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Manduca
Students investigate the basic survival needs of both hornworms and humans. They compare and contrast the them by making a class list.
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Artifacts 1: What Can We Learn From Artifacts?
Sixth graders are introduced to artifacts and explore an online archaeological site to connect clues about how people once lived. In this deductive reasoning lesson, 6th graders participate in the stratigraphy game on Kids Dig Reed.com...
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Kernels of Wisdom: Investigating Natural Variations in Corn
Here is a brain-popper! Corn, or more appropriately, maize, was intentionally domesticated by humans around 9,000 years ago and over a period of hundreds to thousands of years! Genetics and botany researchers have collaborated to find...
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The Wonderful World of Slugs
Examine a slug? Of course, what else would a 2nd grader do with it? Pupils use clues and go on a slug hunt, read a slug story, or make a cooperative group mural of a slug's habitat. While older learners catalog slugs, go on a slug hunt,...
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Illinois Biodiversity
Students examine the amount of biodiversity in the state of Illinois. They practice using new vocabulary and listening to stories about animals. After given time to reflect, they write their own haiku. They work together to create a...
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The Root Show
Students investigate plant roots. In this plant instructional activity, students discover the function and structure of plant roots. Students plant a plant in a milk carton with a clear section cut out in order to observe the roots of...
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Survival Zone: The Intertidal Zone
Students determine water level tidal predictions for a given place for the next month, current status of the area and the local weather. Links are provided for the information. Students answer questions based on the information found,...
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Garbage in the Garden
Students create their own compost. In this soil lesson, students fill a bag with waste and soil, in order to create a mini compost bin. Students observe the baggies over a 6 week period, they record their findings and collect data on...
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Bacteria
Students study the advantages and disadvantages of bacteria. In this bacteria lesson students draw and label the different types of bacteria.
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Inviting Butterflies to the Schoolyard
Students create a butterfly garden. In this butterfly garden lesson, students plot a garden with plant species that will attract butterflies. Students learn about the specific plants and items that will help butterflies use the garden.
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Understanding Waves
Learners examine the physical properties of waves to explore the word crest and trough. They use toys to study waves in air, water and light.
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Bird Seed Mining
Learners search through the seed mixture and separate out our "mine" beads, sunflower seeds, and other grain products, making piles of each. students count up the number of gold, silver, and blue beads, and sunflower seeds from their piles
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Let the River Run
Students explore the environment by reading a story in class. In this water formation lesson, students define environmental terms such as rivers, streams, gulf, oceans and lakes. Students read the story A River Ran Wild and discuss the...
TerraCycle
What Can Nature Teach Us about Sustainable Design?
Talk about Velcro®, Gecko Tape, WhalePower turbine blades, and other innovations that mimic nature to inspire your STEM or engineering class. This set of worksheets gets them thinking about imitating nature in terms of sustainable...
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Minnesota-China Connections: Chinese Flavors
Students discuss the foods which are typical of a Chinese diet. They find recipes and observe and sample various Chinese foods. They record their opinions about what they taste and experience in a journal entry.
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Snacks 'R Us
First graders experiment with fat content by analyzing snack foods. They learn what makes up a nutritious snack.
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Plants
Students review the needs of animals, hypothesize the needs of plants, and set up experiments to test hypotheses.
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Nutrition in Space
Students discover the importance of a healthy diet during space travel and examine the physiological changes astronauts experience while in space. In groups, they develop questions to determine an astronaut's food intake and identify...
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Chemical Changes
Students explore chemical changes. in this activity about the properties of chemical changes, students do experiments, observe, and record results. Students complete four experiments in order to observe chemical changes. In each...
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How Do You Know There is Air in a Bag?
Fourth graders explore air as a material substance. Through experimentation and discussion, they explore how air can be classified as a material substance. Students write three examples proving that air is a material substance in their...
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Germinating Seeds on Gelatin
Students germinate seeds in unflavored gelatin to which liquid house plant food has been added. Students observe and record plant growth in this medium with a variety of variables in a number of experiments.
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Whale Echolocation
Students demonstrate how a whale uses echolocation to track food and identify one other animal that also uses echolocation. In this echolocation lesson plan, students play a game where one child (the whale) is blindfolded and gives a...
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Learning By Bees
Students investigate learning by bees as related to vision and foraging behavior. The experiment is done outdoors where bees are foraging for food. They make their observations and record their data which is shared with the class.
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Antibody and Antibody Specificity The Egg Mishap
Students investigate a set of foods to find the presence of eggs after designing an experiment that will complete the test. They complete a test and discuss antibody-antigen specificity.