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Curated OER

Lighting Our Way

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students read a variety of web-based articles to explore the history of human understanding of light. They investigate light waves and read about the work of Albert Einstein.
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Curated OER

From Above

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire and report information from a spacial perspective.
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Believe It...Or Not

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students critically analyze data regarding climate changes using a glossary of terms generated by examination of climate related articles. They examine and graph climatic data, and discuss, hypothesize and test apparent discrepancies in...
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Curated OER

Micro- To Macro- Environmental Air Quality Risk Survey

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the importance of air quality. In groups, students explore factors leading to poor air quality and methods of minimizing air pollution. Given a diagram of concentric circles, students survey their personal air quality...
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Endangered Organism Project

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine how different organisms meet the characteristics of life. They study specific endangered species and what caused their endangerment. They vcomplete a power point research project.
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Colour Me

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Students 'see' nature differently. They look closely to find the rainbow of colors found in a superficially-green dominated landscape. They find as many different colors as they can- selecting a color chip and matching it as...
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Curated OER

Daisyworld: Stella Mac or PC

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students investigate Daisyworld, a very simple planet that has only two species of life on its surface - white and black daisies, and bare ground. They construct a Stella model of Daisyworld and perform guided experiments to explore the...
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Curated OER

Windmill activity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore how to build an efficient windmill design by taking into account how the lift and drag caused by the movement of wind can be used to make the blades of the turbine move. Through their readings, hypothesis and by trail...
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Understanding Distance in Space

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students discover the vocabulary used for distances in space and review measurement units and instruments before creating a scale model of the planets. They determine how to calculate the relative distances between the planets using a...
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Needs and Wants

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students demonstrate responsible consumer choices. In this social studies lesson, students read The Lorax and discuss wants and needs. Students discuss how to save natural resources by making informed consumer choices.
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Life in Space: International Space Station

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars explore the potential challenges of living in space.  For this investigative lesson students search the Internet to locate 16 nations that are working together to build the Independent Space Station, then they divide into...
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Temperate Forests vs. Wetlands

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students compare and contrast the temperate forest and wetlands by researching them in groups. In this forest lesson plan, students identify the economic, ecological, and social benefits of each.
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Is Climate Change Really Happening?

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students explore the impact of global warming. In this oceanography lesson, students investigate global climate change and write reaction papers about their research findings.
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Scavenger Hunt

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students study a research telescope to obtain quantitative information about these objects. They use the SkyServer Navigation Tool to identify objects and record celestial coordinates. In addition, they associate star brightness and...
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Curated OER

Marine Animals on the Move

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students complete a project based on collecting satellite data aimed at finding connections between organisms and the environment. They create a final project working with a partner to share with the class.
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Survival in the Open Ocean

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students examine how scientists conduct pelagic research and identify pelagic predators as they study the open-ocean ecosystem. They discuss and conduct small group research of this environment in order to produce a presentation.
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Curated OER

Measuring the Diameter of Our Star

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students conduct an experiment to measure the diameter of the sun. In this astronomy lesson,  students construct a simple equipment to collect scientific data. They calculate the sun's diameter using a given formula.
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Three-dimensional cooperative modeling

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners explore what is present below the surface in order to drill into the ground and record the type of material that the drill brings to the surface. They discuss the benefits and drawbacks of distance communications. Students...
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Selecting a Harbor: Oceanography and the Impact of Oil Spills

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students work together to determine a new site for a harbor. Using the Internet, they research the impact of an oil spill on the oceans and wildlife. They present their findings to the class and a solution to the problem.
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Bridges

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders use model-building to help comprehend the forces and phenomena at work in the world around them. They describe gravity as a universal force that pulls everything toward the center of the earth. Students distinguish between...
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Mapping the Local Community

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students review the symbols and legends of a map. In groups, they follow a set of directions to create a map showing the route to a specific place. They present their map to the class and review the basic components of a community.
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Creatures from Planet X: Spiders

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students are given a description of some fascinating animals from "Planet X". They follow the descriptions given to illustrate one of these animals paying careful attention to introduced vocabulary such as 'appendages', 'receptors', and...
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Field Research Project: Comparing the Parent Rock Material of the San Francisco Terranes With Local Soil Types

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students investigate rocks and minerals and take a field trip to sample soils. They analyze rocks and soil, research the geological terrenes of the topology of San Francisco, and produce a lab research report.