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Using the Very, Very Simple Climate Model in the Classroom
Students study the relationship between the average global temperature and carbon dioxide emissions. In this weather lesson students develop a test scenario using a model then read and interpret graphs of data.
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All About Trees
Second graders examine the artwork of Robert Harris and discuss how trees are an important part of their lives. In groups, they discover how people's use of the environment has changed over time and describe the climate and vegetation...
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Blooming Thermometers
Students study phenology, or the study of climate change. They research the Japanese springtime festival of Hanami and plot and interpret average cherry blossom bloom date data from the past 1100 years.
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Traditional Stories about Wind
Students observe and talk about wind using no weather instruments. In this wind lesson plan, students use their senses to observe wind. They also interview an Elder about wind.
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Knocked Out by Trout
Learners work in pairs and read an article about the pacific tree frogs being knocked out by the nonnative trout. In this invasive species instructional activity, students create a graphic organizer to record their findings. Once the...
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One Square Meter
Students explore the concept of a quadrat study. Students select and investigate a site and conduct a quadrat survey. They take measurements, observe the area and analyze their findings.
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Modeling the Process of Mining Silicon Through a Single Displacement/Redox Reaction
High schoolers study silicon and where it comes from. In this solar mining lesson students complete an Internet search of mining and a lab activity.
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The Great Kapok Tree - Economic Impact of Deforestation
Learners read "The Great Kapok Tree" by Lynne Cherry. They, in groups, research the economic impacts of deforestation in areas with rain forest and identify resources that humans use from the rain forest.
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The Great Kapok Tree
Students read The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry. After reading the story, they center on the controversy of destroying the rain forest or conserving it. Students have to make an informed decision about rain forest destruction.
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Elders Predict Snow
Students interview Native Indians to learn their ways for predicting and measuring snowfall. In this weather measurement lesson plan, students invite a Native Elder to their classroom to tell them about how they predicted weather....
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Oral History
Students interview a Native Elder to learn about oral history and cold weather. In this weather lesson, students ask an Elder about the coldest day they remember in their community and complete two worksheets for the topic.
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Know Your Watershed
Learners investigate the importance and the location of their own watershed by visiting and EPA website and also work in groups to create an action plan on how to protect their local watershed.
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Rocks in our Backyard
Students examine igneous and sedimentary rocks. They observe and identify geological formations in their community, analyze igneous and sedimentary geological layers using a geological map, and use GPS to locate geological formations.
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Oil Slick Emergency
Students examine how to recover and remove oil from an oil spill. In this oil spill clean-up lesson students use role play and act like a committee to determine how to clean up an oil spill.
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Africa's Climatic Regions
Students are introduced to the different climates and vegetation of Africa, and compare them to similar climatic regions found in the United States.
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5 Themes Awareness of Current Event Issues
Learners identify the 5 themes of geography as being location, place, human-environmental interaction, movement and region. They explain a current event from the perspective of each theme and their interrelationship..
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Be Kind to our Earth
Pupils make a list of ideas on ways we can take care of our Earth and complete a class project planning sheet where they problem solve to help save the Earth. In this Earth lesson plan, students also play a conservation charades game.
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Conveyor Belt Production
Students design a system that will move their glass product across a room in the plant. They must move the product 12 feet and their items cannot fall off at any time.
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Agriculture is a Cycle
What do a bicycle and the life cycle have in common? Cover this and more with the series of cross-curricular activities included in this plan. Learners do everything from making bracelets that represent the life cycle to checking out the...
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Tornado Chasers
Students explore how tornadoes are the most violent storms on earth. Raging at speeds of up to 300 miles per hour, their awesome winds can flip cars through the air like leaves, snap trees like matchsticks, and reduce entire towns to...
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Many Happy Returns
Students compare the journey of Lewis and Clark with the space flight of Apollo 11. Students sequence events using a timeline. Students write a persuasive essay trying to persuade the people of the US to support space exploration.
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Visual Opacity
Students discover the difference between transparent, translucent and opaque. They use those descriptions to classify clouds. They create a presentation in which they show the different types of clouds with their descriptions.
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Rainforest/Informational Web Sites that are Credible
Fifth graders evaluate whether various rainforest websites are credible and can be used for research purposes. They listen to the story "The Great Kapok Tree," discuss what makes a website credible, and examine and evaluate various...
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Interpreting the History, Geology, and Ecology of Monterey Bay
Students explore what they know about Monterey Bay in the special topics course and share their information with K-12 grade children at local schools by participating in the Virtual Canyon Project. Students in this service learning...