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Dynamics of Ecosystems
A set of guided notes walks your biology or environmental studies learners through the dynamics of ecosystems. They write short answers to questions about the energy budget, food webs, trophic levels, and biogeochemical cycles. One way...
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Investigating the Climate System: Energy, A Balancing Act
Earth science explorers design an experiment to demonstrate that the albedo of a surface affects its temperature. They test to find out if moisture on the surface affects temperature. They discover whether or not concrete or asphalt heat...
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An Electron's Address
Where does an electron reside? Chemistry scholars determine an electron's "address," that is, what orbital it can be found in. This resource is both instructional and practical, providing a thorough explanation of energy levels and...
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Heat Transfer
Answer short answers and fill-in-the-blank questions after reading a briefing of how heat energy is transferred between objects. This straightforward instructional activity can be useful as homework the evening before you do...
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Crash Course in Flight
High school physicists demonstrate Bernoulli's Principle by blowing on different items and finding that they do not move in the expected direction! They apply Bernoulli's equation to the flight of an airplane. This well-organized lesson...
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Energy Conservation
Students investigate energy conservation. In this energy conservation and analyzing data instructional activity, students identify and explain several energy sources and research renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. Students use...
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Get Charged!
Students explore the concept of electricity in this activity based unit. For this physical science lesson, students focus on electricity and electrical engineering. The teaching unit includes 5 activities to develop students conceptual...
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Energy Transformation Worksheet
Upper elementary or middle school scientists determine what types of energy are involved in six different pictures. Then they produce examples of three different energy transformations. This instructional activity has colorful graphics...
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Relative Positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun Over Time
Teacher pages for four different activities and three assessments are provided in this resource. Topics deal with how the sun's position and Earth's atmosphere affect the amount of solar energy reaching Earth's surface. The concepts and...
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Coal Camps and Mining Towns
Young scholars should gain a better understanding of the processes involved in extracting coal from the Earth as a result of this lesson. They reearch the history of coal mining, look into coal mining towns, and create a short story...
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Chemistry Module 5 - Specifications
While this resource does not provide problems for chemistry learners to solve, it outlines skills that they should have and concepts that they should grasp. Topics include thermodynamics, periodicity, redox equilibria, transition metals,...
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Gyroscopes in Motion
Physics stars will enjoy learning about the conservation of energy as you demonstrate gyroscope precession. The lecture is broken into five subtopics: cross product, rotating vectors, angular momentum, rotating rigid bodies, and torque...
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Coal Supply and Demand
A hands-on simulation perfect for an economics lesson, young learners investigate the availability of different sources of natural energy (coal, natural gas, oil, solar, and nuclear) and how this availability affects their cost. Simulate...
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Melting the Ice: Energy Transfer
Learners study thermal energy and energy transfer to sea ice processes. In this energy transfer instructional activity, students make their own ice cream and discuss energy transfer and thermal energy. Learners view a radiation overhead...
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Cartoons for the Classroom: Safety vs. Energy
Political cartoons are a poignant way to examine energy sources. This analysis handout has scholars examining a cartoon by Joe Heller (a link to his gallery is included for possible extensions). Background information reminds pupils of...
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Cartoons for the Classroom: Oh, What's the Next Crisis?
As scholars examine a simple political cartoon, they consider some of the crises of 2009: oil, foreign wars, energy, global warming, Swine Flu, etc. A list is provided for background information, and 3 talking points (or writing points)...
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History of Coal in the United States
High schoolers examine a timeline of coal mining in the US and research how the policies of coal dependent companies have changes over the last 50 years.
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Energy Type
In this simple handout, junior scientists read a phrase and identify the type of energy in use. This would serve as a succinct quiz on the forms of energy for your upper elementary learners.
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Atomic Emission Spectra and the Bohr Model of the Atom
High schoolers investigate the wavelengths of spectra lines for common atoms. For this atomic emission spectra lesson plan, students use a transformer and diffraction grating to observe the emission spectra of various atoms. They find...
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Flame Tests
Learners perform flame tests on 12 elements. In this flame tests lesson plan, students experiment with elements to observe their visible light spectra emitted as electrons jump from one energy level to another. Learners record their...
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Just Turn it Off
Students explore energy. In this energy lesson, students discover why it is important to conserve energy. Students discover how energy is used in items we use everyday. Students discover how batteries work. Students do an experiment with...
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Capacitors: What Are They?
Students discover how capacitors help store data. In this computer science activity, students investigate how capacitors can store an electronic charge, eventually helping computers store data. Students create their own capacitors with...
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TO CONSERVE OR NOT TO CONSERVE
Students explore how energy is wasted at home and at work and develop a program to save energy in a specific area.
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Energy Efficiency Ambassadors
Students research energy conservation devices. They also create their own light efficiency project and presents their findings on science fair night.