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Kansas Land
Fourth graders discover the geographic regions of Kansas. In this geography lesson, 4th graders explore the different regions of Kansas and determine how the different geography affects daily life in Kansas.
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Investigation 2 - Classifying Rocks
Fourth graders identify basic properties of minerals and rocks. They access websites and utilize worksheets imbedded in this lesson to further their understanding of rock classification.
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Creatures of the Sea
Fourth graders complete a two-month long unit on the physical characteristics of the oceans and animal environments. They create a "Creatures of the Sea" alphabet book in collaboration with a kindergarten class, conduct Internet...
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Ecosystem Food Web Mural
Learners create a food web mural about an ecosystem of the freshwater marsh. For this food web lesson plan, students write about the organisms and how each one depends on another.
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Preventing Hypothermia
Students identify the causes of hypothermia. In this biology lesson, students investigate the different types of heat transfer and heat loss. They discuss several practical measures to avoid hypothermia.
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Forest Decomposition
Students explore decomposition. Students define and describe components of the decomposition process. Students make a composter in a terrarium. Students record observations and changes weekly, drawing conclusions about the results...
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Comparing Deciduous and Evergreen Trees
Students investigate nature by identifying different plants and trees. For this environmental field trip, students participate in a British Columbia expedition in which they identify cedar, pine, hemlock and Douglas fir trees. Students...
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Short Story Lesson Plan
Young scholars read and discuss the short story, "The McWilliamses and the Burglar Alarm," by Mark Twain. They assume the role of the main characters in the story and write a humorous letter of complaint using a business letter format....
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Go To The Head of the Cloud
Students pretend they are water droplets traveling through the water cycle. Using their text, they discover the steps in the cycle and the different paths water can take. They write a report about their journey through the water cycle...
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Amazon Food Chain
Explore food chains in the Amazon Rainforest using this resource. Learners discuss the predator vs. prey relationships in the food chain. Then, they create a food web to describe this relationship. This is a simple and effective way to...
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Keep Spreading the News
Young scholars examine the significance of communication in an engineer's life. They develop a list of ways engineers communicate with others, and write a book, newspaper, or story about engineers' role in the environment.
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LESSON PLANS (print version) pdf What is a Fossil?
Students can better explain how mould and cast fossils occur when they make their own cast fossils using plaster of Paris and objects such as shells, bone or even their own hand or footprint.
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Creating an Original Opera
Students research the lyrical and dramatic structure of opera through Internet sources and audio examples, cooperatively discuss elements of opera stories vs. their own lives and create one-act opera based on their own life experiences.
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What Plants Need in Order to Survive and Grow: Light
Students conduct an experiment to evaluate whether plants need light to survive and grow. They observe and gather data about plant responses to different growth regimes, analyze the data, and make conclusions about basic plant needs.
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What Plants Need in Order to Survive and Grow: Soil
Students conduct an experiment to evaluate whether plants need soil to survive and grow. They plant two seeds, one with soil and one without, make predictions, and record and analyze the seed germination results on a worksheet.
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Garbage Plants
Students create plants out of garbage. They identify items that can be recycled and discuss natural resources. They share their creation with the class.
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Finding Captain Hook's Treasure
Students use their map-reading skills to find Captain Hook's treasure. They see how the directions on a map correspond with "real-life" directions, and that symbols on a map represent real things.
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Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree…You Might Become Famous
Students explore Newton's laws using CEENBoTs. In this physics lesson plan, students collect data and create tables and graphs. They calculate speed, acceleration and forces using mathematical formulas.
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Habitat Choice in Woodbugs
Students investigate woodbugs. In this scientific investigation activity, students explore the steps scientists take when conducting an investigation using live specimens. Students explore habitat preferences for woodbugs in various...
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Exploring Fish Anatomy and Commercial Fishing Gear
Students investigate commercial fishing by exploring the technical methods. In this environmental lesson, students identify the fish that are most commonly consumed by humans and trace their path from ocean to plate. Students...
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Something's Fishy
Fourth graders identify parts of a fish. In this fish anatomy lesson, 4th graders identify parts of fish in a group setting and then complete a worksheet about the parts of a fish.
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Whales
Students study the history of whales. In this whale lesson plan, students research two types of whales, color a tile, and write a one page paper. The tiles may be combined to make a group picture.
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Bats Migrate South
Students examine the life of bats in Illinois. Using the internet, they research the history of the bat in Illinois and describe the way they find prey by using echolocation. They report their findings to the class and answer any...
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Amazing Bird Adaptions--Why Am I A Bird?
Fourth graders identify and classify birds found in Illinois. Using the internet, they discover how birds have adapted over time and how the adaptations have increased their life span. They compare and contrast the various adaptations...