Curated OER
The Water Cycle: Revising the Drafts
Learners explore states of matter by concentrating on the ways in which water moves between its solid, liquid, and gaseous states in a variety of Earth environments familiar to the students. Learners represent these movements in dance.
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Science: Discovering Sharks
Young scholars incorporate some basic information regarding ocean life and ecological conservation into their "earth watch" lives.
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Studying the ABC's of the Environment
Third graders choose a letter of the alphabet and find an environmental topic to research that begins with the same letter. They prepare an article and illustration about their topic and compile them into a class environmental alphabet...
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No Escape
Via four student handouts, marine biology learners examine the topography and circulation cell of the Fieberilng guyot. Then they examine the number of individual hydroids counted at each depth. Pupils use the information to relate water...
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The Grand Canyon
Fourth graders study the Grand Canyon. They research the Grand Canyon and locate the Colorado River on the map of Arizona. They discuss erosion and read how sedimentary rock was formed. They view photographs of the Grand Canyon and...
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Environment" The Mining Cycle
Young scholars explore the world of mining and explain its importance in daily life. After describing how companies search for mineral deposits, they examine the environmental consequences of mining as well as the positive aspects. The...
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Fancy Packaging
Youngsters consider the amount of packaging used in manufacturing food and follow its travels through to the landfill. They brainstorm ways in which to reduce packaging and take a survey at home to evaluate ways they could reduce trash.
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Water Magic
Young scholars conduct experiments with ice, water and steam to observe the water cycle. They discuss substances that water accumulates from the Earth as it moves through its cycle.
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Phases of the Moon
Students read "The Moon Seems to Change" and conduct an experiment with oranges to demonstrate the phases of the moon. They write about the experiment and describe each phase of the moon.
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Erosion
Fifth graders study what erosion is, what causes it, and ways to slow its progress. They complete an experiment that depicts soil moving down a slope as water is poured on it to show how moving water erodes land. Next, they observe...
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We All Need Trees
Students complete a guessing game. In this tree products instructional activity, students view various household items and try to determine if they were made from trees. They discuss their findings and then read books about trees.
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No Magic Borders: Haleakala Style
Students discuss borders and boundaries. They discuss pollution and the fact that boundaries cannot stop pollution and that pollution affects even protected wildlife and plants. They participate in an activity in which they must place...
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The Phases of the Moon
Students observe the questions, "Why do we say there is a man on the moon?, What do you think of when you hear "the moon is made of cheese"?, What is meant, to you, by the expression "Once in a blue moon"? and a comic of Snoopy typing,...
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The Nitrogen Cycle
Fifth graders investigate the nitrogen cycle and examine the concepts of decomposition and nitrification. Students participate in a class discussion about the creation of waste and ammonia compounds, then using nitrogen cycle cut-outs...
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Agents of Erosion
Fourth graders explore the agents of erosion. They observe rocks that are rough and unweathered and record observations. They investigate rocks rubbed with sandpaper and ones that are not and the effects that the sandpaper has on the...
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Properties of Soil
Fourth graders conduct investigations to test different types of soil from different regions of Texas. They make comparisons and identify the characteristics of the soil. The end product of the inquiry is a student report.
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Eagle Creek Park (A Hike)
Students plot a hiking course using aerial photos and a topographic overlay and find the latitude and longitude of absolute locations. They measure the total distance of a hiked area and figure the area of the ground walked using Heron's...
Polar Trec
Create a Topographic Profile of Beacon Valley
Landforms in Beacon Valley, Antarctica, where there is no snow, bear a striking resemblance to landforms found on Mars. Scholars identify landforms found in Beacon Valley through analysis of topographic maps in the activity. They then...
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Heating the Atmosphere
Students construct a thermograph for maximum and minimum temperatures for the 2-week period. They illustrate how the earth's atmosphere is heated by convection and conduction currents and evaporation of water.
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Let's Take a Rock Apart
Young scholars take a crushed rock and sort the remains of the rock minerals into different categories based on the different properties. In this sorting lesson plan, students learn what makes up a rock and how to sort something into...
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"Hard" Data from Space
Students use satellite images to analyze development patterns within Baltimore City. They prepare a land cover map for Baltimore indicating the prevalence of impervious surfaces and explore how these patterns affect water pollution.
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Writing About the Indian Monsoon (Calibrated Peer Review):
Students develop an understanding of the atmospheric processes underlying the Indian Monsoon. They explore the use data to make a scientific argument. They listen to lecture on atmospheric circulation processes.
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Oceanography
Fourth graders define new vocabulary associated with oceanography. They locate and label the four oceans. They also identify features of the ocean floor.
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Mighty Minerals-We Use Them Everyday
Third graders investigate the importance of knowing about rocks and minerals. They study the way in which many products are produced from rocks and minerals. Students are shown how we obtain many of the rocks and minerals we use.