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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Trait Tracker

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Help mice beat the odds with an exciting activity about traits. Biologists discover the role of diet and other factors on animal traits by participating in a simulation activity. Teams collect and evaluate data to understand how certain...
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Activity
US Department of Commerce

Apportionment: Grades 3-4

For Teachers 3rd - 4th Standards
Apportionment is a big word for young pupils. Use a helpful cartoon video and worksheet with data set to help them understand how the census fuels representative democracy. After examining how the census determines the number of seats a...
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Pollinator's Journey: Grades K-4

For Teachers K - 4th Standards
What's it like to migrate as a pollinator? Teachers provide direct instruction about the roles of pollinators such as butterflies on plants along with the threats they encounter. The class then acts out a story of the migration of bats...
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Habitat for Sale

For Teachers K - 8th Standards
Where would this animal like to live? Pupils choose an animal and write an ad to advertise that animal's habitat or home. For a little fun, learners create the newspaper ads to provide enough detail for classmates to guess what animal...
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Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Moons in Comparison

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Just how big is Earth's moon? With a hands-on simulation, scholars use Play-Doh to model the sizes of the planets Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and their moons. They make predictions as a class, work together to make their models, and discuss...
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

What is a Constellation

For Students 1st - 5th Standards
Why do some stars in a constellation appear brighter than others? Using a get-up-and-move astronomy activity, scholars explore perspective and the appearance of constellations in the sky while developing an understanding of the...
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Activity
Bringing History Home

Ellis Island Simulation

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
Young historians step into the shoes of immigrants coming to Ellis Island. A simulation creates an experience in which participants visit several rooms, go through an interview process, and receive a stamp in their passport—either making...
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Unit Plan
West Corporation

Making Inferences – Use Your Mind to Read!

For Teachers 2nd - 6th Standards
How can you tell if someone is happy? The lesson works with elementary and middle school scholars to activate their schema and pay attention to details to make inferences in their daily lives, poetry, and other literature. Cleverly...
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Activity
NASA

Eclipse Activity Guide

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
Ever made solar s'mores? Or recreated the solar system using peanuts? Astronomers young and old investigate all things solar using a variety of activities. Explore how the sun works, types of light it emits, and methods of charting the...
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Lesson Plan
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NASA

Project X-51

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
In a nose-cone to nose-cone competition, which rocket will prevail? Teams form rocket companies to design and build a rocket while competing against other teams in an economic challenge. The team that comes up with the best benefit/cost...
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Unit Plan
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Curated OER

Plate Tectonics: Third Grade Lesson Plans and Activities

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Third graders examine plate movements and boundaries with a lab that demonstrates how volcanoes and earthquakes are formed. It presents different types of stresses an object can withstand through a hands-on experiment with clay to...
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Lesson Plan
NASA

The Case of the Wacky Water Cycle

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Join the tree house detectives in learning about the processes of the water cycle, water conservation, water treatment, and water as a limited resource.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Moon Mining

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Go on a moon mining expedition from the safety of your classroom with this space exploration simulation. Using simple models of the moon's surface prepared ahead of time by the teacher, young scientists are challenged with locating and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Those Who Have Come Before Me

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Class members are transformed into explorers as they work in groups to locate hidden items and map their journey along the way. They then leave clues for other groups of students to follow, and ultimately discover how past explorations...
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Unit Plan
National Constitution Center

Fourth of July (Grades 3-5)

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Bring history to life for your young scholars with a Fourth of July lesson series. After a class reading of the Declaration of Independence, students translate this pivotal document into layman's terms before working in small groups to...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

Sustaining Our Ocean Resources

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Lead young scientists on an investigation of fishery practices with the final installment of this four-part unit. Using a PowerPoint presentation and hands-on simulation, this instructional activity engages children in learning how fish...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

Seafood and Human Health

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Whether your young biologists realize it or not, humans play a significant role in marine ecosystems. To help them understand this fact children first create graphical representations that show homo sapiens' place in marine food chains,...
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Activity
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Curated OER

Food Chain Activities

For Teachers 2nd - 6th Standards
Transform young biologists into grasshoppers, lizards, and hawks as you teach them about food chains in an interactive life science simulation. Working collaboratively to act out three different scenarios involving these creatures,...
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Lesson Plan
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American Forest Foundation

Who Speaks for the Trees?

For Teachers Pre-K - 8th Standards
Help young conservationists appreciate the important role that trees play in ecosystems around the world with this collection of six engaging activities. From a shared reading and class discussion of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, to in an depth...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Layer Cake Archaeology

For Teachers K - 2nd
Excavating cake? Why not! Kids spoon into some layers and artifacts during this tasty hands-on activity. The cake, a simulated archaeological dig, is the object of observation and discussion.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Transparent Shoebox Dig

For Teachers K - 4th
Take this simulated archaeological dig one layer at a time with your young pupils to encourage observation, critical thinking, and careful attention. Using a transparent box full of layers of sand and artifacts, pupils examine the...
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Lesson Plan
NASA

Rover Races

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Operating a vehicle remotely can be difficult, especially when the vehicle is on another planet. Young engineers get a feel for some of the real-world challenges as they work to program their rovers (blindfolded group members) through an...
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Lesson Plan
Prince William Network

Migration Headache

For Teachers 2nd - 6th Standards
During this game, kids become migratory shorebirds and fly among wintering, nesting, and stopover habitats. If they do not arrive at a suitable habitat on time, they do not survive. Catastrophic events are periodically introduced that...
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App
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Two Lives Left

Cargo-Bot

For Students 3rd - 12th
What would you think of an app that provides a creative introduction to an important 21st century skill, challenges learners at many levels, and is an addictively, fun game? Did we also mention it was free? We think you will find all...