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Determining the Age of Fossils
Students examine the concept of radioactive dating. In this radioactive dating lesson, students investigate how to determine the ages of fossils and rocks as they learn about half-life radioactive decay.
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A Closer Look at Wood
Students examine forests as a renewable resource and conservation practices. In this conifers lesson students complete a lab activity on the different types of wood.
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Forest Products
Learners study forests and understand their reliance on forest products and examine their choices between renewable and non renewable resources. In this forest products lesson students read several articles, complete a short...
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Thinking About Newton's 1st Law
Students discuss the lives of both Aristotle and Newton in order to bring important differences between the two to the forefront. They evaluate two statements about motion and use the ideas from the discussion to determine which...
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Ecology: Factors Influencing Animal Populations
Young scholars assess the factors affecting animal populations. Working in groups they define specific vocabulary terms and complete several activities from "Project Wild."
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Defining Values: Environmental Issues
Students analyze an environmental issue of local or regional interest and compare and contrast the roles of the individual and the community in responding to the issue. They discuss how values are expressed in environmental issues and...
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Why Oil and Water Don't Mix
Second graders explore why oil and water do not mix. They make and record their predictions and observe the experiment in which cooking oil is mixed with a glass of water. Students discuss why they think the oil and water did not mix and...
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Making Predictions
First graders write with his or her pencil on a worksheet created by the teacher his or her prediction of whether each part of a pumpkin will sink or float. They drop each of five objects in the water one at a time allowing enough time...
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Where Does it All Come From?
Learners investigate where lumber products come from and how they are processed. In this resource instructional activity students watch a video and understand how the lumber is managed as a renewable resource.
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Create a Soil Aggregate
Learners simulate the conditions which occur in a soil aggregate. They explain how IPM affects the environment. They identify the cast of characteristics to develop their aggregate.
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The High Plains: Land of Extremes
Learners complete activities surrounding the study of groundwater movement, energy resources, wind energy, and riparian areas. They debate/role-play the viewpoints of different interest groups in considering whether the black-footed...
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Human Needs
Students investigate human needs and how they have adapted to different environments. They complete an experiment to discover the effect of stress on muscles. They use the food pyramid to create a plan for healthy eating.
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Habitat Preservation Project
Students demonstrate what happens when nature takes back land after humans have managed it. They find an area in the schoolyard, and mark it off with a boundary. Students build a simple fence with string and stakes. They put up a sign...
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Adaptations
Students identify what adaptation is and to research a specific mollusk. They also identify and interpret how animals get their common and scientific name and why it is Latin. Finally, students draw their shell (mollusk) and name their...
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Is that Tree Safe?
Learners examine the parts of the tree and examine the health of trees in the vicinity. In this tree safety instructional activity students work in groups to complete a stated goal.
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The Rotten Truth: Healthy Food from Healthy Soil
Students investigate methods of decomposition in order to make compost. In this decomposition science lesson, students set up compost bags using food and materials which decay over time. The initial lesson is approximately 30 minutes,...
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Eyes on the Estuaries
Students study estuaries and compare several ones in the U.S. In this estuary lesson students interpret data and compare the distribution of different species.
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Life is Weird
Learners describe features of cold seep communities and list organisms that can be found in these communities. For this exploratory lesson students complete an activity and describe the process of chemosynthesis.
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Water: A precious resource
In this water learning exercise, students watch a video on water, read a passage, complete sentences, write vocabulary words, and write a paragraph. Students complete 5 activities total.
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The Fall of the Ruler
Students determine their reaction time using a ruler. In this Physics lesson, students calculate the class' means and variances. They plot the graph and analyze if there are outliers.
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Paper Airplane Activity
Ninth graders select and build one of five different paper airplane designs and test them for distance and for time aloft. Part of this activity is designed to explore NASA developed software, FoilSim, with respect to the lift of an...
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Water Pollution Hot-Spots
Students complete internet research in small groups to identify types of water pollution, spotlight water pollution hot-spots, and design a plan for water prevention.
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Observing Atherosclerosis
Young scholars develop a model to visually observe the change in blood flow rates between healthy and unhealthy arteries. They calculate data that they have collected and graph their results. They determine the relationships the flow...
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Difficult Decisions: The Sakinaw Sockeye Case Study
Eighth graders examine Sakinaw Sockeye as species at risk, participate in role playing exercise to consider different perspectives of various interest groups, and try to come to consensus on how to deal with dwindling Sakinaw sockeye...