Curated OER
Tree Cookies
You will find a viewer-friendly PowerPoint on the growth rings and other features found in a cross-section of a tree trunk, affectionately known as a "tree cookie." A few worksheets are provided for practice counting tree rings and a...
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Map that Habitat
Students participate in an activity that replicates the creation of sea floor bathymetry by taking a simplified form of soundings in the classroom. They discuss sea floor mapping technologies, sonar, soundings, and remote sensing,...
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Map-A-Buddy
Middle schoolers investigate the concept of tracking and spatial movements of animals in relation to the environment in which they live. They participate in an interactive activity by tracking one another over a pre-defined region,...
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AM I on the Radio?
Students create a working radio by soldering circuit components supplied from an AM radio kit. They demonstrate an efficient soldering technique, identify the circuit components used to construct their radio, and explain how their radio...
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An Arm and A Leg
Middle schoolers examine how the movements of bones are dependent on the interaction of pairs of muscles. They design and construct a prototype of an artificial limb using a syringe system, and determine whether water or air makes the...
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Antibiotic Attack
Students examine how antibiotics work and why they are effective. In this antibiotic instructional activity, students discover that when harmful germs get inside the body, the immune system may not be strong enough to fight the germs...
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Home Living/ Daily Living: Food Pyramid
What did you have for lunch? Did it contain all four food groups? Help your special education class make good food choices and recognize foods in each of the four food groups. They look at images and discuss the foods on the food pyramid...
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Light 3: All Those Seeing Color, Say Eye!
Middle schoolers explore the nature of light. They use on-line articles and a worksheet to explore the roles of the eye and brain in the perception of color. They draw and label a diagram illustrating the movement of light.
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Science NetLinks: Hollywood Dinosaurs
Middle schoolers use relevant evidence and logical reasoning to construct theories for dinosaur behavior. They examine recent evidence that challenges a prevailing dinosaur theory.
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The Acid Test
Middle schoolers prepare a test solution whose color changes when an acid or a base is added. They determine whether various household substances are acids or bases and look for patterns in the results. Students determine how their test...
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The Transfer of Energy 3: Rust and Corrosion
Students research the type of chemical reaction that occurs when metal rusts. They conduct an experiment looking at the rate of corrosion in steel wool. This is lesson three in a three lesson unit on the transfer of energy.
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Urban Ecosystems 2: Why Are There Cities? A Historical Perspective
Students investigate the importance of food surpluses to the historical development of urban ecosystems.
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Forensic Detectives: Archaeology at Work
Dig in! Middle schoolers learn about archaeology by exploring the remnants of the Chiribaya bodies found in Illinois. Compare archaeological investigations, and then write a mystery detailing the discovery of a body! Consider bringing in...
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How Does Your Garden Grow? Discovering How Weather Patterns Affect Natural Cycles
For the warm-up in this cool climate lesson, you will need to click on "Mapping" and then "US Mapping" once you arrive at NOAA's "US Climate at a Glance" page. Earth science explorers realize that 2012 was a warm winter for us. They read...
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Massive Migrations
Here is an exciting exploration of a fascinating topic for your emerging ecologists: bird migration! They begin by visiting the US Fish & Wildlife Service website to discover which Arctic birds come to their areas. They are assigned...
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Osmosis in Potato Slices
You may find this presentation helpful in setting up the classic experiment where potato wedges are used for observing the effects of osmosis. You can view the experimental setup in the text and a lab sheet in the pictures, but you will...
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Whose Water is It Anyway?
Students role play various stakeholders who need water and make a pitch for the water allocation of a pond that is gradually decreasing in depth due to the overuse of water.
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Swamps, Shrimp, and Tsunamis: A Simulation of Sustainable Development Issues in Coastal Ecuador
Students examine the economic benefits, environmental losses and dangers of the shrimp farming industry on the coast of Ecuador. They read a script, role-play people involved in the shrimp business, and write an essay of the pros and cons.
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All You Need to Know about Horses
Whether you're teaching a group of equestrians, a 4-H club, or an agricultural science class, you'll need to cover basic horse terminology. Horse care, breeds, anatomy, and markings are defined and exemplified through full color...
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Green Stuff: Designing an Earth-Friendly Room
For this activity students explore earth-friendly materials that can be used in home environments. They learn about the relationship between the environment and design, and use a variety of problem-solving strategies. They work in...
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How Big Is The Playground?
Students calculate the standard and metric measurements of a playground. In this measurement lesson, students use GPS coordinates and graphing calculators to determine the dimensions of an area outside of the school in both standard and...
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How Big is the Playground: Creating a Map
Students create a topographical map of an area outside of the school. For this mapping lesson, students compile data on angles, distances, and key landmarks for a predetermined area on the school grounds to create a map using Geometer's...
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Math Can Be Electrifying
Students explore how math can be used to calculate and analyze how electricity causes air pollution. Students design a campaign to educate family members on ways they can save electricity. They create a graph that compares two electric...
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Hybrid Vehicles: Cut Pollution and Save Money
Math and science meet in this lesson on hybrid electric automobiles. This 24-page resource provides everything you need for teaching a lesson that compares the use of internal combustion engines to hybrid electric engines. Participants...