LABScI
Taxonomy: Who is in My family?
Find similarities in seemingly unlike organisms. The second instructional activity in a series of 12 builds the concept of a taxonomy and explores the use of a dichotomous key. Learners begin in part one by attempting to group a set of...
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Surviving the Conditions
Students explore Earth science by participating in an environmental care activity. In this natural resources lesson, students discuss ways to protect themselves from the environment if they are ever in need of shelter in the wilderness....
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Digital Leaf collections
Seventh graders collect and classify leaves. In this digital leaf collection lesson, 7th graders photograph approximately 20 leaves. Students use their leaves in a multimedia presentation and create hyperlinks to identify the leaves.
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The Four Groups of Biologically Important Compounds
This is not they typical set of teacher instructions. It is an organized chart of the important organic compounds. For each, the involved elements, the name of the building block monomers, the names of polymers, extra information, and a...
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Natural Selection And Evolution
Students investigate the concept of evolution and how natural selection is used as an indicator that evolution has happened. They recognize the three effects it has on diversity and how adaptations can develop. Diversity is explained as...
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Pollution and Lung Health
Students investigate how pollution affects lung health. In this pollution and lung health lesson, students build lung models from a soda bottle and balloons, and then discuss how the emissions from fossil fuels can adversely affect lung...
Rainforest Alliance
Trees and Carbon
You'll find everything but the kitchen sink here ... or just a carbon sink. In the activity, pairs or groups of middle school learners go outside and measure a tree's circumference and height to estimate its carbon storage potential and...
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Wintry Warmers
In this season worksheet, students read facts about winter and find 20 homophones. Students also correct the errors in the sentences.
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Lung Disease
Students simulate breathing for a smoker and someone with a chronic lung disease. In this health science activity, students examine the short and long term effects of smoking. They write a persuasive argument against it.
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Clipbirds
Students attempt to pick up various objects with a wide variety of beaks, including scissors, spoons, etc.
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Mapping The Ocean Floor
Young scholars explore and analyze the bottom structure of underwater habitats. They describe and explain what can't see through the collection and correlation of accurate data. Learners assess that technology is utilized as a tool for...
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"Where is My Food?"
Students investigate the monarch's searching behavior and ability to find food. They determine whether or not a caterpillar can find food in a simple Y-shaped maze. They record and graph or chart the data from several attempts using...
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Nature By Numbers
Students study the concept of numbers found in the natural world. They explore the wonder and necessity of the diversity of different plants and discover that plants have numbers hidden in them everywhere. They survey where they might...
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Can You Measure Up!
Seventh graders investigate standards of measurement and metric units using a game to show the importance of standards of measurements. In this measuring lesson plan, 7th graders are grouped together and each group represents a foreign...
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Beaver Ecology
Learners explore the lives of bgeahvers. They identify the physical and behavioral adaptations that help beavers survive in their environment. Students compare and contrast how beavers influence the ecology of both forest and aquatic...
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Tree Identification
Students are introduced to the characteristics of trees and different techniques to identify them. They distinguish between a deciduous and a coniferous tree. Students describe at least four characteristics used to identify trees. They...
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Where Do They Grow?
Students complete worksheets. In this fruits and vegetables instructional activity, students complete a worksheet on where fruits and vegetables grow where they draw connecting lines. Students color fruits and vegetables on a worksheet.
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Tree Hunt
Students identify the common trees of Iowa and make observations while creating a key. In this tree hunt lesson, students write a letter to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to receive a pamphlet of Common Trees of Iowa. Students...
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The Sounds Of Nature
Second graders investigate the concept of sounds in nature. The sound of a coqui frog is used as an example. They identify species of frogs by listening to the sounds they make. Also, 2nd graders experience and identify other sounds of...
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Side by Side: Butterfly Wings and Symmetry
Students observe butterfly images and then draw and paint their own design. They use this activity to explain symmetry.
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Guided Reading "In the Night Sky"
Students participate in a variety of reading exercises, such as choral reading and reading response journal, to reinforce concepts about space and nocturnal animals.
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Layers of the Rainforest
Third graders identify, compare, and contrast the rainforests' climates. After reading Jane Yolen's Welcome to the Green House, they create a rainforest bulletin board.
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Tracing the Origins of Man
Students discuss Hominid evolution through various websites and other resources. They examine online fossil skulls, discuss the use of tools by ancient man, and look for examples of sophisticated tools built by man.
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Nutrition in Space
Learners compare and contrast the process of dehydration with the processes of freezing and canning. They predict energy sources that may be accessible in the future in different environments such as the moon and planets, most notably Mars.