Lesson Plan
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Mud Fossils

For Teachers K - 4th
Students observe real fossils. In this science lesson, students make their own mud fossils by pressing material into the mud and letting it dry in the sun for 3-4 days. Students then get the fossils out displaying their mud...
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The Physical Environment

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders use damp sand, a baking pan, and water to simulate erosion. In this erosion lesson plan, 4th graders participate in a simulation to show what moving water does to land.
Lesson Plan
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Changes Inside Planets

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the concept of planetary differentiation. They complete an experiment to simulate it using gelatin and food. The lesson includes vocabulary to increase reading comprehension skills as part of the inquiry. The lesson...
Lesson Plan
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Investigation 6 - Soil Profile

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study the components of soil. They observe the basic components of soil and relate the components to plant growth. They record color, texture, and kinds of materials on their profile log (light color, denser, grittier -...
Lesson Plan
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Changes Inside Planets

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students relate meteorites to the mantle and crust of asteroids.  In this planetary lesson students complete experiments to model the separation of light.
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Excavate and Explore

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Learners simulate an archeological excavation to explain how archeologists identify, date, and make inferences about their findings. They explain the importance of spatial and stratigraphic contexts in archaeology.
Lesson Plan
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Capillary Action and Adhesion

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students perform classroom experiments to observe adhesion. They perform a second experiment using sand, salt, water, and a heat lamp to observe the principle of capillary action. They also experiment with adhesion in plants.
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Rocks and Soil

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore the physical properties of rocks. They explore the three different types of rocks and are able to compare and contrast their different properties. Students simulate the creation of sedimentary rock, they also...
Lesson Plan
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Rocks

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine how sedimentary rocks are formed.  In this rock lesson students research different rock formations and different types of rock. 
Lesson Plan
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Earthquakes

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students inspect the causes and effects of earthquakes and examine how seismic waves travel. In this earthquake lesson, students determine where earthquakes happen and why, before determining how to build an earthquake resistant...
Lesson Plan
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Making a Cave

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students discuss caves. In this science lesson, students experiment with how dissolution, a chemical weathering process, leads to the formation of caves. Once the cave is finsihed students draw a picture or describe in writing what it...
Lesson Plan
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Geology with Peanut Butter and Jelly

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students will enjoy smashing the two tectonic sandwich plates together in faulting and compression fashions! They may even desire to capture their instructional destruction in a slideshow.
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What's In A Name

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders read Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. They then discuss where various names come from. They create a individualized biopoem and publish it on word processing software. Their poems are compiled into a class book and presented...
Worksheet
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Geothermal Energy Crossword Puzzle

For Students 6th - 8th
In this geothermal energy crossword puzzle worksheet, students use the 17 clues to help them correctly complete the crossword puzzle.    
Lesson Plan
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Investigation 2 - Classifying Rocks

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders identify basic properties of minerals and rocks. They access websites and utilize worksheets imbedded in this lesson plan to further their understanding of rock classification.
Lesson Plan
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Working for Water

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Learners examine the ways that government works to help improve aquatic habitats. In this water habitats instructional activity students view a video and plan a school restoration project. 
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Structural Geology Laboratory

For Teachers K - 12th
Learners explore modeling of geologic structures in experiments. They study how compressive and tensile forces produce these structures. The compression makes the flatlying strata shorter and tension make the strata longer.
Worksheet
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Direct Quotations

For Students 3rd - 4th
In this quotation worksheet, students use quotation marks as a form of punctuation. Students complete 22 short answer questions filling in the correct punctuation wherever necessary and completing 4 multiple choice questions choosing...
Lesson Plan
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Volcano!-Thar She Blows!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils describe how volcanoes are formed. They name the types of boundaries where volcanoes occur. They utilize models to illustrate the occurence of volcanoes and earthquakes along plate boundaries. They compare and constrast the...
Worksheet
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Moving Continents

For Students 6th - 12th
In this moving continents worksheet, students review the different types of plate boundaries, what causes earthquakes, and where volcanoes are formed. This worksheet has 10 fill in the blank and 9 short answer questions.
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Quiz: Weather Terminology #2

For Teachers 3rd
For this science worksheet, 3rd graders focus on the weather. Students respond to ten fill in the blank questions regarding weather terminology.
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A Hydrothermal Adventure

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students analyze hydrothermal vents. In this hydrothermal vents lesson plan, students discover the effects of hydrothermal vents on tectonic plates. Students make model hydrothermal vents to understand how they form and operate.
Worksheet
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Water Words Puzzle

For Students 5th - 8th
In this water worksheet, students fill in the blanks to a crossword puzzle having to do with water words. Students complete 25 blanks in the crossword.
Organizer
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ESL: Environmental Problems

For Students 4th - 6th
In this ESL environmental problem worksheet, students work with a partner to explain a set of terms, then divide a set of words that have to do with the environment into syllables.