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Altering Climate in the Classroom
Students experiment with moderating temperature extremes in the classroom. They experiment with ways to vent and block air.
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Scouting for Circuits
Fifth graders investigate electricity and how it used in a circuit to be useful energy. They also use this investigation in order to understand how energy can change forms and still be considered useful if put into the right form.
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Maintaining Body Heat
Students observe and compare heat loss in different objects with surface-to-volume ratios. They transfer this comparison to the physical characteristics of animals in their environment. They focus on how whales maintain their body heat.
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Using Transistors: Let's Get Transistorized!
Students build two circuits and explore how transistors function. This activity allow them to observe the operation of a transistor as an amplifier.
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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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Birds of Wisconsin
First graders explore the job done by ornithologists. They role play identifying the characteristics that make a bird a bird. They discuss what makes each bird species unique. Students are introduced to Wisconsin's most common and rare...
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Plants and Air Purity
Students explore how green plants help improve air quality. They read an article and discuss the importance of air quality and its effects on the human body. They investigate by connecting hose to the top of a Bell jar and to a funnel....
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Suck It Up
Students investigate the "wicking capacity " of fabric; that is how well various fabrics draw water "perspiration" away from the body and let it vent to the outside. They brainstorm possible protocols to measure, tabulate and analyze the...
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Series and Parallel Circuits
Students examine electricity. In this circuits lesson students complete an activity that shows them the configuration of circuits.
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Electromagnitism Applications
Students experiment on magnets and electricity. In this physics lesson, students determine what factors affect the strength of a magnetic field. They design an experiment to determine how electromagnetic field strength varies with distance.
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Efficiency
Fourth graders work cooperatively to investigate the efficiency of various household appliances. They share their findings in three to five minute oral presentations.
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How do Ohm's Law and Constraint-Based Reasoning Help in Thinking About Circuits?
Students investigate Ohm's Law. Through experimentation, students observe Ohm's law. Using the voltage and resistance, students calculate with Ohm's law. Students collaborate in other activities to apply Ohm's Law to series and...
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Finding Coal Products in Your Home
Young scholars identify items in their homes that come from coal. They divide into groups and decide as a group which items are made from coal by-products. They then divide their poster board into three columns and label the first -...
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Which Colors Absorb the Most Energy?
Young scholars measure the temperatures over time of different colored envelopes in order to explore the different rates at which each color absorbs energy from a heat lamp. They record their data and graph their results.
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Testing for Conductivity
Learners test the conductivity of selected liquids and solids. They test the circuit by touching the two free ends of the wires together and add salt little by little recording the data after each addition. Finally, students predict...
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Personal Observations
Students determine the appropriate clothing for warm and cold weather. In this weather and clothing lesson, students draw and describe appropriate clothing for cold and warm weather.
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Solar Energy: Become a Sun Chef!
Young scholars design and construct a solar cooker. They use the Internet to research solar collectors and the process of changing light energy into heat energy.
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Observing the Elements of Water
Fifth graders conduct a closed circuit experiment to observe the elements of water. They discuss the elements of Hydrogen and Oxygen, and in small groups construct a closed circuit connected to two pencils placed in water. Students...
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What Configurations Work to Light a Bulb?
Learners explore simple electrical circuits. Students experiment, using different configurations, to determine what is necessary to compeete a circuit. Learners observe similarities between arrangements that work and differences in...
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Why Does the Bulb Light When There is Flow?
Pupils analyze light bulbs and their design. They create filaments and build a circuit for testing the filaments. Through experimentation, students discover how filament wire works. They explore the role of protons, electrons, and...
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Bugsicles (A Frozen Insect Larva You can Find!)
Young scholars explore how animals survive in the winder. After attending a gall-collecting field trip, students place them in a freezer. Once frozen, the young scholars open the gall flay larva and observe it as the larva revives. ...
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Circuit City
Fifth graders are introduced to the concept of circuits and how electricity works. In groups, they design their own subdivision with houses in which they have inside and outside light sources. To end the lesson, they make the circuits...
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Roller Coaster Fun
Third graders examine the effects of gravity on how an object moves. In groups, they design a roller coaster, share their design with the class and build the roller coaster. They roll different sized balls down the track and record the...
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Uses of Pumice
In this pumice activity, students read about how pumice if formed and the different uses of pumice. Then students complete 4 short answer questions