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Planning a Tourist Resort
Students work in teams of 2 to complete the presentation portion of the assignment. They may be required to work alone or may work with their partner to complete the "Board Member's Responses."
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Taking In The Heat
Students discover that different textured materials can absorb more heat than others. Students work with thermometers, clocks, and graphs.
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Heating the Atmosphere
Students construct a thermograph for maximum and minimum temperatures for the 2-week period. They illustrate how the earth's atmosphere is heated by convection and conduction currents and evaporation of water.
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Three Clouds Activity
Students understand how clouds are formed. For this cloud lesson, students participate in three experiments to make clouds. Students complete activity sheets for each experiment.
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Neither Wind Nor Rain
Here is another in the interesting series of lessons that use the special State Quarters as a learning tool. This one uses the North Dakota State Quarter. During this lesson, your class learns about the different patterns of erosion, and...
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Which Material is Best for Muffling Sound?
Two professors, Big-Hair and Bee-Hive, cannot do their work because the alarm clock won't stop ringing! Young scientists perform an experiment to help them wrap the clock in the best material for muffling the sound. This is a clever...
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Sea Water Mixing and Sinking
Learners investigate the role of temperature and salinity in determining seawater density. They use a Temperature-Salinity Diagram to examine the effects of mixing on density.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Eyes on Dissolved Oxygen
Learn about the factors that affect the way oxygen dissolves in salt water with a chemistry lab. After studying the molecular structure of water, young scientists figure out how aeration, temperature, and organic waste affect dissolved...
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Differences Between Ground and Air Temperatures
Middle schoolers examine the differences between air temperature and ground temperature. In this investigative lesson plan students find NASA data on the Internet and use it to create a graph.
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Earth's Water
If the majority of our planet is covered with water, why do we need to bother conserving it? With a thorough and varied investigation into the location and types of water on the earth, learners will gain an understanding of why this...
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The Water Cycle
Your class sets up a mini water cycle model to examine the process. Then they watch an animation, following a water molecule through the cycle. A well-developed lab sheet guides learners through the lesson and a PowerPoint presentation...
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Water in Earth's Hydrosphere
Environmentalists test stream water for temperature, pH, and turbidity. Each group shares their information and then the class makes an overall evaluation of the water quality. A slide show sets the backdrop for the teaching portion and...
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Three Clouds Activity
Students explore how clouds are produced through three different age-appropriate hands-on experiments.
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Sunlight and Warm Air
Students examine the different ways heat can be felt. In this radiation and conduction lesson, students recognize that the sun radiates heat. Students conduct three experiments to find how the sun warms the Earth and how that heat is...
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Parts of an Ecosystem
Fourth graders study the Great Salt lake and the ecosystem that encompasses it. They study the relationship between an individual of a species, a population of that species, a community that includes that population, and the...
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What's Under My Feet?
Students choose one rock from a collection of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. They use multiple resources to create an informational brochure highlighting their rock. The brochures are combined into a class rock museum to be...
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Create Your Own Fog
Students conduct an experiment. In this science lesson, students create their own fog. Students observe the results.
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Longshore Current
Learners are posted at the beginning and end of a 10-meter long line parallel to the ocean and are instructed to look straight ahead towards the water. The student at the beginning of the line uses a stopwatch, goes to the water's edge...
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Acid Rain
Learners understand the dynamics of acid rain and its impact on the living and non-living environment. They hypothesize how acid rain affects water pH levels in two lake systems with differing watershed features.
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Create Your Own Lightning
Young scholars conduct an experiment. In this lightning instructional activity, students use a blanket and a dark room to simulate lightning.
Texas Instruments
How Do Pinnipeds Stay Warm?
Learners experiment to determine ways different types of insulation materials work. For this animal adaptation lesson, they make hand coverings from plastic bags, shortening, feathers, and wool. They observe effects of these insulating...
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Barrier Islands
Third graders explore how barrier islands work. In this erosion lesson, 3rd graders create barrier islands in stream tables and simulate wave action to see how it affects their island.
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Introduction to Drawing Isopleths
Students draw isopleths based on how many pieces of "confetti snow" land in their cup.
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Summer Science Lesson Plans
You can use these lesson plans to incorporate some science into your summer.