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Nature Art
In this nature art lesson, students take a nature walk and collect items with different sizes, textures and colors. Students use the items they collect to make a collage.
Berkshire Museum
Backyard Rocks
You don't have to travel far to learn about rocks, just step outside, pick up a stone, and begin investigating. After taking a class walk around the school grounds collecting rocks, young scientists practice their skills of observation...
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Living vs. Non-living
Students go on a nature walk and observe and discuss the living and non living things they see in the ecosystem. For this living and non living lesson plan, students complete a connecting string activity to simulate an ecosystem.
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Detectives in the Landscape
Fourth graders explore landscapes. In this landscape lesson, 4th graders investigate different elements of landscapes. Students design a visual presentation using photographs taken during a nature walk.
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Human or Natural?
Young scholars explore nature by participating in a class lab activity. For this human vs. nature lesson, students examine a group of items in their classroom and discuss whether they were created naturally or have been altered or...
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Branching Art From Nature
Students construct an art piece from nature. In this visual art lesson, students use objects from the environment (petals, leaves, and stones) to create a unique art piece.
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Nature: Planting Terrariums
Students observe and experiment using a terrarium. In this scientific lesson plan, students build a nature terrarium. Students then observe their terrarium over a period of time to discover what makes the plants grow. A science...
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Rosie's Walk
Young scholars use maps and globes to locate and describe locations, directions and scale. Using the maps, they identify man made or natural features of different environments. They practice using geographical terms to describe a...
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Find the Rocks
Students gain appreciation about the geology around them. They navigate the schoolyard using a map. They create a list of what people use rocks for. They mark location of rocks on their maps.
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Wonderfully Wild Unit the four L's of Wildlife
Students appreciate the natural environment. In this "four L's" lesson, students observe, reflect and appreciate unique ecosystems and how they help sustain life. Students create posters with the four L's.
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Smile...you're on Insect Camera!
Learners study insects. They go on an outdoor insect outing and look for insects in a variety of places--in the air, under rocks, on leaves, in water, etc. They record information about the insects they find, including habitat, weather...
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Weathering and Erosion
Fourth graders take a look at the effects of weathering and other geologic activities found in the environments in which they live. Along with a guided geologic walk outside of campus, there is also an effective in-class demonstration of...
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Where in the world is the Hydra Electron?
Walk your class through the journey water takes once it leaves your kitchen sink, all the way through the water cycle. Demonstrations support your lecture. This plan is thoroughly written, but ideally you would follow it up with water...
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Do You See What I See?
Second graders view a teacher-created terrarium, and complete a KWL chart. They discuss what they can see, Students go on a nature walk and compare the schoolyard to the terrarium, discussing the roles of rocks, plants, soil, and water...
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Fieldwork: Horizons Under Ground: Digging Through Wetland Soil
Students study the different soil types and describe the different soils in various environments. In this soil lesson students walk to a reserve and discuss what they saw.
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Mystery Creek
Fourth graders are introduced to the Riparian Ecosystem. They define the following terms: riparian and riparian ecosystem. Students take a trip to the creek, where they make observations about the environment around them. They are...
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Science: Down Home Dinosaurs
young scholars participate in hands-on activities to discover the different types of fossils. Using teacher-provided materials, they make models of cast and trace fossils. After writing essays describing how traces are formed, students...
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Pine Rockland Walk
Students take a field trip to the pine rockland area and identify three characteristics. In groups, they research the types of plants native to the area and the effect of non-native plants. To end the instructional activity, they...
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The Changing Earth
Students observe and analyze weathering. In this earth science lesson, students demonstrate physical and chemical weathering in two experiments, then write questions for a class Jeopardy game.
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Green Leaves
Third graders, after having conducted one experiment three times, record their observations results in a chart. They predict what hidden colors they believe that a leaf holds. Students record their predictions in their science note books...
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The Changing Earth
Students explore the Earth's crust. In this earth science instructional activity, students participate in 2 activities that demonstrate physical and chemical weathering. Students also play Jeopardy with topics including volcanoes,...
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Conserving Pennsylvania Resources: New Deal Programs
Learners analyze the impact of the New Deal programs in Pennsylvania. In this Great Depression lesson, students examine the New Deal programs and their legacies in Pennsylvania. They relate these programs to the preservation of national...
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Sounds of the Wetlands
Students identify the sounds of different bird calls. In this biology lesson, students create a sound map. They explain how this method is important in tracking wildlife.