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Conductors and Insulators
Students describe safe practices that are appropriate to a range of situations and environments. They discuss how electricity runs through wires that are insulated so that it cannot escape and determine that you can get electrocuted if...
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The Trash We Pass
Students engage in a study of trash and how it is disposed of in the environment. They also research the impact of recycling and its effects upon the disposal amounts. Students calculate the advantages of recycling using real world...
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Water Cycle
Third graders explore the water cycle and place pictures of the water cycle in sequential order. They investigate a problem and determine if it is reasonable or not to believe that there is water in air to cause a puddle. ...
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Characteristics of Living Things
Student use the scientific method to experiment with worms. In this characteristics of living things lesson, students predict and examine the reactions of worms to dry and wet soil. Students share their findings.
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Investigating Local Ecosystems
Students observe a local area for living organisms and their habitats. In this local ecosystems lesson, students complete an online field journal. Students share their findings and sort them into categories. Students visit a...
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Predicting the Growth of Microorganisms
Students determine where microorganisms might be found around their school. In this scientific investigation lesson plan, students collect cultures from various locations and place these in petri dishes. They incubate the cultures to...
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Food Chains
Fourth graders study food chains, producers, consumers, and decomposers. They play a food chain game and create food chain mobiles or posters. They take a nature hike around the school and observe various parts of a food chain.
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Ecosystem Field Trip
Students investigate the different seeds and plants that are part of the Millcreek ecosystem. They take a field trip to the ecosystem and complete activities using the plants that are indigenous to the area.
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Bird Buffet
Fifth graders investigate how birds use their beaks. In this agriculture lesson, 5th graders use tools to simulate how birds gather food with their beaks. They then draw conclusions about certain types of beaks and what types of food a...
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Oil Spill
Students explore an important role of environmental engineers by studying the Exxon Valdez oil spill. They experiment with different strategies in order to clean up their own manufactured oil spill.
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It's Really Heating Up in Here!
Students create and observe a greenhouse effect model and discuss the implications of global warming theory for engineers, themselves and the Earth. They discover that Global warming is becoming an increasing concern as we learn more...
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Recycling
Middle schoolers relate recycling to waste reduction. In this science lesson, students talk about the environment and how recycling certain natural resources actually saves on energy. They also discuss what type of recycling causes...
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TE Lesson: Energy Transfer in Musical Instruments
Students study concepts of energy and energy transfer. They look at how these concepts apply to musical instruments. They study the law of conservation of energy. They use the concepts studied in the lesson to design a musical instrument.
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Let's Heat Things Up!
Students build and evaluate simple models to understand the greenhouse effect. They explore the role of increased greenhouse gas concentration in global warming, and the implications of global warming theory for engineers, themselves...
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TE Lesson: Renewable Energy
Learners examine renewable energy sources such as solar, water, and wind. They experiment to determine how renewable energy is transformed into electricity. They investigate the role of engineers who work in the field of renewable energy.
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A Constructivist Version of the Snail & Elodea Lab
Students explain the importance of having a control when setting up an experiment.
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The Sahara: Home of the Tuareg
Young scholars study inhabitants of the Sahara. In this Tuareg culture lesson, students explore the how the Tuareg people adapt to their environment as they research specific Internet sites.
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What Does it Take to be a Survivor? Part One
Students explore marine animal adaptation. In this introductory ocean life biology lesson, students access prior knowledge by participating in a whole class "thought swap." Students form two lines, respond to a prompt from the teacher...
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Wasting Energy at Home
Students act as energy conservation engineers and identify the ways energy is conserved or wasted. They also discover many ways to personally conserve energy everyday. Students discover how engineers perform home energy audits to...
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The Physics of Sound: How We Produce Sounds
Young scholars are introduced to how they produce sounds. In groups, they participate in experiments in which they measure sound and identify their five senses. Individually, they make their own musical instruments using different...
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Should Populations in an Ecosystem be Restricted?
Fourth graders experiment to determine how overpopulation effects ecosystems specifically plants. In this ecosystem instructional activity, 4th graders conduct an ecosystems experiment after listening to Claire Daniel's, Ecosystems. They...
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Intertidal Zones
Students explore intertidal zones. In this intertidal zones lesson plan, students work in small groups and use ready-made materials to create a model of intertidal zones. Resources are provided.
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Dripping Wet or Dry as a Bone?
Students use a sponge and water model to explore the concept of relative humidity and create a percent scale. They define humidity and saturation, build a simple humidity/saturation model, collect, predict and interpret data, and create...
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Leaf ID and Leaf Bingo
Third graders explore the parts of a leaf and use a dichotomy key to identify leaves. For this biology lesson, learners study characteristics of various leaves and play a game of bingo to identify leaves by their traits. Students find...