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Deposition
Students follow carefully designed instructions to bond silver to glass thus creating a mirror. The process used, Brashear's Process, uses sugar rather than formaldehyde to reduce the compounds, but many of the chemicals are dangerous,...
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Environmental Hazards
Students identify environmental hazards on a simulated field trip. They analyze the exposure and suggest methods to eliminate or reduce exposure to toxic sources.
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The "Write Sport"
Fifth graders discuss the history of sports in Iowa. In this sports lesson plan, 5th graders write a friendly sports letter and a how to directional writing. They write five entries in their journal from the point of view of a piece of...
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Imperialism in Africa
Students study imperialism in Africa. In this Imperialism lesson, students consider how democratic revolutions around the world led to imperialism in Africa.
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Transportation with Lewis and Clark
Pupils listen to a PowerPoint presentation and complete a Venn diagram comparing the methods of transportation in the early 1800s with today's transportation. They experiment with the buoyancy of keelboats.
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A Tale of a Whale: And Why It Can Be Told
Students examine the characteristics of particular whales. In this whale characteristics lesson, students discover the methods scientists use to track whales and attempt to match the unique pattern of callosities themselves. A role...
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More Than Meets the Eye
Students use the Archimedes method to demonstrate scientific principles behind observations.
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A Basin Filled With Time
Students use fossil leaves and a mathematical formula to study climate change. For this climate change and fossil lesson plan, students determine the differences in temperatures during two different times during the Cenozoic era using...
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Water Pressure Experiments
Students perform experiments measuring water pressure. They record their observations after poking holes in plastic bottles filled with water with the lids on and then off. They discover the role gravity plays in the water flow.
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Conceptualizing an Experiment
Students work together to design an experiment. They discover the origin of a family artifact. They analyze the data and discuss the results. They determine if the experiment is the best way to find out this type of information.
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Rocks and Their Properties: Day 5
Students demonstrate their knowledge of rock formation processes in varied ways by sharing their cooperative research projects with the class. They generate well-framed questions in response to each presentation.
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Getting Fired Up
Students explore first-person accounts of volcanic eruptions throughout time and use second-hand information about volcanoes. They use both types of accounts to write news articles covering the events of a historic volcanic eruption as...
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Charles Darwin
Young scholars research Charles Darwin and the process he used to develop his theory of evolution. They keep a journal about the skill of observation and make a newspaper of their learning.
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Prairie Restoration and Prairie Ecology
Students collect data as they identify and classify native prairie plants and insects. They create their own population study using a variety of sampling techniques to determine the population density of various species. Students...
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Destructive Impact of Environment on Artifacts
Students recognize that artifacts are destroyed over time. In this environmental factors on artifacts lesson, students experiment and observe through the microscope to find the environmental impact on artifacts. Students make a list of...
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Wappo Indians of Napa County
Third graders describe the American Indian nation in their local region long ago and in the recent past in terms of national identities, religious beliefs, customs, and various folklore traditions. They synthesize their findings into a...
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Green Space in the City
Students examine city parks and their importance and affect they have on the health and well being of a community. An oral report with visual aids is prepared as a group to educate the class on the importance of green space in the city.
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Water-Is There Going to be Enough?
High schoolers research the availability, usage and demand for water in the local area historically and use projections of the availability, usage and demand for water up to the year 2050. They gather data and present the information in...
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Sharks: Scavenging Stomachs
Young scholars examine the role played by sharks in the marine food chain. They conduct a scavenger hunt collecting items that have actually been removed from the stomachs of sharks, and create a display that includes the items and...
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Beautiful Butterfly Tiles
Third graders create a butterfly drawing that includes the elements of art and principles of design. They create artwork that can be made into ceramic tiles to be installed around the classroom doorways in our new addition.
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Harriman and Plant Identification
Young scholars observe and record botanical details from the plant specimens. They identify plants using sorting key and field guide and classify specimens for preservation and display purposes.
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Maple Syrup Production
Learners make their own maple sugar and learn about how it is made on a grander scale. In this maple sugar lesson plan, students make their own maple sugar and learn about evaporation and what labor is put into making it.
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How Do You Know A Panther Was Here?
Students research the signs that panthers leave. In this panther track activity, students conduct Internet research into the signs that panthers leave such as tracks, scat, scrapes, and scratches. They make a three-dimensional poster...
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A Day in the Life of a San Francisco Native Animal
Students write from an animal's perspective. In this writing lesson students explore the landscape of San Francisco prior to the arrival of the explorers. Students research animals indigenous to the area.