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Science: Suddenly Snow
Students engage in snow-related activities during the first winter snowfall. After explaining the elements needed for it to snow, they preserve snowflakes on frozen slides and observe them under a microscope. Then, they write diamante...
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Excavating the Trash
Students look at a day's accumulation of recyclable trash from first through fifth grade classrooms, not knowing which classes it came from. After setting up a collection sheet for data, students remove items from the receptacle and...
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Snowflake Curve
Students develop an appreciation for complex structures in nature. They observe patterns in nature in relationship to the Real World. Students use observation skills to assist in problem solving. They show comprehension of the concepts...
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Aztec and Mayan Mythology
Sixth graders write myths to show tolerance in creation. They read from both the Aztec and Mayan eras and develop an understanding of the similarities and differences of these two closely related cultures. They track the travels of...
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Bats: Fact and Fiction
Students describe the characteristics and behaviors of bats. After viewing a video, they explain how bats use echolocation to navigate and how they find their young within a group. They list four misconceptions about the animal and...
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"Weather" or Not?
Students complete a three week unit about weather and how it affects our behavior. They read and discuss various books related to weather, conduct an experiment about the tilt of the earth, plan a field trip based on temperature,...
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ReQuest and Motor Imaging with My Side of the Mountain
Fifth graders read "My Side of the Mountain." They create a pantomime using vocabulary words from the story. Students create three questions about the reading. They discuss the passage they read and act out words to help them better...
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The Underground Railroad
Fourth graders participate in a literature circle after reading a book about the Underground Railroad. They discuss their selected book with their literature circle group, and complete a handout about their role in the circle. Students...
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Exploring the West Using Fiction
Students explore post Civil War development of the American West. They investigate the conflict among various groups involved in the settlement of the West and select a novel by a western writer and complete questions from the Exploring...
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1,000 Cranes Lesson Plan
Students improve their motor skills through cafeful folding, a discipline necessary in the practice of origami. They develop multicultural awareness by exploring Japanese history. Students improve their ability to follow directions...
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New York City Water Quality Assessment Project
Students investigate the chemistry of water and how its molecular structure supports life through its biochemcial, physical, and environmental roles. They investigate the quality of water as it interacts with the environment. Students...
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Cataracts of the Nile Reviewing Egyptian History
Middle schoolers investigate and answer questions about the people, places, and events of ancient Egypt and their contributions to world civilization. In small groups they participate in a game answering review questions about ancient...
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Chemical and Physical Changes
Students experiment, identify and apply the concepts of chemical and physical changes utilizing real-world examples. They discuss and model physical and chemical changes, answer guided questions and play a game that reinforces the...
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Building Staircases: Understanding Slope
Students recognize the importance of slope. They use blocks to model the slope of a line and calculate the slope of a line on a coordinate grid. Afterward, they describe objects they encounter in their everyday lives that have slopes.
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Building Fiction: Elements of a Short Story
Students define and interpret the elements found in a short story. Then they identify the elements of plot found in a short story. Students also apply knowledge of plot to an original work of fiction. Finally, they identify the...
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Dear Abby: A Direct and Indirect Characterization Lesson Plan
Students practice identifying and creating examples of characterization based on comprehension. They assess direct and indirect characterization and use conflict in a plot to generate a piece of writing. Each student selects accurate...
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Organizational Patterns: Comparison and Contrast Writing
Young scholars write an essay comparing and contrasting their school experiences. Through guided practice, they create an outline of their elementary school experience and middle school experience. Using their outlines, students...
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Reading the Periodic Table
Students explore the structure and function of the periodic table of elements. Though memorization drills and games, students working in pairs, identify the elements of the periodic table, their grouping, their properties and their...
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The Constitution
High schoolers identify, discuss and analyze the principles of the Constitution of the Unites States of America. They identify the four main principles of the Constitution and explain in detail the meaning and purpose of each of the four...
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The Egg "Airbag" Lab
Students use what they know about momentum and impulse to construct an effective "air bag" to protect an egg dropped from the top of the football stadium or other tall structure. They complete a final written report of their findings.
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Elmer the Elephant
Students read "Elmer" by David McKee. They answer comprehension questions and discuss how Elmer looks and how he is different from the elephants they see in the zoo. They complete a project in which they celebrate their individual...
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Continents and Critters
Students investigate and identify the continents of the world. They identify and locate the seven continents on a map, and label a coloring page of a world map. Students then conduct research on an assigned continent, and write and...
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Money
Students study the value of the penny, nickel, dime, quarter and dollar. They demonstrate how different coin combinations equal the same amounts of money and write money amounts using the decimal point and dollar sign. They try to...
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Puppetmania: Using Puppets in the Classroom
Learners create puppets to teach concepts such as history and weather. In this Puppetmania lesson, students manipulate their puppets to show a range of emotions, facial expressions, and actions. Learners design puppets and learn about...