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Energy and the Environment: What Can We Do?
Students consider the impacts of global warming and brainstorm ways to help decrease their contribution to the problem. In this climate change lesson, students are exposed to facts concerning global warming and think of ways to...
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Molecular Origami
Learners construct an origami models of different molecules. In this chemistry lesson plan, students explain what expansive soils are made up of. They discuss what happens when this expansive soil expands or shrinks.
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My Time
Middle schoolers create a timeline of their lives. In this timeline instructional activity, students discuss relative and absolute time. They use events in their lives to create categories on a timeline. They link this instructional...
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Dating Popcorn
Students simulate the dating process with popcorn. In this geology lesson, students discuss how geologist find the age of rocks by gauging the amount of decay of radioactive elements. They have 6 bags of popcorn and each group microwaves...
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Plate Tectonic - Volcanoes (1)
Young scholars learn the different shapes of Volcanoes and discuss why volcanoes only have a few shapes.
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Reservoirs and Production
Students complete activities for a lesson about reservoirs and production. For this geology lesson, students complete a 7 page packet of activities to explore porosity, permeability, and rock properties.
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Investigation 2 - Classifying Rocks
Fourth graders identify basic properties of minerals and rocks. They access websites and utilize worksheets imbedded in this lesson to further their understanding of rock classification.
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Volcano!-Thar She Blows!
Students describe how volcanoes are formed. They name the types of boundaries where volcanoes occur. They utilize models to illustrate the occurence of volcanoes and earthquakes along plate boundaries. They compare and constrast the...
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Groundwater as Part of the Water Cycle
Ninth graders study the effects of soil and rocks on filtering groundwater. For this groundwater lesson students complete a lab activity that includes sources of contamination.
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Asteroids
Learners examine a potential asteroid impact site. They describe evidence and theories for extinction events.
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Soil Formation
Seventh graders investigate how soil is formed. They analyze types of soil samples, examine soil using a magnifying glass or microscope, complete a chart, conduct a soil and plant experiment, and construct a soil profile.
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Water-Holding Capacity
Young scholars design and conduct an experiment to compare the water-holding capacity of sand, soil, and moss. They measure the change in weight for each material after adding the same amount of water to each material.
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Sedimentary Rocks
Second graders receive an introduction to the rock cycle. They dicuss the geologic rock cycle. They create a simulation of a sedementary rock.
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Sculpt-a-Planet
Students study the moon and the planets. They create a painted, paper mache moon or planet sculpture.
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How Volcanoes Grow
Learners study volcanoes including rock fragments, ash, aerosols and gases. In this volcano lesson students divide into groups and build models of the three major types of volcanoes.
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Thinking About Newton's 1st Law
Students discuss the lives of both Aristotle and Newton in order to bring important differences between the two to the forefront. They evaluate two statements about motion and use the ideas from the discussion to determine which...
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Earthquakes
Students observe the melting of ice. In this phase change lesson, students observe ice as it melts. They discuss the process and create a Venn diagram comparing water and ice.
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Reading Weather Maps
Fourth graders the symbols that are used on weather maps. They develop five day forecasts based on information they gather from weather maps in the newspaper and on the Internet.
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Wonders of Weather
Students understand the destructive force of a tornado. They learn the role of a thunderstorm in the creation of a tornado.
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Metals, Nonmetals, Metalloids
Young scholars recognize that metals, nonmetals, and metalloids have common attributes. They Identify physical and chemical properties. Students define ores and identify where ores can be found.
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Why is the Sky Blue?
Learners explore diffusion or scattering of light. In this physics lesson plan, students explain why the sky is blue and sunsets/sunrises are red.
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Comets
Students explore the nature and composition of a comet. They research comet facts, legends, and myths. They identify different types of comets and describe what happens to a comet as it travels closer to the Sun.
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Weather Predictions
Students record weather data and create a five day forecast. Students investigate the roles of meteorologists and identify symbols used on a weather map. After gathering weather data for a week, students will create a five day forecast...
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The Water Cycle
Students describe the water cycle. Students identify the processess in the water cycle. They draw an illustration of the water cycel with arrows showing the path water takes through the cycle. Students label condesation, precipitation,...