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Electrical Generators
Students study what an electric generator does and its history. In this energy lesson students complete several experiments including building their own electric generator.
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WebQuest Solar System Colonization Project 2000
Sixth graders complete a WebQuest to study the names and locations of the planets in the solar system. They investigate the causes of the seasons and the distance between the planets using astronomical units. They use technology to...
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Monkeying Around
Third graders study machines. They watch a video about and identify and chart machines they find at home and at school. They design and build simple and compound machines, create an advertisement for them and attempt to sell them at the...
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That Is a Lot of Rain
Students investigate the amount of rainfall in Manu, Peru. They view and discuss a video and fill a rain guage with the amount of rainfall in Manu. They research and compare local rainfall amounts to those of Manu, and write about what...
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Our Population and Its Impact on the Planet
Students explore environmental problems due to the growing worldwide human population and examine the growth rate. They also discuss possible ways to stabilize population growth and increase sustainable development.
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Tubularastic Roller Coaster
Students observe the effect of gravity on objects. They use tubing and other materials to simulate a roller caster. Afterward, they create a journal to write their observations and summaries.
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Plants and the Water Cycle
Students study the role of plants in recycling water by collecting water vapor that is emitted, or transpired, by green plant leaves. They collect and measure the water that transpires through the tiny pores of plant leaves. Afterwards,...
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A Phylogenetic Perspective for the Cladistically Challenged
High schoolers observe the structures of skulls as presented in drawings, and determine which are most closely related to the skull of the mosasaur.
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A Model Aquifer
Students build a model that depicts how water is stored in an aquifer. They examine ways in which groundwater can become contaminated.
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Flight
Learners are introduced to the four forces of flight--drag, lift, thrust, and weight--through a variety of fun-filled flight experiments. They "fly" for short periods and evaluate factors that might either increase or decrease their...
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How Plants Help Us Breathe
Third graders discuss how humans breathe and how plants help us to stay alive. In groups, they identify and label the different parts of plants and describe their functions. They compare and contrast the ways plants and animals breathe...
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Get- To Know Mammals
Students take a field trip and record information about mammals. In this mammals instructional activity, students hunt for tracks, waste, or other evidence that a mammal exists in this habitat. Students complete a worksheet on the...
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Demonstrating Moon Phases
Third graders participate in a demonstration of the moon's phases. In this moon phase lesson, 3rd graders watch as the teacher demonstrates moon phases with a bright light and a Styrofoam ball. They answer questions associated with the...
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Plankton / Phytoplankton
Learners discuss the importance of plankton in the ocean ecosystem. For this biology lesson, students identify the different types plankton by observing them under the microscope. They explain how plankton population affect global climate.
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Follow the Sun
Students use a simple model of the Earth and Sun as seen from space to explore the sun's apparent movement across the sky over the course of a day and year. They consider the apparent direction of movement and changes in the sun's angle.
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CONVECTION
Students experiment to produce a visual convection current in the classroom and compare it to the images taken of convection cells in the Sun. They analyze the source of the Sun's energy and this type of energy transport.
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Paleontology: A Field Experience
Students go to a dig where they prospect for bones which simulate fossils. They encase the bones in plaster and transport them back to school for further investigation.
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The Motion of Molecules in Water
Students observe the motion of water molecules using food coloring. For this molecule movement lesson plan, students observe motion in hot, cold and room temperature colored water and record observation data on record sheets. Then write...
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Rocket Angles
Eighth graders create rockets that be launched at varying angles to determine which angle is best to launch at for the longest distance.
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Earth's Journey Around the Sun
Sixth graders examine how the angle of the sun's rays is a factor in determining the seasons. They watch a teacher demonstration of the concepts and write a paragraph demonstrating their understanding.
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Student Meteorologists
Students complete a unit about weather and meteorology. They read the book "The Big Storm," use weather equipment, view local weather reports, and create a weather forecast that is videotaped and presented to a younger class.
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Ladybugs
Third graders keep and report records of investigations and observations of ladybugs utilizing tools like journals, charts, graphs and computers. They discover and study the life cycle of ladybugs and complete a KWL chart about ladybugs.
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Animals In Winter
Students read story Animals in Winter, and explore similarities and differences in how humans and other animals prepare for survival in winter. Students create class book that compares and illustrates different ways humans and animals...
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Watersheds and Wetlands
Learners discuss the idea of a watershed. They build models of watersheds using paper and observe what happens to their models when it "rains". In addition, they build a second watershed to compare watersheds with wetlands to those without.