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Water in the Biosphere
Environmental explorers examine the campus and take note of living organisms. Introduce them to the biosphere and the questions of the day: How much water can be found in the biosphere? A slide show helps you along, and even contains a...
Space Awareness
Oceans on the Rise
Temperature rises and land disappears! Through a lab exploration, learners understand the effect of temperature increase on water similar to the effect of global warming on our oceans. As they heat the water in a flask, they measure the...
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Flying Through the Solar System
Students create a model of the solar system out of candy. They write a book about their travels through the Solar System, beginning at age ten and reaching Pluto at age seventy.
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Changing Faces: A Study of Solar and Planetary Rotation Rates
Middle schoolers determine rotation rates of a variety of solar system objects using images and the Internet.
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Season's Greetings
Students explore Earth's seasons using an interactive website. In this earth science lesson, students watch video segments and explain Earth's seasonal milestones. They discuss the factors that causes seasonal changes.
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Memory Techniques
Students enhance memorization skills by using the following techniques: acrostics, acronyms, number pictures, spelling memory tips, name pictures, grouping, and journey pegs.
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Starlight, Star Bright
First graders read books and use the Internet to identify several constellations and stars in the night sky. They make star pictures and write a class report about the night sky including a title, complete sentences and a cited reference.
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Interplanetary Distance and Travel Time
Students are introduced to the challenges involved in understanding the space travel distances and the time involved to do so through the use of an interactive fable. The modeling and comparisons deal with specific distances at different...
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Sky Watching
Students complete night-sky observations to understand how our knowledge of the sky has been enhanced by telescopes. Students complete a timeline worksheet giving the history of telescopes. Students then then make their own observations...
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Satellites and the Radiation Budget
Students engage in a prelab discussion about the earth's radiation budget and global warming. They use "trading cards" to find specific websites to research radiation budget questions.
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Air Quality Issues
Students identify the different layers of the atmosphere. They examine the different types of air pollutants. They also discover laws in effect that work to protect the environment.
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HABITAT for the other 90%
Learners examine the connection between the habitat needs of endemic species to the habitat needs of humans. In this habitat lesson learners research the habitat requirements of a given family then develop an idea to improve the habitat...
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Lesson 4 Activity 1: Mapping the Third Dimension
Students work in pairs to construct a simple stereoscope.
Virginia Department of Education
Hurricanes: An Environmental Concern
Hurricanes, typhoons, and tropical cyclones are the same type of storm, but their names change based on where they happen. Scholars use a computer simulation to learn about hurricanes. Then they hypothesize ideas to prevent hurricanes...
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Solar Matters II
Students research solar energy. In this solar energy lesson, students construct a KWL chart and research solar energy through various websites and related readings. Students complete a science journal page as an assessment.
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Microbial Influence on Earth's Systems
Learners identify the different biogeochemical cycles on Earth. In this biology activity, students observe microbes under a microscope. They compare and contrast respiration and photosynthesis.
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View of a Comet from Earth
Young scholars investigate comets. In this space science instructional activity, students study overhead transparencies of the orbits of Earth and a comet. Young scholars identify various locations and times where comets would be visible...
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Weather
Students recognize that carbon dioxide's role in the greenhouse effect. They research the greenhouse effect to design and create a greenhouse structure to measure the changing temperatures over a 24-hour period. In addition, they write a...
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Lunar Lollipops
Middle schoolers simulate the phases of the moon using a lamp and styrofoam balls. In this lunar phases lesson, students stand around a lamp and act as Earth. They hold styrofoam balls and rotate to show the phases of the moon.
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Sucking Students into an Understanding of Air Pressure and Vacuums
Students develop and test their ideas about air pressure and vacuums by conducting several investigations into the movement of fluids in tubes.
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The Life Cycle of a Star
Students investigate the life cycle of a star through research. Once research is complete, students prepare posters and present findings to class. Flash animation is included to help students visualize life cycle of star researching.
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Demonstrating the Distances of Stars
Students examine the distance from Earth to stars. They create a model to show the arrangement of constellations. They also identify the importance of the parallax effect.
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Winter Season
Learners recognize the relationship between Earth's tilt and the Winter season. In this Winter instructional activity, students work in pairs to complete make frost and design snow goggles. Learners experiment a hand lens to study the...