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Levers: Catapults
Students construct a catapult that shoots a cotton ball at least two meters using Legos, rubber bands, and plastic spoons. They discuss how the catapult works, and identify any problems they had with their experiment.
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Construction Worker Book
Students examine simple tools that are used in everyday life. In this construction worker tools lesson, students decide which tools should be used to solve the construction worker's problems in a manner that demonstrates the Simple...
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Redefining an Earthquake
Ninth graders build an "Earthquake Machine" (a manipulative model of a fault line) and use it to explore stick-slip behavior of some faults and to develop a more accurate definition of an earthquake and its causes.
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Patenting My Invention
Fifth graders learn the importance of a patent for a new invention. They use the internet to practice typing a classroom patent for a compound machine that their class invented. While on the website, 5th graders choose a month and...
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Life Science: My Pyramid
Students examine how the school food program compares to the food pyramid recommendations. In this food pyramid lesson, students compile data regarding the food choices available in the school through the lunch program and vending...
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Fire Safety in the Home
Students discover the importance of fire safety. For this fire prevention lesson, students identify problems in a house that could lead to a fire and draw their own homes that include the appropriate fire prevention tools. The students...
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The Saturday Morning Superhero:
Learners explore the concept of engineering design. In this engineering design process lesson, students read The Saturday Morning Superhero and discuss the problem solving steps that the main character encounters as he creates a...
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Quiz Questions - Cells
In this cells activity, students read and choose the multiple choice answers to 20 questions involving cells, microscopes, and the life process of Growth.
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Production and Manufacturing/ Interlocking Project Production
Students plan and design their project idea and demonstrate what their product looks like. They make a set of instructions describing a process that could be used to manufacture this product in an industrial setting. Students are given...
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Four Ancient River Civilizations
Students explore how the environment shapes man, how man transformed his world, nd how art became part of the human process. The group is divided into clans and their migratory routes developed in the eight lessons of this unit.
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Rat Round Up
Students build a device that captures and carries a pet rat safely back to its cage with out "harming" the rat or themselves. They build and experiment with wind-up or battery operated rat cat toys after predicting the outcome of their...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Historical Climate Cycles
What better way to make predictions about future weather and climate patterns than with actual climate data from the past? Young climatologists analyze data from 400,000 to 10,000 years ago to determine if climate has changed over time....
Chicago Botanic Garden
Historical Climate Cycles
Scientists use ice core samples to obtain temperatures of the earth from 400,000 years ago! The third of five lessons instructs pupils to interpret historical climate data to see changes over time. In part I, participants interpret...
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Sculptures from the Skies
Fourth graders research the design of the aircraft used by the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk. They design a sculpture of aircraft using recycled materials.
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Signs of Spring Door Hanging
Students create their own original design for a spring door decoration. As a class, they follow specific instructions to make the decorate the door piece. They also practice using art supplies and materials correctly and complete a...
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Designing and Building Catapults
Seventh graders complete a challenge to create a catapult that projects a marble or other projectile at least one meter. While experimenting they apply the Four Question Strategy to answer the question, " How can I make one modification...
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Volume of Gas
Eighth graders investigate the effect of temperature on the volume of a gas in a closed container. They measure the height of the water in their beaker/container, conduct their experiment, and create a graph to illustrate their data.
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Sea Animal Slide Show
Students cllassify sea animals into groups based on certain attributes. They create a picture on ClarisWorks for Kids. They write/wordprocess their own name and copy words from immediate environment to label sea animals.
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Evolution Lab
Students examine the pattern of natural variation in a society. They examine Darwin's theory of evolution and analyze data. They use computer programs to graphically display the variation in organisms.
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Types of Matter
Learners analyze different types of matter according to its general and specific properties. They design an experiment to classify matter. Students are shown cornflakes and raisins. They are asked what type of substance is each...
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Harvesting Oil from the Earth
Fourth graders research sources of fossil fuels especially oil while determining how scientists take core samples from an Earth model. They look at oil consumption and production in the US and throughout the world.