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South Pole Base Gamma
Students design a South Pole base. For this science lesson, students discuss characteristics of the South Pole and work in a group to design a base that will be named "Gamma." Students sketch their design.
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Newton's Laws
Students give examples of each of Newton's three laws as they occur in everyday experiences. They visually represent and differentiate the difference between a direct proportion and an inverse proportion. Students explain how the...
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A Closer Look at Wood
Learners examine forests as a renewable resource and conservation practices. In this conifers activity students complete a lab activity on the different types of wood.
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Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils
Fourth graders do 5 different lab stations to explore rocks, minerals, and fossils.
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"Why Is the Sky Blue?"
Students investigate why the sky is blue and the sunset is red. They are asked why do you think that we see the sky as blue? Students write a hypothesis on their "Blue Sky Lab Sheet". They explain why they think that the sky is blue...
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The Moving Continents from Pangaea to the Future
Eighth graders examine how the movements of the Earth contribute to fossil distribution. In this fossils lesson students make maps of the placement of the continents.
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Where in the World is Carbon Dixoide?
Students conduct experiments designed to detect the presence of CO2 by using a BTB that changes color (blue to yellow) in the presence of CO2. First, students experiment with the CO2 from combining vinegar and baking soda. In part two,...
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Shadow Know-How
In this science activity, students identify 11 bird species by their shadows or silhouettes. Students write the name of the bird in the box under the shadow. Answers are provided upside down at the bottom of the page.
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Modeling the Greenhouse Effect
Students simulate the greenhouse effect and draw a model of what he/she thinks is happening. They draw inferences from the model and from other resources to determine possible outcomes of increased earth temperatures.
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It's Gettin' Hot In Here, So Transfer Energy
Learners study the means by which energy is transferred from the sun through the Earth's atmosphere. They examine radiation, conduction, and convection. They complete a lab to determine how the different transfers affect the atmosphere...
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Keep It Hot
Students design and conduct an experiment to explore the insulating abilities of different materials for keeping a liquid in a paper cup warm. A small group of lab partners test four different materials: black paper, white paper,...
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Outta Gas
Students explore practical problems that are related to scuba diving. In this oxygen lesson students complete a lab activity.
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Let's Get Specific
Young scholars explore how different species thrive. In this speciation lesson students research and complete a lab activity.
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Sky Watching
Learners examine telescopes and understand how they have helped us better understand the sky. For this astronomy lesson students complete a worksheet and a lab activity.
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Solar System Slide Show
Students work in small groups to research a planet in our Solar System in order to compare it to Earth. They examine the planet's size, atmosphere, rotation and revolution periods, temperature, and other attributes. They collect...
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Photosynthesis: Intake of Carbon Dioxide - Production of Oxygen
Students, after a long-term observation of photosynthesis with aquatic plants, assess the benefits of photosynthesis towards all living organisms. They explain in their own words the two cycles within photosynthesis. Guided discussion...
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Introduction to Minerals
Students discuss rocks and other earth materials made up of minerals. They identify minerals by means of their more obvious physical properties such as hardness, luster, color, streak, cleavage and fracture. They arrange a given set of...
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Sun Path: Interactive On-line Mac or PC
Pupils use SunPath in the yearly mode to investigate seasonal changes in sunrise, sunset, length of day and sun altitude at their own latitude. Sun Path JAVA applet uses equations for a spherical Earth to calculate the sunrise and sunset...
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Upwelling Terrestrial Radiation
Students calculate the hourly irradiance of the earth at a site given the near-surface air temperature of the site. They compare the calculated values of irradiance with those measured by instruments at the site. Students need to...
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Worm Weather Predicted
Students examine worm habitats. In this animal habitats lesson plan, students participate in a lab activity that requires them to explore the adaptations that earthworms make to their environment.
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Molecular Explorations
Students explain the processes for separating DNA from tissue and separating complex mixtures. In this exploratory lesson students complete a lab where they extract DNA.
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How Does Your Garden Grow?
Students discover gardening by documenting plants grown on school grounds. In this botany instructional activity, students utilize digital cameras to capture images of plants on photo hikes which are turned into a slide show....
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Groundwater as Part of the Water Cycle
Ninth graders study the effects of soil and rocks on filtering groundwater. In this groundwater instructional activity students complete a lab activity that includes sources of contamination.
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Mock Environmental Summit
Students increase understanding of human impact on Earth's sytems and the climate. They develop persuasive and critical skills as writers and presenters. They become familiar with political decision making processes.