Lesson Plan
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Jackie Gore

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students identify the amount of heat given off by solar energy. In this solar energy lesson, students complete an experiment using soil and sand measuring the heat from solar energy.
Lesson Plan
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Make It Rain!

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students complete an experiment. In this precipitation lesson plan, students complete an activity where they make rain in a jar.
Lesson Plan
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Is the Hudson River Too Salty to Drink?

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students explore reasons for varied salinity in bodies of water. In this geographical inquiry lesson plan, students use a variety of visual and written information including maps, data tables, and graphs, to form a hypothesis as to why...
Lesson Plan
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Redefining an Earthquake

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders build an "Earthquake Machine" (a manipulative model of a fault line) and use it to explore stick-slip behavior of some faults and to develop a more accurate definition of an earthquake and its causes.
Worksheet
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Using Rocks and Ores Worksheet

For Students 9th - 12th
In this chemistry activity, students answer 15 short answer questions about rocks and ores. They explore write balanced chemical reactions from word equations given.
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 instructional activity students complete experiments to model the separation of light.
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Friendly Volcanoes

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Young scholars discuss the benefits of volcanic activity on marine life. They explain the process of tectonic plates.
Lesson Plan
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I Robot, Can Do That

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine how underwater robots can be used to assist scientific explorations. They read and discuss an article, conduct Internet research, complete a worksheet, and present an oral report.
Lesson Plan
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A Study of Your Domestic Water Supply

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students create a diagram that traces the path of a raindrop from its source into the water supply for their house and back to the environment. They also diagram the processes that occur in a sewage treatment and water treatment plant.
Lesson Plan
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The Tides-Ups and Downs

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate tidal patters and the forces that cause the tides. In this tidal lesson plan, students explore and research the tides and complete 43 questions about the causes of the tides, how they are monitored and measured and...
Lesson Plan
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Getting to the Core of Climate Change

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Young scholars investigate climate changes by graphing and analyzing ice core data from Greenland and Antarctica. They create, explain and report the pattern of data on a graph of ice core data. In addition they find relationships...
Lesson Plan
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Cloudy With a Chance of...

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders will write a story. In this writing and meteorology activity, 2nd graders read the story Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, then use KidPix to create a weather picture. The picture is imported into a word processor and the...
Lesson Plan
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Mr. and Miss Big Feet

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders experiment with gravitational force. In this physical science lesson plan, 3rd graders send matchbox cars off a ramp while changing the amount of weight attached to the car. Students record their data and discuss the results.
Lesson Plan
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Study of Fossils

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders dig for fossils. In this fossil lesson, 5th graders read about the oldest found fossils and discuss the process of fossilization. They dig for their own fossils in a fossil box made of several dirt layers. 
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Guardians of Eden

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students understand the definition of a guardian and the role of the guardian in caring for something. For this Garden of Eden lesson, students examine how a guardian takes care of a garden. Students complete worksheets on being a...
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Timeline of Extreme Weather Events

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students research and chart extreme weather events on a timeline. In this extreme weather lesson, students interview older people who have experienced extreme weather events. Students complete a worksheet based on the information of the...
Lesson Plan
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Exploring National Marine Sanctuaries

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Young scholars research marine ecosystems by creating class presentations.  For this oceanography lesson, students research the different locations of marine sanctuaries by identifying them on a transparency map in class....
Lesson Plan
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Simple Machines: Pulleys

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students observe and analyze how pulleys work and how a double pulley can make work easier. In small groups they use a fixed pulley system and a double pulley system and draw a picture of how their pulley system functions. Students...
Lesson Plan
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Clip the Face

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discover the moon's phases and the rarity of eclipses. In this lunar lesson, students view a video titled Spin Around the Solar System: A Moon Dance, which demonstrates the key differences between a lunar and solar eclipse....
Lesson Plan
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Burning Up! A Look at Global Warming

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students investigate global warming. In this global warming lesson, students watch movies about global warming, discuss problems in their local community and see how communities have changed over time. Students realize the importance of...
Lesson Plan
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Keeping Watch on Coral Reefs

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the dangers Coral Reefs face by investigating satellite images.  In this environmental protection instructional activity, students utilize the Internet to discover the types of satellites and sensors used to...
Lesson Plan
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Cloud Fun

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students observe cumulus clouds. In this weather lesson, students go outside to look at cumulus clouds and observe what the weather is like when they find these types of clouds. They create a cumulus cloud in an art project and complete...
Lesson Plan
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Places on the Planet: Latitude and Longitude

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students locate different places on globes and maps by learning about latitude and longitude lines. In this latitude and longitude lesson plan, students identify specific locations based on the degrees of latitude and longitude.
Lesson Plan
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An Oceanographic Proxy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students conduct experiments on a sample of sea water. In this oceanography lesson plan, students inquire how conductivity is used to approximate the salinity ocean water. Students construct their own conductivity meters and test...