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Camouflage in Animal Habitats
Students investigate how animals in an ecosystem interact with a nonliving environment through camouflage. They work in cooperative groups to "go fishing" and record how many of each color of fish they "catch." After entering data on a...
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Surface Air Temperature Trends of the Caribbean
Students investigate the seasonal changes to sea surface and near-surface air temperatures near the equator. They use actual satellite data to track and graph the differences in air and sea temperatures during different seasons in the...
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Trouble in the Troposphere
Middle schoolers create graphs using NASA data, compare ozone levels of several U.S. cities, analyze and evaluate the data and predict trends based on the data, and discuss and describe how human activities have modified Earth's air...
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Geometry of Radio Meteor Reflections
Ninth graders investigate and describe ways that human understanding of Earth and space has depended on technological development. They describe and interpret the science of optical and radio telescopes, space probes and remote sensing...
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Ecosystems and Habitats
Fourth graders go on a virtual field trip to five ecosystems. They investigate and videotape a temperate forest in the school's backyard.
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Erosion
Students design and conduct an open-ended investigation using a variety of earth materials to answer a questions posed by the teacher: How does the erosion of sand compare with the erosion of gravel? After producing evidence that...
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Driving Currents
Students conduct a variety of investigations to see how water, heat, and salinity affect the flow of the world's ocean currents,as well as, explore many factors that affect the flow of the world's ocean currents. They also describe in...
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Thunderstorms
Fourth graders examine the attraction between two different charges to investigate lightning in a thunderstorm. They complete an experiment and a worksheet.
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Building Materials
Fifth graders are presented with three rocks and a variety of tools and are asked to investigate the properties of the rocks to see which rock is best for building tables and benches for a museum picnic area.
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Carbon Dioxide Heats It Up
Students design an investigation to test whether vegetation in an area helps regulate the ambient air temperature. They make comparisons between the investigation and global changes in climate. In groups, they present their findings to...
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Hero Or Zero?
Students investigate science and technology by reading a children's book. In this reading comprehension lesson, students read the story Archibald Frisby and discuss the ways we use science and technology in everyday life....
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The Water Cycle
Seventh graders discover how water circulates through the earth and its atmosphere while determine how much of the Earth's water is suitable for drinking. They discover the meaning of evaporation, transpiration, and precipitation and...
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PLANETS IN PROPORTION
Students discover scales for both the solar bodies' relative sizes and their distances from the sun. They find equatorial circumference and volumes of their solar bodies. Students apply estimation strategies and proportioanl reasoning to...
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Apple: Bare to Pick
Learners investigate the seasons of the apple tree. In tree seasons lesson, students use a sun model and a globe to study the tilt of the Earth to create the seasons. Learners discuss the tilt and the seasons. Students discuss...
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Tropical Atlantic Aerosols
Students analyze NASA data from the Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer. In this NASA data lesson, students access an assigned website to examine information from the MISR on the Terra Satellite. They determine how desert dust travels...
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Soil Formation
Seventh graders investigate how soil is formed. They analyze types of soil samples, examine soil using a magnifying glass or microscope, complete a chart, conduct a soil and plant experiment, and construct a soil profile.
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Greenhouse Effect
Students investigate the greenhouse effect. In this environmental lesson, students investigate why the greenhouse effect changes the climate through an experiment. Students use vinegar to simulate how acid damages the environment.
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Plate Tectonic - Volcanoes Pre Lab
Second graders draw and compare parts of volcano. They investigate parts of a volcano and distinguish between magma and lava.
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Testing the Caverns
Students build model caverns using paper mache or clay and bury them in a tray of sand. They test the models by dropping balls onto them to simulate an asteroid hitting the earth. They evaluate the effectiveness of a structure against...
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Carbon Footprint Estimator
Young scholars discover what a Carbon Footprint represents. In this sustainable lifestyle lesson, students determine their Carbon Footprint as an individual and as a class. Young scholars use a the Internet to calculate how many...
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Create a Cloud in a Bottle
Students investigate the conditions needed for cloud formation and explore how pressure and temperature effect cloud formation. In this atmospheric pressure lesson students complete a lab on cloud formation.
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Weather Predictions
Students record weather data and create a five day forecast. Students investigate the roles of meteorologists and identify symbols used on a weather map. After gathering weather data for a week, students will create a five day forecast...
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Crustal Sinking
Students measure the rate of sinking of a test tube into a beaker of "glop", representing a model of the interaction between the Earth's crust and upper mantle. This task assesses students' abilities to make simple observations,...
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Petroglyphs: Protecting the Past
Fourth graders investigate the three types of rocks and study about petroglyphs. They explore why petroglyphs were used by the Nez Perce People. Students investigate the properties of the three types of rocks and they discuss cultural...