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Geography and Architecture
Students discuss how terrain and climate affect the design of houses and commercial structures and thus influence the way architects design buildings in this elementary lesson plan.
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Fujiyama
Students examine and discuss Mt. Fuji (Fujiyama) and its effect on the culture and philosophy of Japan. This high school lesson is ideal for a Social Studies, Humanities, or Asian Studies class.
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Books for Teaching Dinosaurs
Students investigate dinosaurs through books. In this lesson about dinosaurs, students read a variety of books about dinosaurs. Students become familiar with dinosaurs through reading about them. Students learn that reading is...
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What's Crackin' Under New Zealand
Students construct a model of the Earth using clay and oranges. In this earth science instructional activity, students explain the causes of earthquakes and volcanic activity. They write their findings in their science journal.
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Learning from history: can it save lives?
Students research and document lessons learned from this disaster, then compile and synthesize information. They write effectively for public education purposes and use visual communications tools
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Malia
Fourth graders begin their examination of the Hawaiian Islands. Using their island bookmarks from a previous lesson, they work together to put the information into a book. They identify the physical and human characteristics of the...
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ESL Natural Disasters Matching Worksheet
In this ESL natural disasters worksheet, students examine small pictures. They match the pictures with the words that name them such as an avalanche, a hail storm, a drought, and a volcano.
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Using MY NASA DATA to Determine Volcanic Activity
Students explore how aerosols are used in science to indicate volcanic activity and how biomass burning affects global aerosol activity. Students access data and import into MS Excel using graphical data to make inferences and draw...
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Plate Tectonics
Curious kids examine plate tectonics and give examples of their movement. They recognize how plates change the Earth through video, and web-based articles. In small groups, they receive complete a tectonics puzzle by silently switching...
Space Race
Sensory Detectives
Test your learners' sensory awareness with three hands-on activities that ask pupils to use their other senses to identify and describe everyday objects hidden from sight.
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Natural Disaster
Describe how plate tectonics account for various land formations. Learners discuss different marine sanctuaries and create a poster about tectonic activity in these areas. They share their posters with the class.
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Glaciers and Ice Wedging
Fourth graders observe and identify a variety of weathering and geological activities in the area in which they live. This focuses primarily on what happened during the Ice Age, and how, even today, glaciers are shaping and re-shaping...
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Erosion in Different Soils
Fourth graders observe and identify the effects of weathering and geological activities. They take part in an excellent hands-on group activity called "Erosion Race," in which each group tries to simulate erosion of soil in the quickest...
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Weathering and Erosion
Fourth graders take a look at the effects of weathering and other geologic activities found in the environments in which they live. Along with a guided geologic walk outside of campus, there is also an effective in-class demonstration of...
Polar Trec
Polar Detectives: Using Ice Core Data to Decode Past Climate Mysteries
How does examining an ice core tell us about weather? Learners set up and explore fake ice cores made of sugar, salt, and ash to represent historical snowfall and volcanic eruptions. From their setups, scholars determine what caused the...
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This Is Tanzania
Students study the volcanic history and the wildlife of Tanzania. They examine how most Tanzanians live on a subsistence agricultural economy.
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The Rain Forest of Costa Rica
Fifth graders examine and discuss the topography, climate, natural resources and artwork of Costa Rica. They develop a diagram of the layers of the rain forest, and design a tourist brochure or advertisement promoting Costa Rica's...
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American Journeys: Right Place, Right Time
Sixth graders measure distances on a map using string and a ruler. They complete mathematical word problems about measurement.
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Geology Rocks
Students discuss information relating to Illinois geology. They examine top mineral resources in Illinois to find detailed information about geodes and where they can be found. Students complete geode lab to explore external structure of...
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Cruising the Mantle
Students explore the plate boundaries of the earth. Through the use of video, internet and hands-on activities, students examine the types of plate boundaries. They create a model to illustrate the movement and interaction of the...
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Rock Solid
Students investigate the three types of material stress related to rocks. They watch a PowerPoint Presentation, view an online animation of the three types of rock stress, identify the various types of rocks, answer true or false...
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Chemical Changes and Biscuits
Fourth graders investigate chemical changes in everyday life settings, such as cooking. They investigate leavening which is one of the classic chemical changes that people experience. Pupils observe leavening in biscuits with the...
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Exploring the World's Geography
Students discuss the seven continents of Earth and the diverse geography. After discussion, they create their own paper-mache globes which properly display all seven continents, the equator, and the prime meridian. They conduct research...
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Mastering the Keyboard
Sixth graders view an animated program showing how the continents fit together millions of years ago. In groups, they compare and contrast the distribution of rocks and fossils based on how the continents fit together. After reading a...