Curated OER
Biogeochemical Cycles
Students demonstrate comprehension of the energy sources of various cycles by completing mini stories. They demonstrate analysis of words by defining individual word parts and combining them to form definitions. Students demonstrate...
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How Much Water?
Students investigate amount of water available in different countries around the world, compare it to their daily water use, and explore how unequal distribution of water can cause challenges to survival. Students then discuss need to...
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Tetonic Plates and Faults
Students understand the basic properties of plate motion. They demonstrate what happens to a plate while faulting while using manipulatives. They demonstrate the Nature of Scientific Inquiry to solve scientific issues.
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Getting to the Core of Climate Change
Students investigate climate changes by graphing and analyzing ice core data from Greenland and Antarctica. They create, explain and report the pattern of data on a graph of ice core data. In addition they find relationships between the...
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Rain On
Fourth graders study the water cycle and clouds. In this water cycle and cloud lesson, 4th graders determine the definition of condensation and watch a demonstration in which the teacher makes a cloud in a bottle. They discuss the water...
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Timeline of Extreme Weather Events
Learners research and chart extreme weather events on a timeline. In this extreme weather lesson, students interview older people who have experienced extreme weather events. Learners complete a worksheet based on the information of the...
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The Great Heat Escape
Students observe a demonstration on the role of thermal conductivity in heat transfer. For this thermal conductivity lesson, students design and conduct an experiment to compare the thermal conductivity of four substances. Lesson...
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Simulating the Greenhouse Effect in a Terrarium
Young scholars identify what factors effect global warming and how the greenhouse effect occurs. In this environmental lesson students view videos then complete an experiment using a terrarium to observe greenhouse gas.
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Erosion: Slip Sliding Away
Fourth graders investigate the causes of erosion. Through several demonstrations including one using sugar cubes and warm water, they observe the effects of erosion. In groups, 4th graders conduct similar experiments and record their...
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Hydrothermal Vent Challenge
Young scholars discover common features of hydrothermal vent fluids. They use this knowledge to locate possible undiscovered hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor.
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Water Cycle Terrariums
Students explore the water cycle. They build a model of the water cycle in the form of a terrarium and explain how it demonstrates the water cycle. In addition, they draw a representation of the water cycle demonstrated in the terrarium.
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Water Layering and Circulation
Students examine relationships and interactions between different types of water. They experiment with colored water of different temperature and salinity and discuss how the results relate to real ocean currents.
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Forces of Nature: The Challenges of River Travel
Students examine how river travel affected the Lewis and Clark expedition. They define gravity, slope, and velocity, conduct a river formations experiment, complete an activity sheet, and watch a video about Lewis and Clark.
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Water Cycle Bag
Young scholars enclose water in an airtight bag and leave it in a warm area to view the water cycle. In this water cycle lesson plan, students observe evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. They then discuss what they learned...
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Exploring Energy with GIS
Students examine GIS technology as it is used to locate energy sources. In this GIS lesson, student access an assigned website to locate a series of lessons using the GIS software. They use the maps that are located on the primary lesson...
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Exploring the Water Cycle
Students investigate the water cycle. In this water cycle lesson, students create an ecosystem within a 2-liter bottle. Students record scientific observations as they observe the water cycle within their ecosystem.
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Growth of a River
Students evaluate geography by drawing an image in class. In this river lesson, students identify a list of vocabulary terms associated with bodies of water. Students identify how a river is formed and draw a picture of one including the...
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The Amazing Apple
Learners analyze an apple. In this instructional activity about developing inquiry skills, students do an experiment with an apple. Learners make several observations about the apple. Students answer questions to help them improve and...
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This Old Tubeworm
Students plot data to construct and interpret a graph about vestimentiferans at cold-seep sites in the Gulf of Mexico. In this deep sea lesson plan, students plot data provided for the growth of tubeworms. They use the graphs to...
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Rock Cycle
For this rock cycle worksheet, students simulate the changes that occur during the rock cycle using a sugar cube. They use the sugar cube to represent a rock and perform changes on the sugar cube that represent the stages of the rock cycle.
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Erosion Deposition Review
In this erosion deposition instructional activity, students fill in 36 blanks to complete sentences about the formation of soil, the forces of erosion, physical and chemical weathering, sediments and soil deposition.
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Worms: Nature's Recyclers
Students explore vermi-composting. In this vermi-composting lesson, students listen to the story Diary of a Worm and discuss the parts of a worm. They create worm bins and add organic food for the worms to recycle.
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Hurricanes and Tornadoes (Grade 4-8)
Students investigate the concepts of hurricanes and violent weather conditions. In this violent weather lesson, students access an Internet site and watch a video about how air masses behave, how a tornado forms, how hurricanes form, and...
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Fred the Fish -- A River Ran Wild
Students apply cause and effect relationships to water pollution in a stream. In this pollution lesson students recognize the importance of clean water in their daily lives. Students accompany "Fred the Fish" as he travels down stream....