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Working Together to Improve Our Community
Students from the fourth grade research a solution to a community problem and converse with eighth graders via email. Eighth graders study the political process and work with the fourth graders to present information to the public to...
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Hands-On Investigation!
Young scholars read, analyze, and solve a mystery using problem-solving skills. They explore the History Detective website, discuss the difference between clues and red herrings, complete a dot-to-dot sheet, take notes in a detective...
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Magnets
Students conduct an experiment. In this magnets instructional activity, students review what they know about magnetism, work in groups to determine the magnetism of various objects and discuss their results.
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UV Beads
Students recognize preventitive measures that can be taken to reduce the risks associated with exposure to solar radiation. They explain why solar radiation can be harmful. They utilize beads that turn color when exposed to UV rays. Good...
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The Dirty Water Project
Students investigate different methods (aeration and filtering) for removing pollutants from water. They design and build their own water filters. Students identify the pollutants in a water sample using sight and smell, explore what...
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Teaching Radioactive Decay: Radioactive Half-life And Dating Techniques
Students generate a radioactive decay table for an imaginary element using a box filled with pinto beans and M&M's. They use their data to plot a decay graph, develop the concept of half-life, and use the graph to "age" several samples.
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Attributes of Renewable Energy: From Nanopossibilities to Solar Power
Students explore solar energy, why we use it and how we use it. In this renewable energy lesson students compare active and solar techniques.
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Magnetic Levitation Train
Students use the Internet to discover the physics behind Maglev technology. They examine properties of magnets at Canada's Science and Technology museum. They participate in tutorials in which they can observe how different objects work.
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Striking It Rich!
Fifth graders explore the California Gold Rush. They explore the lure of gold and the Wild West, how pioneers traveled to the West, and the hardships and people they encountered along the way. Activities be authentic, hands-on, and...
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Let's Keep Track of Grades
Learners participate in a technology project. This lesson is a hands-on spreadsheet project where students are responsible for keeping track of their grades for class. The learners learn to enter data into a spreadsheet, create...
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Health Education: Stress
Fourth graders tackle stress. In this personal health lesson plan, 4th graders predict physical and emotional reactions to stressful situations.
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Maple Syrup Production
Students make their own maple sugar and learn about how it is made on a grander scale. In this maple sugar instructional activity, students make their own maple sugar and learn about evaporation and what labor is put into making it.
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The Amazing Tomato
Students gain an understanding of where our food comes from. In this plant life lesson, students review what plants need for growth and how long it takes them to grow. Students research which plants it takes to make salsa. Students...
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Effigy Mound Activity
Students research effigy mounds of Native people in Wisconsin. They create large models of effigy mounds in a given area based on factual information from their studies and research.
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So Sweet
Students compare sugar levels in cereals. In this nutrition lesson, students learn how to read a nutrition facts label, predict which products will have the most sugar, discover which cereals contain the most sugar and discuss...
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Critical Thinking & Writing: Brainstorming
Have your young writers organize their thoughts before writing. They generate ideas through various brainstorming activities prior to writing a mock feature news story for USA Today. A series of USA Today articles debating the level of...
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Design Packing to Safely Mail Raw Spaghetti
Students investigate and determine a way to mail raw spaghetti. In small groups, they package their raw spaghetti using various packing materials, mail the package through the postal system, and evaluate their packing design after...
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TE Activity: Hot Cans and Cold Cans
Students work on problems in which they investigate conduction, convection, and radiation. They attempt to maintain the warmth in one can of soda while cooling the other as much as possible in a thirty minute period. They examine how...
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Densities
Students explore the concept of density. In this density lesson plan, students determine the density of a crown and a sample of clay. They hypothesize about the densities of 4 liquids they are given including molasses, cooking oil, a red...
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Discovering Cohesion, Adhesion and Surface Tension
Learners investigate cohesion, adhesion and surface tension through observations and lab experiments. In this cohesion, adhesion and surface tension lesson plan, students rotate to 5 stations around the room and experiment at each...
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Ramps
Students experiment to see how various objects roll down ramps. In this ramp instructional activity, students observe weight, size, and material of objects. Students compare speeds by using a second ramp.
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Beach Cleanup at a Local Beach
Students participate in an environmental clean-up activity. In this environmental lesson, students travel to a local beach. Working in small teams, students collect trash from the local beach. Returning to school, students sort the trash...
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Physics "24"
Young scholars construct a model house or school. In this physics instructional activity, students research about who wind up clocks work and write an essay about it. They determine the center of gravity of different objects.
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Keys to Our House-The White House
Young scholars explore what it means to be an American citizen. Students investigate the history of the White House from a variety of perspectives: as a symbol, a public and private place, and changing needs.