Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind Curriculum Activity: Playing the Float
Got a rainy day and need a few fabulous activities to foster creative thinking skills? The class works to understand the three types of human power; direct, indirect, and stored. They do this by first creating a parade float like the...
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Ancient Atomic Theories
Studdnts research ancient texts and compare ancient Greek atomic theories, as used in the production of silver, to modern theories.
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Are You a Golden Ratio?
Young scholars explore the concept of the golden ratio in nature and architectural design. They discuss examples such as petals on a sunflower and the Parthenon. In small groups they take turns measuring their body parts to find a...
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How We See: The First Steps of Human Vision
Students notice how various images and colors update constantly as they are affected by factors such as distance, background and lighting. They also examine how optometrists developed a standard to evaluate eyesight.
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Microbes & History: Microbial influence on the spread of Civilization
Students explore how to extract plant fibers from the flax plant Linum usitatissimum in the process of making linen fibers. Doing so spark interest in the importance of microbial action on the spread of human culture and civilization.
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This Old Ship
Junior archaeologists will be able to describe shipwreck artifacts and the information they reveal. They work in small groups to reasearch wreckage features of different period ships, making this not only a science lesson, but a social...
Ocean Explorer
Looking for Clues
Upper graders become "shipwreck detectives" by studying the debris field from a shipwreck in the Aegean Sea which took place in the 700s. A website is accessed that gives specific information about the debris field, and pairs of...
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The Volcano Factory
Collaborative groups work together to report on the volcanic activity leading to island formation and construct models to demonstrate the process. Consider having each group present their project to the rest of the class. There are many...
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My Friend, the Volcano
Working in cooperative groups, young scientists research and report on how undersea volcanic activity may benefit marine ecosystems. There are many links to websites that you can use to stimulate curiosity or for pupils to use for...
NOAA
I Can't Breathe!
The Gulf of Mexico dead zone, an area of low oxygen that kills marine life, costs the United States $82 million every year. Young scientists research anoxic ocean environments then come up with a hypothesis for the cause of the Gulf of...
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Taking the Measure of the Universe
Four fabulous activities immerse amateur astronomers into measuring objects that we cannot handle. The experiences are applied to NASA's Space Interferometry Mission, which will take measurements of planets around stars other than our...
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My Wet Robot
After hearing about the 2006 PHAEDRA mission that explored the Aegean Sea, middle schoolers work in groups to create a robotic vehicle. They must consider power, propulsion, and other vital systems. Use the multitude of external...
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Where Am I?
Extensive background on marine navigation is provided for you as the teacher. Assign groups to research marine navigation techniques and construct astrolabes. Resource links are listed for extension ideas. If you are teaching an...
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The Use of Myths in Science
Students are told stories, myths and legend to explain their world. After telling the tales and discussion them, students are assigned to write a myth that describes a familiar situation, such as why the school garbage cans are always...
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The Use of Myths in Science
Young scholars examine folk tales to determine the basis for scientific myths. They demonstrate through the discussion of the folk tales that the perception of the world has changed as new information is gained. They write their own...
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Cloudy Days are for Reading and Writing
Students research weather proverbs and determine the scientific validity of 3 weather proverbs. They write an essay presenting their reasoning. They interview elderly people to graph the most frequently heard proverbs and theorize...
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Heliocentric and Geocentric Models
In this learning exercise, students read an informational article and view drawings of the two models. In this comprehension learning exercise, students answer twelve questions.
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Do You Have a Sinking Feeling
Students determine how marine archaeologists use historical and archaeological data to draw inferences about shipwrecks. Students plot the position of a shipwrecked vessel, and draw inferences about the shipwreck from artifacts that have...
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What's the Difference?
Students investigate volcanic processes at convergent and divergent
tectonic plate boundaries. They read and analyze diagrams, complete a worksheet, and write an essay.
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I Robot, Can Do That
Learners examine how underwater robots can be used to assist scientific explorations. They read and discuss an article, conduct Internet research, complete a worksheet, and present an oral report.
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Garden Guard
Students read about the history of farming with the use of scarecrows and then sort clothing, build scarecrows, write descriptions, and more. For this scarecrows lesson plan, students also play a game called Garden Tag.