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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Greenhouse Effect

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders investigate the temperature change in open and closed containers. For this earth science lesson, 7th graders relate this lab activity to greenhouse effect. They create a line graph from data collected in the experiment.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Walking for Water Mini-Unit

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students participate in an activity that requires them to consider the availability of water. In this "walking for water" instructional activity, students read "Women Bear the Weight of Water," and respond to discuss questions regarding...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Getting to Know Soil

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students make predictions and analyze soil. In this soil properties lesson, students make predictions about soil properties for various soil samples. Students examine the types of soils and record their observations. Students analyze...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What are Rocks and Minerals? How can they help us?

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders investigate the difference between rocks and minerals. They name the three kinds of rocks (sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic) and know the differences between them.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Astronomy

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Learners complete a series of activities to better understand space studies. In this space science lesson, the teacher is provided with a number of activities for students to complete such as finding words that begin with the prefix...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fallout!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers plot the locations of fallout from two disasters that polluted much of the world's air. They plot the ash fallout from the 1980 Mt. St. Helen's eruption to see what the wind patterns in the United States look like overall....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Deer Tracks

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars use satellite images to track to movement patterns of deer and examine deer behavior. They write stories about a day in the life of a field scientist.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

What is Biology?

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
In this science of biology worksheet, learners will review the concepts relating to biology including the characteristics of living things, the process of reproduction, adaptations, and evolution. This worksheet has 5 short answer, 3...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geographic Effects on Precipitation, Water Vapor and Temperature

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the factors affecting climate using Live Access Server. In this geography lesson, students graph atmospheric data using Excel spreadsheet. They compare and contrast temperature, precipitation and water vapor of two...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Air Pollution Over Where?

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students predict the movement of an air borne pollutant using their understanding of air currents. They determine which governments and/or communities should be contacted to be forewarned. They also explore the properties of their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Inside Current

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore ocean currents and wind patterns. They discover the concept of systems to show how change in one component of a body of water, causes change in other components in that system. Students describe positive and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water, Water Everywhere

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Studetns view a terrarium with water droplets on the wals. They discuss the ways the water could have got onto the wall of the terrarium. Students design an experiment to duplicate the process. They describe the patterns form their data...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dinosaur I Finding And Dating

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students investigate how long dinosaurs lived on Earth and how that compare to how long man has been on Earth. They discover how scientists excavate fossils.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Can You Catch the Water?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students work together to construct a model of a water catchment basin. They survey water patterns and complete experiments to see where rain travels and collects. They discover how engineers design structures that help with drainage.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

National expansion of the United States (1815 to 1850), and its connection to local Illinois history.

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Learners discuss the importance of establishing the I & M Canal water route. They watch a video about the canal's history. They collect and write a personal migration story by interviewing a family member. They analyze trends and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sensational Seasonal Students

For Teachers 1st
First graders analyze the seasons and cycles of the Earth. In groups, they create a seasons book on the computer using their own photographs and graphics. Using the photographs, they note the differences in clothing and activities. They...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Miners

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students complete various activities related to mining and mining safety. They write an energy sentence, complete a word puzzle, cut and glue safety equipment on a mining character, solve a math code word puzzle, and complete a maze...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The "Nuts and Bolts" of Taxonomy and Classification

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students develop classification scheme that meets the established rules of the Linnaean system. They write one page essay on classification choices.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rock Cycles, Crayon Cycles

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine the rock cycle and the path that rocks go through to rearranged in different ways. They define key vocabulary terms, then in small groups conduct a variety of experiments using crayon shavings as simulated rocks and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water and Ice

For Teachers K - 2nd
Young scholars examine how water changes state, from a liquid to a solid.  In this water lesson plan students study the water cycle and how temperature and pressure effect it. 
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Lesson Plan
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University of Colorado

Using Spectral Data to Explore Saturn and Titan

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Saturn's rings are made of dust, ice, and solid chunks of material. Individuals use spectrographs in this final installment of 22 lessons to determine the atmospheric elements. They analyze spectrums from Titan's atmosphere and Saturn's...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

A Laboratory Simulation of Ocean Surface Currents

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Stimulate interest in ocean currents with a simulation. The first installment of a five-part middle school series teaches future oceanographers about the forces that interact to cause ocean currents. A simulation shows how wind and the...
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Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Historical Climate Cycles

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Ice core samples give scientists access to climates of old—those from more than 800,000 years ago. Through an analysis of various temperature graphs from ice cores, tree rings, and weather stations, scholars compare historical climates...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Location, Location, Location: Civilization's Ultimate Advantage

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discover how geographical advantages, locational and regional, ultimately led to western Eurasian societies' disproportionate accounting of world power and innovation. They utilize a workbook which can be downloaded within this...