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The Mystery Box
Students design a mystery box to hold an object related to the timeline of life studies. In this timeline of life lesson, student play a game with fossils and other remnants of past times and guess the era it comes from.
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Volcanoes
Third graders study the concept of plate tectonics. In the process they embark in research and construction of a volcano. They complete a web quest while assessing how to research, give oral reports, and create a product.
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Animals, Animals, Everywhere
Fourth graders participate in a variety of activities dealing with animal characteristics and classifications in this multi-task lesson. They use graphic organizers, make booklets, and make models.
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Microbes in Long Island Sound
Students discover the harm and benefits of microbes. In this biology lesson, students explore water, nitrogen and carbon cycles. They investigate the factors affecting bacteria growth.
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Mystery Creek
Fourth graders are introduced to the Riparian Ecosystem. They define the following terms: riparian and riparian ecosystem. Students take a trip to the creek, where they make observations about the environment around them. They are...
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Stop Heat from Escaping
Students explore the uses of insulation and describe how insulation helps to conserve energy. They work in groups and use plastic, wool, paper and aluminum to experiment with the heat-retaining properties of various materials.
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Put It to the Test
Students identify different types of rock and sediments and how they react to acid through experimentation. Students use knowledge gained in thr experiment to identify types of rocks. Students create data tables for accuracy and clarity...
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Making a Soil Separator
Students investigate botany by creating a soil separating device. In this plant life lesson, students identify the needs of plants and how important the right soil is in the growing process. Students define different soil types and...
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Investigation 3 - Weathering
Fourth graders study 4 types of weather processes: wind, running water, plant growth, and freezing water. They explain how the processes of weathering and erosion change and move materials that become soil. They draw diagrams...
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Homes for Hermit Crabs
Students discover the differences between hermit crabs and mollusks and identify their parts. After reading a story about hermit crabs, they complete an anatomy worksheet. For another activity, students fold and cut a diagram of a hermit...
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Fieldwork: Horizons Under Ground: Digging Through Wetland Soil
Young scholars study the different soil types and describe the different soils in various environments. In this soil lesson students walk to a reserve and discuss what they saw.
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Not Just For A Baby's Bottom
Eighth graders investigate the presence of talc in the geologic record. The different characteristics of talc is covered. The instructional activity includes background information for the teacher.
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Regolith Formation
Students study what regolith is and how it contrasts with weathering on Earth. In this weathering instructional activity students divide into groups, hypothesize and confirm their guesses.
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Exploring Meteorite Mysteries: Building Blocks of Planets
Students simulate the formation of chondrites and asteroids. In this astronomy lesson, students demonstrate accretion using balloons and static electricity. They compare and contrast their models to the actual process of chondrites and...
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Changes Inside Planets
Students relate meteorites to the mantle and crust of asteroids. For this planetary lesson students complete experiments to model the separation of light.
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Soil pH Effect on Germination of Specific Weeds
Students collect weed seeds from three varieties of weeds (knapweed, thistle, or toadflax, for example they may choose others in addition to the spotted knapweed.) They sterilize soil for thirty containers, plant seeds in sterile soil,...
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Patterns in Nature
Students examine places in nature where patterns can be observed by looking through a number of books after watching a teacher PowerPoint presentation. They illustrate a pattern in nature.
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How Old Is Mike?
Students examine the absolute dating of fossils, they use a list of names and ages to determine the difference between relative age and absolute age. They explore the relative age and absolute age of people and of fossils.
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Glacial Striation Investigation
Students operate a GPS unit to investigate the direction of glacier movement. They describe the motion of glacier movement by interpreting a graph. Students explain how scientists use glacier striations to determine glacier movement.
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Volcanic Activity in the U.S.
Students locate and map ten volcanoes in United States, create chart comparing volcanoes by last eruption, type of volcano, location, and interesting fact, and create Powerpoint slide show describing basic
information about volcanoes and...
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Acid Rain
Students understand the dynamics of acid rain and its impact on the living and non-living environment. They hypothesize how acid rain affects water pH levels in two lake systems with differing watershed features.
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Soil in My Food Web
Fourth graders understand the importance of soil to the food web. In this food web lesson, 4th graders create various food webs beginning with soil using yarn and name cards. Students write about the importance of soil to one organism.
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Adaptations
Sixth graders identify plant adaptations. In this adaptations lesson, 6th graders use digital cameras to photograph plants found on their campus. Students describe the adaptations for each plant.
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Layers Of The Earth
Students examine the layers of the earth and the basic composition and thickness of each. Using construction paper, each student models the layers of the earth.