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Solar System

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students study space. In this solar system instructional activity, students discover the correct order of the planets and create a diagram showing this knowledge. They listen to the book A New View of the Solar System and then work in...
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Probes, Exploration & Application

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students explore how a surface can be described without seeing it.
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MONGOLIAN WOMEN - THEN AND NOW

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are introduced to the history of Mongolia. This is a general overview before going into the real detail of the instructional activity. The main focus is upon the development of the women of Mongolia and the major contributions...
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Finding Jupiter's Moons

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Students explore Jupiter's Moons. They calculate and predict the location of Jupiter's 4 large moons. In addition, they draw Jupiter with its moons correctly shown for the time of the observation.
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A DISAPPEARING ACT Astronomy: Do Stars Always Shine?

For Teachers 5th - 8th
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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Streamflow

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discuss the topic of streamflow and how it occurs. They take measurements and analyze them. They interpret data and create their own charts and graphs.
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Life in a Cup

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders make and maintain a mini terrarium. They keep a daily journal of what happens in their terrarium and record daily observations and measurements.
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Where Is That Place?

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students determine the difference between a country, state, and a city while recording the weather conditions for their school in Nebraska. They examine weather for another school in the state while practicing using weather equipment to...
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Is There Really Life on Mars?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the work of scientists and determine how they test their theories.
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It's So Sticky Outside That...

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the phases of the water cycle and water's different forms it can have. They work in groups to create pantomimes to illustrate the water cycle to their classmates.
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Everybody Needs a Rock

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders examine science non-fiction books in the 500 section of the media center. They listen to Byrd Baylor's, Everybody Needs a Rock, and write a sentence that tells why everyone does need a rock. They illustrate the sentence.
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The Undiscovered Planet

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students find a planetary object using star fields.  In this investigative lesson students determine the distance to an object using trigonometric parallax. 
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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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Dirty Pictures

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Students investigate how food, clothing and shelter come from soil after they examine soil from their own backyards. They map soils on the color wheel before making glue and soil pictures and tie-dying T-shirts in red soil.
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Waste Management

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students set up a recycling program in their school. They first estimate the kinds and amount of trash generated and brainstorm ways to reuse the recyclables and create flyers explaining how their program will work at the school.
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Sunscapes

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students share their observations of the Sun, then analyze images collected by NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. They create exhibitions for presentations.
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River Basin to Reservoirs: A Profile of the Kansas Republican River Basin and Reservoirs

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the role the river played in the settlement of towns in the basin. Student groups prepare an oral presentation on Milford Lake, Tuttle Creek Lake or Perry Lake.
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Into the Pond

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders use a pond to explore macroinvertebrates and other organisms. They use a dichotomous key to classify the organisms and maintain a journal recording their findings.
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Testing Soils for Garden Planting

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders collect soil samples and record the location of the samples by using GPS.
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Will It Rain Today or Tomorrow?

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students examine how to forecast weather. They examine the different types of weather and learn the correct vocabulary.
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Water and Land 207

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars examine maps of different projections, mathematically calculate distortions, and note the advantages and disadvantages of each map. They study the different maps and transfer the map to graph paper.
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Flower Power

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students view examples of Robert Harris' artwork to identify and describe the ecosystems in them. In groups, they work together to discuss how ecosystems breakdown and create solutions to keep this from happening. To end the lesson...
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Satellites

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore the history of space travel and satellites. Through a teacher demonstration, 8th graders observe how a satellite revolves another object. They identify natural and artificial satellites, explore how satellites...
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Weather Around the World

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students learn a few key weather terminology and a variety of climates through examining and recording weather characteristics in a variety of communities around the world.