pain Medication: What You Need to Know

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The national epidemic of opioid addiction is making its way into high school populations. Educate the students in your class about the ways prescription opioids can both block pain and deliver large amounts of dopamine that make it very...
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Lesson Plan
Towson University

Looking Into Lactase: Guided Inquiry

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Milk does a body good ... unless, of course, someone is lactose intolerant. Pupils play the role of pharmaceutical scientists in a guided inquiry lab about lactase. Lab groups collaborate to learn more about lactose intolerance, how...
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Lesson Plan
Towson University

Mystery Disease

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How did scientists determine the cause of illness before technology? Science scholars play the role of medical researcher in an engaging guided inquiry activity. Using observations, technical reading, and Punnett squares, learners...
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Lesson Plan
Towson University

Mystery of the Crooked Cell

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Can your class solve the Mystery of the Crooked Cell? Junior geneticists collaborate to learn about sickle cell anemia in a fascinating lesson plan. The included materials help them to examine the genetic factors behind the disease...
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Interactive
McGraw Hill

Population Biology

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
The carrying capacity of an environment varies based on the organisms that live there. Using a virtual lab simulation, scholars test two protists living in their own environments and a third environment where both protists live. They...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

Lost City Chemistry Detectives

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
In 1977, scientists discovered hot springs in the middle of deep, cold ocean waters near the Galapagos Islands. Scholars research the chemical reactions that explain what scientists found at the Lost City. A discussion connects many...
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Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Fibers, Dyes, and the Environment

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Nanofibers can be made through electrospinning or force spinning in order to reduce the negative impact on the environment. Pupils study the role of fibers and dye on the environment through a series of five hands-on activities. Then,...
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

The Tide is High, but I’m Holding On… Using ICESat Data to Investigate Sea Level Rise

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Based on the rate of melting observed from 2003-2007 in Greenland, it would take less than 10 minutes to fill the Dallas Cowboys' Stadium. The 17th lesson in a series of 21 has scholars use the ICESat data to understand the ice mass...
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Quantifying Land Changes Over Time Using Landsat

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
"Humans have become a geologic agent comparable to erosion and [volcanic] eruptions ..." Paul J. Crutzen, a Nobel Prize-winning atmospheric chemist. Using Landsat imagery, scholars create a grid showing land use type, such as urban,...
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Is It Getting Hot in Here, or Is It Just Me?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Currently, only 2.1% of global warming is felt on continents, while over 93% is felt in the oceans. The fourth lesson in the series of 21 on global warming is composed of three activities that build off one another. In the first...
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

It's A Bird...It's A Plane...It's...CARBON!

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
An interesting lesson takes pupils on a trip through the carbon cycle. A reading passage allows scholars to take notes and make choices about what happens to the carbon on its journey. This third lesson in a series of 21 discusses...
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

I’ve Got the POWER Wind Energy Potential at Your School

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The 20th instructional activity in a 21-part series connects the wind data and expectations of a turbine to whether such devices should be built in your area. Scholars begin with estimating the wind potential at school by using long-term...
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

I’ve Got the POWER! Solar Energy Potential at Your School

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Should every school have solar panels? The 19th lesson in a series of 21 has scholars research the feasibility of using solar panels at their school. They begin by gathering data on the solar energy in the area before estimating the...
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Conceptualizing Module III

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Many researchers focus on one impact of climate change in isolation, but researchers gain a global perspective when they come together. A timely lesson teaches scholars about the projected impacts of global temperature increases. Then...