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Why Do We Have Night?
Learners engage in a fun, creative way to discover how the Earth moves. This lesson helps students explain why there is day and night. It can also create curiosity to further study the solar system and eclipses!
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Elementary Concepts in Heat
Third graders read a thermometer with accuracy, record observations and data, and infer conceptual meaning. They integrate mathematical charting and graphing skills to organize their data. They explore what happens when they touch or use...
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Urban Life: What Lives in Our Schoolyard?
Students research living organisms by exploring their school grounds. In this microscopic observation lesson, students gather materials, insects, and objects from their playground and schoolyard and bring them into class. Students...
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Capturing Light: The Science of Photography
Students explore light, and how it travels in straight path, recognize that light-sensitive chemical processes can be used to create images using light as catalyst, discover that light can be refracted by convex lens to focus camera,...
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Combating Corrosion
Study corrosion on bronze statues with a hands-on activity. As pupils place a penny in water with salt, they observe the changes in the penny throughout a period of a week. They then analyze the pre-conservation and the...
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I Can Preserve My Planet
Students explore renewable and nonrenewable resources. In this ocean preservation lesson, students use KWL charts to understand ways the ocean is important to our daily lives. Students create a poster or wirte a letter to someone...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Scale Models
With instructions to adapt the activities for any grade K-12, any teacher can incorporate the concept of scale into the classroom with a simple, yet effective lesson.
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Fable Writing - Interdisciplinary Approach to Social Sciences
Before writing their own fables, class members select an animal or insect to use in their story and research its character, habits, movements, etc. After reading a wide variety of fables and identifying the elements of a fable, writers...
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Ask a NASA Engineer
Students develop questions to ask a NASA engineer to email them. After emailing the quesitons to the volunteer, the answers are sent to the class via the same method. To end the lesson, they formulate more questions and repeat the process.
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Marine Habitats of Galveston Island
Four lessons introduce elementary ecologists to salt marsh and sandy beach habitats. In the first lesson, they place shells and other materials in vinegar to determine if they contain calcium carbonate. In the second lesson, they read a...
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Buoyant Behavior
Combine science and literature with this instructional activity on buoyancy. Read There's an Ant in Anthony by Bernard Most to examine words containing the letters a, n, and t. Then introduce your class to the word "buoyant."...
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The Water Cycle: States of Water
Elementary schoolers explore states of matter by concentrating on the ways in which water moves between its solid, liquid, and gaseous states in a variety of Earth environments. Learners interpret these movements through dance. The...
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TV Weather Announcers
Elementary schoolers collect and record weather data for their local area using data from newspapers, Web sites, and television reports. The read and record data daily, and groups prepare a presentation on their findings for the entire...
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When Disaster Strikes: Flooding in Pakistan
Young scholars complete various activities after reading about flooding in Pakistan. For this lesson on humanitarian efforts, students read about flooding that occurred in Pakistan, discuss what they have read, and synthesize the...
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Science Fair Projects
Coming up with ideas for Science Fair projects might seem daunting, but there are many lessons that can get students on the right track.
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Exploring the Science of Water in Art: Water Cycle Lesson Plans
Water cycle lesson plans provide an opportunity for teachers to collaborate, and students to discuss this important resource.
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What Does Life Look Like Under a Microscope?
Young scholars discover cells make up all living things. In this life science instructional activity, students investigate living organisms and the cells that create them. Finally the young scholars create a testable question, conduct an...
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Air Exerting Pressure
Students explore air pressure. In this science lesson plan, students show how air occupies space and exerts pressure and learn how great the effects of air pressure can be.
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Constellation Companions
Learners identify constellations and the characteristics of the stars that compose them. In this space science lesson, students view depictions of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor in the book Astronomical Micelleny. Learners create their own...
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What is Matter?
Students create a definition of matter. In this physical science lesson, students work in pairs to sort items printed on cards into several categories (matter, non-matter, and unsure) and agree on a definition of matter.
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Comparing Different Types of Corn
Students explore different types of corn. In this science lesson, students compare sweet corn, field corn and Indian corn. Students gather specific information. Additionally, students discuss their findings.
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Data Sampling
Students discover data sampling. In this science lesson plan, students explore data sampling and turn the data collected into useful information by making graphs and using them to solve problems.
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Animal Life Cycles
Students participate in numerous activities to gather information about parts of the life cycle. In this life science lesson, the teacher choose from a number of activities to create or support an interdisciplinary unit about the life...
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Living and Non-Living
Students discover the basic needs of life. In this science lesson plan, students explore how all living things need air, water, food and shelter