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What Influences Reaction Rate?
Learners study reaction rates, what determines how fast a reaction happens and how the chemical changes occur. In this reactions lesson students complete a lab where they use Alka-Seltzer to observe reaction rate and create a graph with...
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What Makes Up a Healthy Watershed
Students, after observing the elements of a local watershed, explore the need to protect watersheds as water resources for the future. They examine the factors involved with a watershed: geology, ecology, and the effect of man's...
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Abrupt Climate Change
High schoolers explore how scientific knowledge changes in the context of abrupt climate change. They are introduced to some recent ideas about abrupt climate change. This gives them a glimpse into how scientific theories are formed and...
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Creeping Sheets of Ice
Students conduct scientific investigation in which they observe glacial
effects on landscape, develop and explain their own theories of how glaciers change land, and demonstrate understanding and explain basic motion and force principles.
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Animal Migratory patterns
Students use field research and traditional research to identify migrating species of birds as well as their migratory patterns. Students generate a list of questions regarding migration and a plan to research the questions. A field...
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What is a Gas?
Students develop a scientific model of gas behavior. For this gas lesson plan, students observe different balloons filled with different densities of gases. They complete an activity where they model the behavior of gases using marbles,...
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Tadpoles
Learners examine tadpoles at various stages of development. Questions in observation category assess students' ability to use a variety of senses to observe data in a certain way-scientific way.
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MAKE IT FLY
Students utilize the process of scientific inquiry and technological design to explain thrust, weight, lift and drag in flight. They design an "airplane" to test the "mechanics" of flight. In addition, they brainstorm and sketch a design...
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Simulating the Greenhouse Effect in a Terrarium
Students identify what factors effect global warming and how the greenhouse effect occurs. In this environmental lesson students view videos then complete an experiment using a terrarium to observe greenhouse gas.
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Backyard Critters
Young scholars explore the characteristics of invertebrates in their backyards. They observe, describe, and classify specimens. They conclude with a "snail race."
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Designing the Experiment and Answering the Question
Students investigate scientific methods by analyzing an article from the Natural Inquirer. In this data analysis lesson plan, students read an article from the magazine and discuss at least 2 scientific methods that could be used to...
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Swings
Students investigate variables which may seem to affect the movement of a pendulum, or "swing."They interpret their observations and apply the scientific principles to develop explanations and solve a new problem.
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Ice
Students examine the different propereties of ice, such as freezing temperature. In this scientific lesson students complete several activities using ice, like making ice cream.
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Mysterious Footprints
Students, after observing and responding to two pictures, consider the interaction of two unknown animals by examining the pattern of their footprints. They make observations, draw conclusions and propose possible explanations for the...
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Condensation
Students participate in the scientific process to investigate what happens to water when it evaporates by observing condensation. In small groups they observe what happens to ice in a cup, and what occurs when they hold a bowl of ice...
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Materials And Their Properties
Seventh graders investigate the particulate level of solids, liquids, and gases. They examine how the particle method show the interplay between scientific theories and evidence.
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Keying Rocks
Fifth graders observe several examples of types of rock and write about their similarities and differences in their science journals. They discuss their observations and discover that rocks are grouped according to the scientific...
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Scientist Tracking Network
Students correlate surface radiation with mean surface temperature of several geographic regions. They observe how these parameters change with latitude and construct an understanding of the relationship of solar radiation to seasonal...
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Structures and Behaviors of Planarians
Students investigate planaria of the phylum platyhelminthes. They use DigiScope technology to observe and describe the structure and movements of planarians.
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Glove Gardens
Students investigate how seeds sprout. In this scientific inquiry lesson, students make predictions on which seeds will grow the fastest and observe the seeds over a period of time. Observations are recorded into a journal.
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DIY Lava Lamp
Students examine lava lamps and what causes them to work. In this density instructional activity students make a lava lamp and write the scientific explanation of what happens.
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Fluid Thinking About Liquids and Solids
Second graders examine the physical characteristics of the different states of matter. For this chemistry lesson, 2nd graders observe how matter changes from one phase to another. They classify substances according to its type of matter.
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The Five Life Zone Research Project
Students study five of the seven life zones in North America. In this journalism lesson students use the Scientific Method working in teams. They use lab equipment and technology to create a presentation on five of the seven life zones...
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Destructive Impact of Environment on Artifacts
Students recognize that artifacts are destroyed over time. In this environmental factors on artifacts lesson, students experiment and observe through the microscope to find the environmental impact on artifacts. Students make a list of...