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Do Human Practices Affect Water Quality?
Students determine if human practices have any noticeable effects on the quality of stream life as measured by the presence of certain macroinvertebrates. They collect, preserve and identify macroinvertibrate samples and quantify the data.
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The Great Jellybean Hunt
Learners explore natural selection and its influence on the populations to fine tune traits and characteristics. The acquisition of traits developed out of need is examined through a game played in class.
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Hot Air Balloon Design Lesson Plan
Sixth graders discuss what they know and what they want to know about hot air balloon using a KWL chart. They then use a wide array of materials to design a hot air balloon that will lift successfully in cooperative groups referring to...
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Whale Watcher Game Lesson
Students participate in an online whale watching game. They identify the reasons for migration and describe the route. They make predictions on what would happen if the ways did not migrate.
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Exercise and Heartrate
Fourth graders experiment to find the effects of exercise on the heart rate. In this exercise and heart rate lesson, 4th graders create questions about exercise and heart rate. Students use the scientific method to test and analyze...
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Insect Monitoring
Students practice the scientific method in the classroom, either in preparation or as a substitution for real-world field experience. They examine a simulated biodiversity research situation, using a "mini-plot" or
sampling square...
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Where are all the Animals?
Learners view animals that camouflage at the Shedd aquarium website. In this camouflage lesson, students recognize that there are different types of camouflage, cryptic coloring, counter-shading, warning coloration and mimicry. Learners...
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Predator Protector Game
Learners take on the role of an Ocean Adventures expedition volunteer member and are charged with protecting three species of sharks from danger in order to defend the balance of nature in the ecosystem. They play an online game which...
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The Colors of Seasons
Students observe each season and and mark the colors they see. For this colors of the seasons lessons, students read The Mystery of the Missing Hummingbirds and compare their results and note variations of colors in the different...
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Natural Inquirer Ecosystem Article Lesson
Students discover new ways to preserve the ecosystem by completing graphic organizers. In this environmental lesson, students read an article from the Natural Inquirer in small groups and fill out a graphic organizer based on the...
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Stomata: Microscopic Openings that Let Plants Breathe
Students participate in a lab experiment to observe and measure the opening and closing of stomata. They focus on photoperiod, locate and identify stomata on a leaf and explain the role of stomata in the daily functioning of a plant.
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Inference By Analogy
Students infer the use or meaning of items recovered from a North Carolina Native American site based on 17th-century European settlers' accounts and illustration.
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Call to Arms
Students explore how scientists build robotic arms that move similar to humans. In this robot lesson, students examine how scientists make robots. Students design and construct a mechanical arm that moves like a human arm. Students...
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Ocean Grazers: Class Field Trip
Students explore biology by participating in a field trip. In this oceanography lesson, students define the survival characteristics of bottom dwelling creatures also known as ocean grazers. Students attend a class field trip to a beach...
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Gravity, Angles, and Measurement
Students relate math to real life scenarios. In this geometry lesson, students launch a ball tracking each launch using a graph. They analyze their data for speed, angles and distance, trying to improve on each launch.
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Hot Cans and Cold Cans
Students investigate the physics of heating and cooling through conduction, convection, and radiation. Working in groups, they determine the best way to cool a can of water and warm a can of water. Temperature is taken at five minute...
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How Old Is Mike?
Students examine the absolute dating of fossils, they use a list of names and ages to determine the difference between relative age and absolute age. They explore the relative age and absolute age of people and of fossils.
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Plants In Space
In this biology instructional activity, students grow corn plants in growth pouches as the control group in an experiment on plant growth in microgravity. Then they analyze any differences that occur between Earth-grown and space-grown...
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Energy in a Clean Environment
Students identify and describe the different types of energy and how it is transferred. In this energy lesson students complete several activities including how to calculate joules, adding up wattage, and create a presentation on...
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All Sorts of Seeds!
First graders compare seeds and explore how they are carried through the environment.
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Where Is The Juice?
Students are introduced to the component's of Ohm's Law. In groups, they practice their problem solving skills by reviewing problems solved earlier. They participate in activities that help them gather information on the importance of...
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Reading the River - Biological Classification
Youngsters create a list of grocery store items and then work together to categorize them as if they were setting up the shelves of the market. Then they are given a box of miscellaneous objects to practice categorizing. With these two...
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Chameleons Are Cool!
Have your learners review what they know about camouflage using this lesson. Learners fill out a graphic organizer listing what they know or have questions about. This could be enhanced with the addition of a writing assignment in which...
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On the Microbe Trail: Bacteria and Aseptic Technique
Students pour, label, streak, seal and store plates in an incubator. They identify areas in their environment that provide a rich fauna of microbes once they have been swabbed. They identify areas of contamination through a laboratory...