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Curricular Correlations
An interesting lesson plan on different types of soils is here for you. In it, learners discuss what soil is, and consider three piles of soil - clay, sand, and loam. During the rest of the lesson plan, third graders discover all sorts...
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Geologic Age
Students investigate radioactivity as a tool for measuring geologic time and how geologists use this information to determine the absolute age of rocks or minerals.
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Mars Landing Site
Pupils, through the use of candy bars at room temperature, explore the problems selecting a landing site on Mars.
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How Old Is Illinois?
High schoolers use fossils found in rocks to determine the age of rock in Illinois. They use a chart to identify the fossils and then identify the periods of rock.
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Help, I'm Melting!
Pupils explore the parts of the rock cycle and the process of erosion as they build their own mountain and observe the effects of wind and rain as erosive agents.
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Exploring How Rocks Are Formed
Students examine the three types of rocks. They discover the processes that occur so each type of rock can be formed. They participate in activities to help them see how rocks are formed.
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Rock of Ages
Students are given a classification table and samples from their location. They locate their samples on the classification table using the characteristics used in rock identification.
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It's Going to Blow Up!
Get your ocean explorers online, reading articles about submarine volcanoes. They answer a series of questions and take a geometery challenge in which they calculate how much of a volcano has been blown away. Make sure to explore several...
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"Investigating Soil Color and Texture"
Ninth graders will identify/understand the differences between soil and dirt. They will classify soil color accurately and use Munsell notation to describe it (Munsell books provided).Students will classify soil texture using the feel...
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Mystery of the Megaplume
Read through the extensive background information and then lead your geology or physical oceanography class through an investigation of actual temperature anomaly data from the Juan de Fuca ridge. They translate the data onto a plot,...
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Aerosol Lesson: Volcano Types
Middle schoolers identify three types of volcano: cinder cone, composite, and shield.
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Clear Day, Cloudy Day; Weather, Cloud Types and Formations
Students explore the formation of clouds and different cloud types. Students simulate a cloud formation within a bottle.
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Wreck Detectives
Junior archaeologists examine types of artifacts from the Bronze Age on the internet. In collaborative groups, they create a story about a ship from this period and then construct a model of the ocean floor after their ship has sunk....
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Soil Nutrients - Phosphorus Lab Lesson Plan
Students list sources of phosphorus in soil. They explain how phosphorus is removed from the soil and used by plants. Students list the symptoms of insufficient or excess phosphorus. Students perform experiments to examine the effect of...
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Detectives in the Landscape
Fourth graders explore landscapes. In this landscape lesson, 4th graders investigate different elements of landscapes. Students design a visual presentation using photographs taken during a nature walk.
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Protecting the Environment
Young scholars explain what biodegradable materials are and list examples of them. They design, with online partners' feedback and input, a product made of biodegradable materials and develop a marketing campaign to best sell their product.
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Law of Superposition
Students identify the law of superposition and it states that beds of rock in a series are laid down with the oldest at the bottom and younger layers on the top. They construct a legen for a block diagram and construct a block diagram...
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Excavating the Past
Students discover how palaeontologists conduct a dig for fossils and how they interpret the age of the fossils. In small groups, they prepare a "dig site" consisting of bones, rocks and soil layered in a cardboard box. They switch boxes...
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Franklin Mountains
Fifth graders examine photographs of the eastern and western Franklin Mountains. As a class, they discuss what is shown and the different colored rocks and the orientation of the layers. In groups, they are given clay of two different...
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Sedimentary Structures- An Adventure in Painting and Collage
Students identify and interpret concepts about how the Earth was formed and convey some of these ideas in a painting.
Students experiment with different types of paints and paint applicators to achieve a variety of visual textures....
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Rain Forest Rally
Students discover facts about rain forests, list the common products that come from rain forests, recognize how important rain forests are to our daily lives, and list and describe the layers of rain forests.
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Geologist and Core Sampling
Third graders observe a cupcake and attempt to answer each question on the observation page. They write three sentences that explains how a geologist takes core samples of the earth's surface. Students make sketches and write...
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How's the Air Up There?
Students experiment with soda cans and water to discover why air pressure is greater closer to Earth's surface.
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Biomes: Extreme Climate
Young scholars discuss the causes of global warming. In this earth science lesson, students examine how global warming is connected to the arctic and world climate. They write a paragraph about their interconnection.