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Sampling Rocks
Students will collect and analyze a sample of rocks from the schoolyard. They will array the collected rocks by characteristics such as size, weight, and color, to see if any generalizations can be made about the types of rocks that can...
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The Value of Behavioral Variation in Homo sapiens
Students look at the behavioral characteristics of their peers from a historical perspective, and realize that, in the larger scheme of a community, these behaviors do have some value, and that a society as complex as ours does need the...
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Ready, Set, Read!
Students observe a sentence as it is written on the board and listen as it is read to them twice. They choose which reading of the sentence they prefer; the first time it is read slowly with some words sounded out and the second time...
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Oolitic Sand: An Introduction
Fourth graders investigate the characteristics of different types of sand. They compare and contrast the types of sand by making observations with a dissecting microscope. Then students draw what is seen and include shape, color, and...
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Social Studies: People in the Rocks
Learners discover characteristics of Native Americans as depicted in their rock art. By examining the rocks from the Human Figures Photo Gallery, they make inferences about the activities and purposes of the people drawn on them.
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Active Faulting in Idaho
Students use CAD maps to explore active faults in Idaho. Through observation of maps, they explore the layers of the Quaternary and Holocene faults. Individually, or in groups, they identify characteristics of faults such as scarps,...
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Amusing Animal Adaptations
Learners identify how animals adapt characteristics to help them survive or reproduce. In this animal lesson, students draw pictures of their animal and adaptation.
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Water Taste Test
Students brainstorm the different characteristics of potable water. In this general science lesson, students test several water samples and hypothesize which samples and brands they are. They discuss where drinking water came from and...
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Termite Trails
Students observe the behavior of termites and draw conclusions about their behavior. They record data as to termite behavior and recognize elements in the experimental design which must include a hypothesis.
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Do You See What I See?
Students observe and describe different objects seen under a microscope and compare the individual perspectives of what was seen.
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Did You Say Water Bugs?
Second graders observe live specimens of aquatic insects in a water habitat. They study specimens from both moving and still water with the naked eye and a hand lens.
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Learning from Artifacts Uncovering Clues, Large and Small
Young scholars observe artifacts from Fort St. Louis at a website in order to make inferences about the people who lived there. They paint pottery in the style which might have been used by one of the cultural groups who inhabited the fort.
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What Can Be Done to Improve Ha'iku Town Shopping Areas?
Second graders examine different areas to determine how they can be improved. They observe and collect data concerning different problems and use a map to record their information. After analyzing the data, they develop possible...
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Cosmic Collisions and Risk Assessment
In groups, students create their own scientific impact experiments using ordinary materials, and observe and measure results with a variety of impacting bodies and velocities.
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Sounds Good To Me - Instrument Creation
Third graders differentiate between pitch and volume and explain how sound travels through different materials. They analyze sound waves for their basic characteristics. Students design an instrument based on the principles of sound...
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Soils are the Pits!
Students dig soil pits in order to observe soil features and the factors of soil formation and soil forming process. Students also examine the relationships among different soils in a series of soil pits.
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What Changes Occur When Ice Melts?
Students explore the physical process of melting. They observe melting ice and answer questions related to energy transfer during phase changes.
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Butterfly Life Cycle
Third graders investigate the life cycle and development of butterflies. They complete an online WebQuest, and write journal entries about their research information. Students create a poster, and observe real Painted Lady larvae...
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Science: Putting Down Roots
Fourth graders, in small groups, observe plants and note their characteristics. After drawing pictures of the plants, including their roots systems, they hypothesize in which environments the plants would best thrive. Finally, 4th...
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Back to the Bees (Tesselations)
Sixth graders observe the creation of a tessellation with hexagons. In groups, they work with polygons to discover what shapes can be used to create tessellations and explore the angle measurements of each shape. Using internet websites,...
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Insects
Students, through books, videos, and readings, explore characteristics of insects. In groups, they choose an insect to research. Students discover their insect's diet, how they move, and where they live. Afterwards, they use the facts...
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Cells, The Structural and Functional Units of Life
Pupils observe the general structure and organelles of plant and animal cells. Students prepare microscope slides of elodea, onion, check, and cork and identify the cells by size and shape as unicellular, multicellular, plant or animal.
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Geology: Rock Hounds
Second graders read Byrd Baylor's book, Everybody Needs a Rock. In small groups, they examine rocks and list their characteristics. After writing down the descriptions on cards, the rocks are pooled together. Students then use the...
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Still-Life Painting: Arranging Nature Lesson 3
Learners identify and analyze the characteristics of European still-life paintings. They paint still-life arrangements using various opaque medium techniques.