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Rain Forest Rally
Learners discover facts about rain forests, list the common products that come from rain forests, recognize how important rain forests are to our daily lives, and list and describe the layers of rain forests.
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Recycled Water?
Students participate in a hands-on activity to investigate how water is recycled in a small environment, and determine how water is cycled on earth.
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"Space" Investigations
Sixth graders understand the patterns of change observable on Earth as a result of the movement of the different bodies in the solar system. They identify the physical characteristics of the different components of the solar system.
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Active Faulting in Idaho
High schoolers use CAD maps to explore active faults in Idaho. Through observation of maps, they explore the layers of the Quaternary and Holocene faults. Individually, or in groups, they identify characteristics of faults such as...
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What Lies Beneath the Upper Crust?
Students discover if information in an article is accurate and current. In this science instructional activity, students read the story carefully and decide on what the subject of the article is. Students search the Internet to see...
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Understanding Salinity
Middle schoolers discuss why the ocean is salty. They discuss what salinity is. Students are told that is they want to know how much salt is in a body or water, they would use a special scientific tool. They complete an Estuarine Layers...
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Study of Fossils
Fifth graders dig for fossils. In this fossil lesson plan, 5th graders read about the oldest found fossils and discuss the process of fossilization. They dig for their own fossils in a fossil box made of several dirt layers.
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Building a Better Sentence
Sentence construction is both a science and an art. This bare bones lesson ties an analysis of earth's geology to sentence formation. Although referenced as a major part of the activity, there are no links to the technology or resources...
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How High Does the Atmosphere Go?
Students explain how relatively thin the atmosphere is, compared to the size of the planet, and determine the relative extent of the four major atmospheric layers.
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"Potato Mountain": Reading/Understanding Topographic Maps
Students investigate how to read topographic maps. In this map reading instructional activity students complete a topographic map activity.
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Water Cycle and Ecosystems
Students explore the water cycle. In this investigative lesson, students examine the water cycle process. They will record their observations and discuss marine and freshwater ecosystems.
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The Physical Environment
Fourth graders use damp sand, a baking pan, and water to simulate erosion. In this erosion lesson plan, 4th graders participate in a simulation to show what moving water does to land.
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Effects Of Weathering
Third graders simulate weathering and erosion using sand and soil. They define weathering and the ways in which surfaces become weathered. Working as a class, 3rd graders complete various activities that demonstrate physical and...
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Volcano! Is That a Volcano on Your Plate?
Learners investigate where volcanos come from. In this volcano lesson, students watch videos do Internet research and participate in experiments to discover the cause of volcanos.
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Air and Water in the Environment
Students demonstrate an awareness of air as a substance that surrounds us and takes up space, and whose movement we feel as wind. They predict and describe how local weather conditions affect living things, including themselves.
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Daily and Seasonal Cycles
First graders identify the sun as a source of heat and light. They identify features of houses that help keep use sheltered and comfortable throughout daily and seasonal cycles. Students are told that summer is the best season to...
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The Volcano Factory
Students examine the process of tectonic plates and why the Mariana Arc is active with volcanoes. They create a model of the Mariana Arc out of clay.
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Dig Into Ireland
Students explore environments and wildlife of Ireland to find out how they were formed, and how they helped form Irish culture. Students research online to determine connections between present elements in Irish culture and wildlife and...
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Changes Inside Planets
Students relate meteorites to the mantle and crust of asteroids. In this planetary lesson students complete experiments to model the separation of light.
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Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Fourth graders participate in an activity which introduces them to common types of precipitation. They examine "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" through a teacher read aloud and make a weather pamphlet.
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Getting to the Core of Climate Change
Learners 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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Areology-The Study of Mars
Students examine core samples from Mars and discover what they can use it to tell the history of Mars. In this core sample lesson students create and analyze their own core samples then eat them at the end.
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Fossil Inferences
Fourth graders use their knowledge about fossils to arrange fossil pictures in sequence from oldest to youngest. They explain how fossils can be used to make inferences about past life, climate, geology, and environments and discover...
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How Are Rocks Formed?
Students identify types of rocks. In this geology lesson, students view animated graphics to identify how sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks are formed. Students take a rock quiz to show how different rocks are formed.