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Parachutes: Is it Surface Area or Shape?
Students investigate how to make a good parachute. In this physics instructional activity, students observe the motion of parachutes as it falls and measure the time. They collect data and calculate the average descent time for each...
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Show Me The Dinos
Students explore a site of numerous fossil excavations. Using an interactive quarry map, they locate dinosaur specimens and individual bones. In groups, students use "Show Me" cards to answer questions, compile information, and create...
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Mission Era
Students examine the Mission Era. In this US History online lesson plan, students investigate daily life during the Mission Era as they participate in hands-on activities.
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A Cultural Palette
Students examine pieces of music and art that represent who they are. They study Haitian culture and traditions by performing the musical production "Once on the Island." They watch and discuss the film "The Nature of Music."
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A Place in Time
Learners become familiar with an eruptive history and related world events and impart a sense of the immensity of geological time. They explore timelines by creating their own, then are introduced to major eruptive periods of Mount St....
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Trees for Tomorrow
Students examine how to plan for prudent use of trees so that we never run out of this natural resource. They determine what the oldest wooden object in their home is and draw picture of it. They observe a cross section of a tree and...
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13 Ways to Tell Time Backwards
Students explore different ways geological time can be measured: comparing the time dimensions for each method, the mechanisms of each method, and the materials used.
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Aerology- The Study of Mars
Learners investigate various aspects of the planet Mars. They examine a core sample that is simulated to make observations. Then compare the known sample with one that is unknown and differentiate between the two. Students hypothesize...
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Teaching the Hindu-Buddhist Tradition in East Asian Culture Through Asian Literature and Film
Students explore various intellectual traditions which dominate human history through a variety of contemporary pieces of literature which exemplify the traditions. Biblical monotheism, Greek rationalism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism...
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Get the Picture!
Astronomers practice downloading data from a high-energy satellite and translate the data into colored or shaded pixels. As a hands-on activity, they use pennies to simulate high-energy satellite data and they convert their penny...
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Grid Frame Mapping
Students map and describe small area of the schoolyard and discuss habitats.
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Building Up, Breaking Down
Students explore their school building and examine the rocks it is made of. They discover how rocks become building materials and participate in a variety of activities surrounding this subject.
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"Approaching Walden: From Emerson to Thoreau"
Learners examine selected local leaves in greater detail in the classroom by using more analytical drawing techniques. They use Thoreau's drawing of a Scarlett Oak as their model. Students choose a leave from a box of leaves removed...
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Testing the Hypothesis
Students create and conduct various experiments to determine the origin of a family artifact, and then determine whether their results were successful. Students summarize their results and evaluate whether their hypotheses were correct.
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"For The Birds" [part II]
Young scholars examine how Chinese and Japanese artists used different kinds of birds
as representations of ideas that were important in both cultures and create their own birds using the technique of origami.
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Green is Beautiful
Students explore the need to care for the environment and the ways in which their actions can impact their surroundings. They play a board game to illustrate the need to protect the environment.
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Plants for Pleasure and Profit
Young scholars study about some of the specimens collected or diagrammed by Lewis and Clark, discuss their usefulness, and rank their importance. They write a persuasive essay detailing the plants they thought the most important.
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Ecosytems: Water Purification
Middle schoolers explore how ecosystems purify water and what kinds of things humans do that alter these processes. They use a website to access information on local watersheds and develop a "river" newspaper
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Adapted to Fire
Fourth graders explore forest species' adaptations to fire by participating in a scavenger hunt and mapping a burned forest. Students create maps and explore how indigenous species adapted to living with fire.
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Ship of Gold
Students research the events that were taking place in the U.S. during the time period when the SS Central America sank, and explore the adventurous, innovative, and individualistic traits that often define the American spirit.
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Got Biodiversity?
Young scholars examine the concept of biodiversity. Using the internet, they complete small activities in which they work together. Using the information they collected, they create a class book, make murals and write in their journals.
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Birds of Wisconsin
First graders explore the job done by ornithologists. They role play identifying the characteristics that make a bird a bird. They discuss what makes each bird species unique. Students are introduced to Wisconsin's most common and rare...
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People & Trees
Students see that people have developed new technologies and new products that increase efficiencies and maximize the productive use of each tree harvested. This lesson provides many good ideas across the curriculum to study forestry.
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People Who Work in the Woods
Students study the types of jobs that people can do in the forest. They examine those who study the forest, harvest the trees, and plant trees to renew the forest.