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Exploring Indiana's Natural Resources
Fourth graders complete a variety of activities as they study the European exploration of the Midwest, focusing on Indiana. They map the path explorers took, comparing the British with the French. They research why the explorers stopped...
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Sky and Cloud Windows
Young scholars monitor the weather, clouds, and sky. In this weather lesson, students create a sky and cloud window to focus their sky observations. They write observations in a notebook and include the date, time, cloud cover, types of...
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Magnetism
Students study magnetism. In this science lesson, students participate in an activity to discover how electrons in a magnet move. Students identify items around the classroom that are magnetic.
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and and Ocean Views of Earth by Remote Sensing
Students explain how satellites help scientists to see more than with the unaided eye and how Landsat technology works. Students identify vegetation and fire sites in the rainforest and detect erosion along rivers. They are able to use...
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Looking at The Force on a Vehicle
Learners build a vehicle following technical drawings. They set up a system to pull the vehicles. Students compare and discuss how the motion of the vehicles changes more or less weight on a string is used to pull them.
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What Shape Is It?
Young scholars predict the shape of an unknown object by bouncing a ball on it. In this physics lesson, students relate this activity to how dolphins use echo-location to navigate. They analyze their lab result and discuss findings.
American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture
Welcome to My American Farm!
Take a step into the virtual farm world and explore the impact farming has on our everyday eating habits. Future farmers discover the meaning of agriculture and the hard work that goes into providing food for us to enjoy. A computer...
DiscoverE
Keep-a-Cube
Waxed paper, newspaper, or aluminum foil? Keeping an ice cube from melting may require one or more of these materials. Learners design a box that will provide insulation so an ice cube stays intact for at least 90 minutes.
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Classifying Living Things
Students identify how to classify living things. They classify various concepts including family members, kinds of clothing, numbers, shapes, and vocabulary words. They discuss how to classify various concepts and classify pictures of...
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Mineral Identification
Students investigate the environment by examining mineral characteristics. In this mineral lesson, students perform scientific observations in groups in which they identify minerals found in everyday objects by using a...
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Decomposers- Nurse Logs
Students investigate temperate forest ecosystems. In this environmental activity, students discover different forms of decomposition and its effect on the environment.
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Air -- Is It Really There?
Students work together to perform simple experiments discovering the properties of air. They share their results with their classmates. They examine how engineers use the properties of air to clean the air of pollutants.
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Balloonautics
Students are introduced to basic aerodynamics through a discussion of thrust and drag and a hands-on activity. They examine the forces of thrust, drag, air pressure, aerodynamic shapes and Newton's Third Law Of Motion.
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Properties of Air
Fourth graders participate in a demonstration lesson using bubbles in which they determine that air fills the bubbles. Next, they work in small groups as they they experiment with the properties of air at separate work stations. After...
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Discussion of Adaptation
Students discuss ways in which dinosaurs adapted to their environments. They apply the same logic to an analysis of human habitat, survival needs, and survival need fulfillment to explain how people have adapted to their environment.
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Compare Fabric Materials
Students identify different fabrics and their properties. They test and observe the fabrics and record their results. They suggest differnet uses for them. They discover how engineers want to design products that are durable.
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Healing Fallen Warriors
Students read ancient Greek texts to explore evidence for healing wounds and compare ancient healing practices to those of modern times.
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Breaking it Down
Students discover how water expands when frozen during a glacier. In this matter lesson, students fill a glass jar with water, leaving no room for air in the jar and place it in the freezer. Students retrieve the jar and notice the...
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Build A Tree
Students study the different parts of a tree and the significance of each part. In this build a tree lesson, students use role-playing theater to reinforce what they are learning. Students use their imagination to become tree parts...
Michigan Sea Grant
Fish Habitat and Humans
Strict habitat requirements are needed for the survival of fish populations and fish variety in the Great Lakes. Young scientists become experts in the basic needs of fish and understand how survival necessities can vary with different...
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Journal of the Stars
Students receive balloons representing the "Life Cycle of the Stars." As the attached script is read, students follow the directions for the color of balloon they are given. Students chart the results for their star. They plot data from...
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Winter Survival
Students examine what animals need in order to survive. In this investigative lesson students play a "role" of an animal in winter.
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Magnetism and Electricity Vocabulary Quiz
In this magnetism and electricity instructional activity, students match vocabulary words on the left with definitions on the right. Worksheet is labeled as a quiz, but may be used for review/practice.
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Animal Habitats
Students explore animal lifestyles by researching their characteristics. For this animal habitat lesson, students read the story Over in the Jungle and analyze the animal illustrations in the book. Students create clay animal characters...