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Where in the World Is All the Water?
Middle schoolers investigate the distribution of the earth's water. They conduct a demonstration of water distribution, and create a pie graph to display the results.
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Soil Treasure Hunt
Students explore the concept of soil and decomposition. In this soil and decomposition lesson plan, students investigate bags of soil. Students then learn how animals and other organisms help in the decomposition process.
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Foucault's Pendulum
Students investigate how the motion of the Foucault pendulum proves that the Earth is rotating. They research the Internet about pendulums and conduct an experiment online. They view a multimedia presentation about pendulums and read...
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Moon Phases
Sixth graders investigate the phases of the moon. For this moon phase lesson, 6th graders discover that the moon changes in a cycle as it orbits Earth. Students label pictures of moon phases and keep a moon phase journal. Students...
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Walking For Water
Students investigate how third world countries get their water. In this water lesson, students research how countries like Kenya and Ethiopia get their water supply. Students participate in an experiment to role play how difficult it is...
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Classroom Meteorologists: An Experiential Approach to Learning about Seasons and Weather
Students examine several concepts about weather in the seven lessons of this unit. This year long activity helps students to gather data seasonally about wind, clouds, precipitation, and temperature. Earth's three climate zones are...
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SCRUMPTIOUS SOIL
Students engage in investigations that lead to the discovery that earth materials consist of rocks, soils, water, and air. They build models of soil profiles, using breakfast cereal and other edible materials. They observe how water...
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The Life Cycle of a Star
Learners investigate the life cycle of a star through research. Once research is complete, students prepare posters and present findings to class. Flash animation is included to help learners visualize life cycle of star researching.
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How Pollution Disrupts Our Natural Environment
Students conduct experiments to illustrate global warming. In this air pollution lesson, students first examine how a layer of greenhouse gasses might impact the earth's atmospheric temperature, then evaluate how the layer of gasses...
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The Fact of Global Warming
Students investigate the harmful impact of global warming by reading news articles. In this environmental care lesson, students analyze an article about the Kyoto Protocol and its goal of saving our environment. Students...
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Meteorites
Students model how meteors fall to the surface of planets. In this space science lesson, students identify different types of meteorites using an interactive online website. They investigate the relationship between a meteorite's size...
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Using Living Organisms to Explain Evolution
Students investigate evolution in its most fundamental form: the observation of living organisms. By comparing variations that exist among living animals, students formulate their own hypotheses and conclusions about the evolution of...
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Structures and Behaviors of Planarians
Students investigate planaria of the phylum platyhelminthes. They use DigiScope technology to observe and describe the structure and movements of planarians.
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Volcano! Is That a Volcano on Your Plate?
Students investigate where volcanos come from. For this volcano lesson, students watch videos do Internet research and participate in experiments to discover the cause of volcanos.
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Lesson 5: Technology: Conveniences and Consequences
Students identify positive and negative impacts of technology. In this technological advancements lesson, students consider how toxic pollution affects the Earth and its inhabitants. Students participate in 3 activities that allow them...
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Water Cycle
Ninth graders explore ways water moves through various reservoirs on Earth, examine how human activities change water cycle, investigate substances present in water that indicate human activity, and discuss how understanding water cycle...
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The Effects of Meteor Impacts
Students investigate meteor impacts on the Earth's surface by using different size balls and charting their impacts, given their diameter and mass.
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Recent Volcanoes And Earthquakes:
Students investigate the current model for the structure of the Earth. On a world map, they mark areas where they think earthquakes and volcanoes occur and compare those areas with earthquake and volcano location patterns.
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What's In Our Backyard?
Eighth graders investigate the importance of an ecosystem by studying their own backyards. For this environmental lesson, 8th graders examine a schoolyard or backyard by marking quadrants and recording any animal or plant findings...
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Seasons
Young scholars investigate the reason for seasons on Earth during three activities. They construct a model of the Earth and Sun to identify patterns in the changes of the angle of light on the Earth's surface. Then they conduct a heat...
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Using Magnetotactic Bacteria to Study Natural Selection
Students observe bacteria that are able to orient themselves using the Earth's magnetic field.They comprehend the difference between anaerobic and aerobic organisms. Students can tell the difference of the shape of magnetic force field...
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Water: A Neverending Story
Students investigate the water cycle. In this water cycle science lesson, students participate in a series of activities that demonstrate evaporation, precipitation, and condensation. Students describe their observations using...
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How would an oil spill affect a Marine Sanctuary?
Students explore the concept of environmental stewardship. In this science instructional activity, students discover how scientists assess damages to the environment following oil spills. Students conduct a simulation of a public meeting...
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Soapy Stress
Learners investigate the three types of material stress related to rocks. They identify the three types of stress, conduct a simulation by breaking bars of soap using only their hands, and complete a worksheet.