Curated OER
Designing a Study
Students explore features to consider when designing a scientific study. For this science research lesson, students examine different methods of data collection and consider which method would be appropriate for determining how many...
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Ocean Life Lesson Plans
Students learn about life in the ocean with lessons that connect science, art, and environmental topics.
Chicago Botanic Garden
Are You Bigfoot?
Scholars independently explore several websites to calculate their ecological footprint. Using their new found knowledge, they answer six short-answer questions and take part in a grand conversation with their peers about how...
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True North, Magnetic North
Young scholars explain why compass angles need to be corrected for regional magnetic variation. They observe the difference between magnetic and true north. Each student measures the angle of variation for a town in a different state.
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Continental Drift
Be sure to come prepared to discuss the theory of Pangaea and the two super-continents, Laurasia and Gondwanaland. Collaborative learners look for fossil evidence that supports the theory that one super-continent divided into two. They...
Google
Create Your Own Google Logo
You'll have oodles of Google Doodles. Scholars create their own Google logos using the Scratch coding program. After watching videos on how to add blocks of code in Scratch, they use their newfound knowledge to design a logo based on a...
Polar Trec
Mini-Ocean Bathymetric Mapping Research Cruise
Middle or high schoolers transform into oceanographers in a week-long simulation. To begin, each group follows directions to create a model of the ocean floor with specified features. Next, the groups prepare to set sail on a research...
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A Design You’ll Dig: Designing a Habitat for Worms
Students discover how worms contribute to the balance of the environment. In this composting lesson, students study the composting and decomposition processes. Students then create habitats for worms that allow them to do their jobs.
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Biggest Trees in the United States
Young scholars use the Internet (or printed sources) to locate information. They fill in missing information on a graphic organizer (chart) and use the data to answer questions. The research skills help students to develop higher order...
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Weather and Wind
Students study wind and its effect on weather. In this investigative activity students write a report on wind and weather and create a movement sequence.
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New Year Celebrations Around the World
Students share their New Year's traditions, then read a news article about how people around the world celebrate the start of a new year. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and vocabulary...
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A Moving Experience
Learners visit Time Machine's San Francisco Earthquake Era. They understand how the Earth's layers interact to cause changes in the Earth's surface. They review information about earthquakes and Earth's layers.
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Dark Matter In The Universe
Students investigate the concept of dark matter and how it occurs in the universe. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Students use the information by reading at least two articles about dark matter. They also generate...
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Volcanoes A-Z
Students examine terminology related to the study of volcanoes, geology, or the ecosystems that surround them. They make note of key words while reading exhibits, interpretive signs, or labels, or hearing them from each other, their...
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Analyzing the Relationship between Snowpack and River Flow
Students use the Internet to research current and past snowpack levels and river gauging station readings. They determine the relationship between snowpack and river flow. They predict future river flow.
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Geology and it’s Influence
Students compare current geological map and the one from 1800's. In this earth science lesson, students discuss differences between the two and explain the factors that caused the change. They write an essay about how these changes...
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Worms in a Bottle
Students gain a better understanding of the worm and its role in the recycling of organic materials into simpler forms by constructing worm bottles and observing for 60 to 90 days.
Curated OER
A DISAPPEARING ACT Astronomy: Do Stars Always Shine?
Learners observe why stars are not visible during the day with a classroom demonstration using an index card punched with holes.
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Third from the Sun
Students examine images from space. In this third from the Sun lesson plan, students examine images from, Landsat, the satellite launched by NASA in 1972.
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The Phases of the Moon
Students view an applet to study the phases of the Moon in relation to the orientation of the sun, moon, and Earth.
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The Formation of Soil
Middle schoolers identify the different components that make up soil. For this earth science lesson, students create a pamphlet for next year's class. They analyze how erosion and weathering shape the Earth.
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Solar Storms
Students investigate the cycles of solar activity. They plot the solar activity and use the graph to answer a number of questions and explain the relationship between the solar storms and sunspots and the impact on earth and space travel.
Curated OER
Rock Cycle
Students explain the processes involved in the rock cycle. In this earth science lesson, students identify the different kinds of rocks. They complete a worksheet during the activity.