Curated OER
Rain Forest Rally
Students discover facts about rain forests, list the common products that come from rain forests, recognize how important rain forests are to our daily lives, and list and describe the layers of rain forests.
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Cookie Bar Coal
Students observe the effect of heat and pressure on materials representing those involved in the formation of coal.
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Graphing and Analysis of Water Quality Reports
Students practice making graphs and interpreting them. They compare and contrast different sets of data. They use Microsoft Excel to create different types of graphs.
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Oxygen: What a Gas!
Eighth graders explain how oxygen reacts to other elements. They also explain why oxygen is a reactive substance, how it has weight, and how it reacts with other substances. They construct an experiment to relate their findings.
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Effects of Ozone in the Air
Fifth graders learn how ground-level ozone is an air pollution problem. Students measure ozone levels and graph the results.
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How to Recycle a Rock
Third graders explore the rock cycle and explore how rocks are made, changed, destroyed and recreated. They create representations of these processes with hands-on activities.
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Streamflow
Students discuss the topic of streamflow and how it occurs. They take measurements and analyze them. They interpret data and create their own charts and graphs.
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Energy Audit
Students examine the level of energy usage on a local and national level. Using the internet, they discover ways to conserve energy every day and how over-consumption of energy negatively affects the environment. In groups, they...
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Spectral Surprise
Students experience a model that produces, separating, and displaying spectral colors.
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Too Hot to Handle
Students identify sources of geothermal energy. They watch videos and investigate the sources of geothermal energy.
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Environmental Education
Second graders examine how their choices affect the environment. They identify different types of pollution and its source. They ask questions to end the lesson.
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Make Way for Wild Migrants
Learners discuss the threats facing migratory species and track the seasonal journeys of wildlife in real space and in cyberspace. Once they have gathered information from several sources, they create a portfolio to share with others...
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Life's Big Questions: Where Did Life Come From?
Learners explore the life forms that live in the hot springs of Yellowstone. They examine how microscopic creatures can survive in these extreme conditions. Students perform experiments to observe growth samples and demonstrate how a...
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The Biological Carbon Cycle
Students learn about the biological carbon cycle. In this carbon cycle lesson, students access the web site and mouse over the diagrams to follow the carbon cycle. They read about what happens to humans and plants during this cycle.
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Sea Ice Research
Students study sea ice and its importance in climate and climate change. They discuss sea ice as a presence of a food source for marine animals in the arctic and complete a lab activity. After completing the lab, they watch a video...
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Ugh! We DRINK This Stuff?
Students explain the processes involved in the cleansing and purifying of surface water. After a lecture/demo, students engage in an experiment that illustrates how water is cleansed before we drink it.
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Decomposers at Work!
Students design and conduct investigations that illustrate the process of decomposition. After a lecture/demo, students simulate the process of soil composting in the classroom. They closely chart the decomposition of their soil.
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Measuring the Sun's Diameter
Students project and measure the suns image using a refracting telescope. In this sun's diameter lesson students calculate the magnification of the telescope and determine the diameter if the Sun.
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Making Craters
Students study craters and identify the different things that characterize craters. In this crater instructional activity students create a model of an impact crater.
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The "Nuts and Bolts" of Taxonomy and Classification
Students develop classification scheme that meets the established rules of the Linnaean system. They write one page essay on classification choices.
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Spinning the Eco Web
Students examine the components and relationships of ecoregions and ecosystem management. They define ecoregion and ecosystem, list ecoregions, and participate in a simulation that demonstrates the connections between parts of the...
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Graphical Determination of Density
Students determine the density of metal shot by a graphical method using significant digits in making measurements and calculations. Students graph a seris of laboratory measurements and determine density from a mass verses volume graph.
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Fuel Cells
Learners examine how fuel cells and combustion engines work. Using the internet, they research the positives and negatives of the various energy sources. In groups, they complete an experiment with a working fuel cell model and take a...
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Solar Cars
Middle schoolers research the causes and effects of air pollution. Using the internet, they examine the specific effects of carbon dioxide on the environment and discover the benefits of using solar power. In groups, they build a model...