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Extreme Climate
Students discuss global warming, greenhouse effect, permafrost and other key words. In this climate instructional activity students create a web that connects global warming, the Arctic and world climate then write a paragraph...
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Phytoplankton
In this phytoplankton learning exercise, students read and study online information on plankton blooms to answer 8 short answer questions about the topic.
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Illinois' Habitats Happening
High schoolers use the scientific inquiry method to examine the ecosystems and biomes in Illinois. Using the characteristics of a local habitat, they identify the best conditions for an ecosystem to survive and how a slight change can...
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Life Cycle of Butterflies
Students identify ways plants and animals make changes related to the seasons, specifically focusing on the life cycle of butterflies.
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Learning Lesson: The Shadow Knows I
Students examine the elevation of the sun to discover the changes in seasons. They observe and measure the length of their shadow. They compare this measurement to one taken four months later.
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How Warm is the Water?
Pupils research how surface sea temperature changes throughout the year. They draw a time series of sea surface temperatures for each month of the year and a depth profile for a summer and winter month using an OceanExplorer Profiler tool.
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Fall Slumbers
Students observe changes in a selected tree leaf near their homes during the fall. Twice each week students record changes in the leaf using words, pictures, and numbers.
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Mammals, Mammals--Everywhere!
Students explore the habitats of mammals and their physical characteristics. They research examples of mammals that must deal with daily changes in their habitat and how they cope with them. In small groups, students create a table...
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How Does Climate Affect Our Shelter Needs?
Fourth graders investigate how weather influences shelter choices. They explore the concept of insulation and discuss some traditional Native American shelters. They discuss the shelters used by the Okanogan people during the various...
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Celebrate The Four Seasons
Students investigate cause and effect and compare and contrast how recurring cycles are evident in multiple aspects of their education. They answer questions in the chosen field. Students model each aspect by interpreting, perceiving and...
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Modeling Shadows
Learners demonstrate understanding of shadows by creating a physical model of concepts taught.
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Tree Cookies
Young scholars identify heartwood, sapwood, and a tree's annual rings, infer from a tree's rings what damage or stress might have occurred in its life, and make a time-line of human history that coincides with a tree's rings.
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Orbits Worksheet #1
A diagram of Earth's path around the sun, including the position of the moon, is displayed at the top of the worksheet. Five multiple questions get astronomers to analyze the diagram considering what is going on in the solar system. Use...
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Dating a Volcanic Eruption
Students discover the various ways in which tree rings can give information. After a brief disucssion of concentric tree rings, they use cross section cut outs of tree rings to identify the time and type of various naturally occuring...
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Great Lakes Food Web
Students identify species and components of a Great Lakes food web. Using note cards, they place themselves in the correct order of the food chain based on the species present. They discuss what they believe happens to various species...
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Soil Investigations
Learners examine the basics about soil. In this soil lesson students describe the physical properties of soil and explain what soil profile is.
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Redesign the Rover: Mars Research Year-Round
Students discuss the solar system, the planets, periods of orbit and revolution. In this space lesson students discuss the importance of the study of Mars and brainstorm ideas on how NASA might solve its Rover design problem.
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Cloudy vs. Clear
Students analyze line plots. In this weather lesson using real NASA data, students discuss how weather affects the way the Earth is heated by comparing different line plots.
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How Is A Frog Able To Swim In The Trees?
Fourth graders explore the interdependence of frogs and trees. They discuss the various things they need everyday to survive. Students select an animal from their local bioregion and research things that animal is dependent upon for...
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Weather Crossword
In this weather crossword puzzle instructional activity, students use the 16 clues and the word bank to fill in the blanks in this crossword puzzle.
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How Does the Earth's Energy Budget Relate to Polar Ice?
Students use satellite data to see how radiation budget relates to the ice that is present in the North. In this energy lesson students correlate data to see a relationship.
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Metamorphosis Magic
Students make different motions for each stage in the butterfly life cycle and plant a garden. In this butterfly life cycle lesson plan, students can take the mini gardens home and discuss how butterflies help gardens.
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The Water Dance
Students act like the changes in the four seasons by moving like water in each season.
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Staying Healthy Year Round
Students are read a variety of books and observe the weather in the different seasons. In groups, they compare and contrast the type of activities people are doing. They also discuss how they adapt to the changes in seasons by the...