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Characteristics of Living Things
Students discuss the criteria for living things with their groups. They come to a consensus on at least five or more characteristics of a living thing. They determine if the lab samples are living, non-living, or other.
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Remote Sensing
Ninth graders participate in a variety of activities designed to reinforce the concept of light and the electromagnetic spectrum. They research and analyze data from remotely sensed images. They present their findings in a PowerPoint...
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Layering the Air
Students study the layer of the atmosphere. In this lesson on the atmosphere, students discuss the composition of the air around us and how the atmosphere was formed. Students create a scale model of the layers of the atmosphere.
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Desert Adaptations: Water
Learners experiment with methods of water conservation. For this water conservation lesson, students explore the importance of water for plants and animals in a desert biome.
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Decision Making
Students study weather patterns and learn to make decisions based on the weather. In this weather lesson, students plan a potluck based on the weather. Students use a decision tree to brainstorm about the activity. Students complete a...
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What is the Function of Each Seed Part in the Growth of a Plant
Sixth graders investigate the parts of a seed by using a digital camera. In this botany lesson, 6th graders plant their own seeds in class and demonstrate the necessary attributes for growing a plant. Students utilize a camera to...
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A Coastal Arctic Food Web
Students create a food web of the arctic ecosystem. In this biology lesson, students explain how global warming affects this ecosystem. They explain how losing a species affects the entire community.
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Walking on Frozen Ground
Young scholars listen to an Elder speak about permafrost structures in their area. In this permafrost lesson plan, students listen to the guest speaker, take a tour outside to view permafrost structures, and draw them.
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Strength of Water
Students perform experiments using flexible bottles of water and eyedroppers partially filled and placed in the bottle. They record what happens when they tighten the bottle lid and squeeze the bottle.
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Floating Pencil
Students discover how salt water makes a pencil float better than freshwater by measuring and comparing the lengths of the portion of the pencil that floats above the water surface. They then determine if an unknown water sample is...
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Unknown Liquids
Students must design and conduct an experiment to determine which unknown liquid has a greater density based on basic information about the liquids and containers. Students are given specific materials to work with.
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Sand in Bottles
Eighth graders calculate the speed of bottles as they roll down a ramp with varying amounts of sand inside. Using their data, 8th graders estimate speed of three labeled bottles with different amounts of sand and compare those results...
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Rising Waters
Fourth graders rank balls by size from smallest to largest and from lightest to heaviest and then by how much they made the water rise. They then discuss why certain balls make the water rise higher than do other balls.
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Exploring the Beach
Students explore the beach. In this marine habitat instructional activity, students inspect sand grains, design beach profiles, classify marine life, and examine natural beach habitats. Students use spreadsheets to record data from their...
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Open-Ended Scientific Method Lab
Learners inspect a given problem and come up with a hypothesis. In this investigative lesson students come up with a hypothesis for a problem, test each hypothesis and evaluate how successful each one was.
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Snowfall
Students examine the differences between snow and rain. In this precipitation lesson, students measure one inch of rain and snow to calculate the amount of liquid water. Students use a snowfall "conversion" chart to measure how much...
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Propellers, Forces and Energy
Students construct a model airplane, measure distance, and calculate velocity. In this creative instructional activity students work in groups to build a model and use it to calculate distances and velocity.
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Measurement: Stream Flow & Stadium Capacity
Eighth graders study the scientific fields and how information can be monitored and recorded. For this scientific inquiry lesson students view a PowerPoint presentation and complete a hands on activity.
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What To Do After The Hands-Are-On
Students perform various demonstrations for each of Newton's Laws, collect data, and write a conclusion for each.
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Density of a Sinker
Eighth graders determine the density of a sinker by first finding the mass and then the volume using a graduated cylinder. Students must write the procedure they use to find the volume of the sinker then apply their data to follow-up...
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Permafrost
Students use a thermometer to analyze soil temperature data to determine which soil sample is normal, and which one is permafrost. In this permafrost lesson plan, students participate in a hands on activity where they identify the active...
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Building Materials
Fifth graders are presented with three rocks and a variety of tools and are asked to investigate the properties of the rocks to see which rock is best for building tables and benches for a museum picnic area.
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Exploring the Properties of Matter in the Preschool
Students study the properties of the physical and natural world. In this properties of the physical and natural world lesson, preschool students work at discovery tables to see how simple machines work, what happens when items are put...
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Oral History
Students interview a Native Elder to learn about oral history and cold weather. In this weather lesson, students ask an Elder about the coldest day they remember in their community and complete two worksheets for the topic.