Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Cycle

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students answer short answer questions about the water cycle and other cycles. For this water cycle lesson plan, students explore clouds, rain, evaporation, and more.
Lesson Plan
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Building Up, Breaking Down

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explore their school building and examine the rocks it is made of. They discover how rocks become building materials and participate in a variety of activities surrounding this subject.
Lesson Plan
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Sinking in the Rain (or Drought)

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders, in groups, explore sinkholes and how they effect humans and the natural environment.
Lesson Plan
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Air Masses

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the physical characteristics of several types of air masses to discover how air masses can be identified and defined by their temperature and moisture content.
Lesson Plan
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Circle the Earth - Explore Surface Types on a Journey around Earth

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students use CERES percent coverage surface data with a world map in locating landmasses and bodies of water at Earth's Equator.
Lesson Plan
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Adapted to Fire

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore forest species' adaptations to fire by participating in a scavenger hunt and mapping a burned forest. Students create maps and explore how indigenous species adapted to living with fire.
Lesson Plan
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A Green Patina Finish

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students create a blue-green patina that serves as a protective coating on copper jewelry or other artwork. Using four different experimental methods, students apply patina to copper pieces and compare the results of the different...
Lesson Plan
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Biomes: Extreme Climate

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discuss the causes of global warming. In this earth science lesson, students examine how global warming is connected to the arctic and world climate. They write a paragraph about their interconnection.
Lesson Plan
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Using SWMP Data

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are introduced to the SWMP system which tracks short-and long-term changes in water. Using this data, they plot and interpret the data on a graph to determine how human activities are lowering the water quality. They also...
Lesson Plan
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A Thoreau Look at Our Environment

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders write journal entries o school site at least once during each season, including sketched and written observations of present environment. They can use sample topographical maps and student's own maps. Students can use...
Lesson Plan
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Will There Be Ozone Tomorrow

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners collect and analyze real time data. They make comparisons and determinations about the status of ozone in their local area and predict the Ozone level for the next day
Lesson Plan
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Exploring Alaska Foilage In Russian

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders investigate the concepts of how plants are part of daily culture in Russia. The skills of naming different plants is practiced. Students take a survey of the nature that is found in the area in which they live. This is...
Lesson Plan
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Polishing the Petoskey

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Learners polish a Petoskey stone to show how to make an attractive rock display. In this polishing rocks lesson plan, students use sand paper and polishing materials to polish a rock and remove the rock dust. This is to display a nice...
Lesson Plan
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Com-Post With Us?

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Young scholars discuss the importance of reducing, recycling and reusing materials to help the environment. As a class, they create a worm bin and observe how it turns material in to compost. They use the internet to research the...
Lesson Plan
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What Are the Seasons?

For Teachers 1st
First graders explore seasons and how they are part of a continuous circle.
Lesson Plan
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Cloud Sort

For Teachers 1st
First graders gain a better understanding of types of clouds. They recreate clouds using Kidspiration. The types of clouds they study about are cirrus, cumulus, and stratus clouds.
Lesson Plan
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Hickory Dickory Dock: The Biological Clock

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students investigate the effect of day length on animal migrations. They view a Powerpoint presentation, identify their own personal migrations and cues, answer discussion questions, and test a hypothesis about seasons.
Lesson Plan
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Smog City - Part I

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Pupils apply an interactive smog visualization application, Smog City to see how ozone levels are related to population levels and emissions. They study associated vocabulary and complete a worksheet.
Worksheet
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Special Tactics Training Tests Body, Mind

For Students 7th
Seventh graders read an article and discuss questions about what they read.  In this investigative lesson students review the vocabulary and complete a activity. 
Lesson Plan
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Transport

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students analyze wind barbs and determine which way the wind is blowing and how hard the wind is blowing. They access near real time wind data and pollutant animations to track the transport and destination of pollutants.
Lesson Plan
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Lead Detection

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Pupils hypothesize whether the soil sample may have lead contamination and why. They describe what they see happening with the soil samples and the corresponding swabs. Pupils write a brief description of what they observe as the various...
Worksheet
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Getting to Know "Our Lakes"

For Students 5th - 12th
In this lakes worksheet, students access a website to answer 14 multiple choice questions about watersheds, lakes, and lake succession.
Lesson Plan
Bridge

Mercury - Mercury is Rising

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Hold a discussion in your class about the increase in mercury being found in fish that are caught commercially as food for humans. Given a worksheet, learners then calculate how much fish a person can safely eat each month to remain...
Lesson Plan
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A Recipe for Soil

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders use local materials such as leaves and other plant matter; sand and pebbles to make soil. They plant seeds in the manufactured soil and in natural soil and then observe and record the results.