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Protecting Habitats and Species
Students recognize that scientists continuously gather and interpret data to understand and predict relationships among natural phenomena. They research various volcanoes and plot the volcano locations on a world map.
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Classroom Questioning
Students use this lesson to focus on classroom questioning and Bloom's taxonomy. Using the internet, they use the Bloom's taxonomy website to examine their framework on questions. They use this information to develop their experiments.
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Endangered Species Act
Students spend the duration of this instructional activity examining the text of the Endangered Species Act. Individually, they complete a profile to determine where they stand on the bill and read excerpts from it. Some role-play the...
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Prehistory Web Quest
Sixth graders identify how geography and climate determine the lives of early hominids, the characteristics of hunter-gatherer societies, how animals affected the lives of early hominids, and how hominids overcame their physical...
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Fruits and Veggies - Yum!
Students use Inspiration to drag pictures of fruits and vegetables into the correct category. They discuss the name of other fruits and vegetables. They explain why or why not they like that particular fruit or vegetable. Students...
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Minerals and Rocks
Students identify and interpret various minerals and discover how to identify and classify them. They identify and discuss how people describe objects and how scientists describe objects. From there, students look at a set of common...
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What is in a Name?
Students examine taxonomy and the use of dichotomous keys through two activities. They use a dichotomous key and create one of their own as well as create new scientific Family names for penguins using same word roots used by taxonomists.
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Animal Classifications
Third graders work in small groups to investigate how to sort a variety of items into groups and subgroups. They work on a class chart based on the activity which show how the items are classified based on commonalities. Upon completion...
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Classified Information - Part 1: Shapes
Third graders investigate how and why scientists use classification. They discuss classification strategies using animals, and as a class fill in a flowchart with their responses. Next, in small groups they cut out a variety of shapes...
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Impact of Exotic Species on Lake Ecology
Students examine the effect of foreign species on various habitats. In groups, they identify the population dynamics of the zebra mussel. They calculate averages and graph data from Seneca Lake in New York. They develop hypothesis...
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Dendrology
Students work as a class-size unit as well as in small groups to become proficient in observing tree characteristics to facilitate species identification. They identify most common tree species by observing leaf, flower, fruit and bark...
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Native Versus Exotic
Students investigate the presence of exotic and natural species in the ecosystem. They define the differences between exotic and native while looking at one specific ecosystem in Maryland. They write how the exotic species are considered...
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Species Diversity and Phylogeny
Students explore the classification system of organisms: taxonomy. They examine prepared slides of Protozoans and record information on a Taxonomy Recording Sheet. Two additional classifying activities are also included in this lesson.
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Ten Important Hardwoods
Students discuss ten important Pennsylvania hardwood trees, examine characteristics of each tree species, evaluate economic and ecological importance of hardwood trees, and recognize at least two characteristics of each species.
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What Kind Of Mammal Is It?
Learners describe the characteristics of a mammal. They also differentiate between a companion and a wild animal. The lesson plan has an assessment included in it. They have a discussion to tap prior knowledge about what a mammal is.
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Look Up - Birds
Students investigate the concept of birds. They identify five different types of birds and name the characteristics that make them different than other living things. Students also name the different parts of the bird and how they are...
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Species Interactions
Students study the scientific concepts of biodiversity and conservation through the use of basic equations of population growth and hands-on experiments/simulations. The lesson includes a take-home assignment which can be used for final...
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Farm Products Help Me Grow
Students view a display of empty food containers (or illustrations). They select a food and decide as a class if it has an animal or plant origin. Students view a display of common farm animals that are commonly eaten (cow, pig, chicken,...
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Classifying Living Things
Learners identify how to classify living things. They classify various concepts including family members, kinds of clothing, numbers, shapes, and vocabulary words. They discuss how to classify various concepts and classify pictures of...
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Coqui Frog Camouflage
Students investigate the concept of the coqui frog of Puerto Rico. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Students explain in oral or written form some of the characteristics to that identify the frog. The lesson includes...
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Five Kingdoms of Living Things
Fifth graders are introduced to the classification system used in Science. In groups, they explain the characteristics of each of the five kingdoms. After watching a video, they review the life processes of each kingdom and complete a...
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Charting Diversity
Students organize different species of plans and animals according to various characteristics. Students then determine what characteristics enable them to survive in their habitat. Game ideas and activities are included.
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A Golden Age: Three West African Empires
Seventh graders research the kingdoms and rulers of Ghana, Mali and Songhay. In groups, they explore the trade routes and the spread of Islam. Using the internet, textbook and other sources, 7th graders collect information and write a...
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Animal Inventions
Students name the characteristics of animal groups. Students classify the major animal groups such as: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects. They identify the elements of specific habitats that each animal needs in...