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Water Walk

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learners conduct a visual survey to discover information about local land use and water quality; document their findings by mapping and profiling the water body; and use this initial investigation to raise questions about local land use.
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The Chemistry of Fire and Other Oxidation Reactions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the process of combustion.
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Valley of the Butterflies

For Teachers 1st
First graders explore why butterfly populations in Idaho's Lapwai Valley have decreased.
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Survivor

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders investigate changes in the ecosystem within the school year. They see that ecosystems, communities, populations, and organisms are dynamic and change over time. They, in groups, collect data in quadrants in the fall,...
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Predators & Prey

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars discuss what predators and prey are. Students participate in a playground game aimed at simulating predators and prey.
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Leaf Slides

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Students, in groups, examine leaf slides in order to explore the detail in leaves.
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Four-Wing Paper Boomerang

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students cut out the pattern of the Four-Wing Boomerang and trace it on to one half of the file folder. They practice throwing it.
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Build A Model of the Water Cycle

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students identify and describe the steps in the water cycle. They discover the sun as the source of the cycle. They work together to create their own water cycle model.
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Comparing Forecasts To Today's Weather

For Teachers 1st
First graders compare forecasts to today's weather. They gather information about today's weather and record it on a chart. Students record information on the weather and discuss the importance of forecasts.
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Biological Control of Purple Loosestrife

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the role of Purple Loosestrife in Illinois and Indiana rivers. In groups, they collect a wide variety of plants in a wetland and raise beetles in a controlled environment. They introduce the loosestrife into the...
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Weedy Socks & Wheels

For Teachers K - 6th
Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the concept of using socks in order to collect weed seeds. They conduct research in order to illustrate the ease of how weeds are spread from one area to another. Students conduct the...
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World of the Pond

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Field trip! The class will review what they know about organisms that dwell in freshwater ponds, then trek down to the old water hole to collect specimens for examination. This includes several web links, useful tips, and an excellent...
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Sculpture in Balance

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students discuss the difference betwen two-dimensional vs. three-dimensional art. In this art lesson, students discuss what symmetry or balance is in art and construct a symmetrical and an asymmetrical mobile.
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The Great Pollinators

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students discover the reproductive parts of a plant.  In this biology lesson plan, students identify and categorize several different plants they dissect in class.  Students record their information using a data chart.
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Identification and Classification Activities

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Explore and understand your world with taxonomy.
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Descriptive Paragraphs

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders gain the necessary skills to write a descriptive paragraph. They see the evaluation and decision making process that are used in good wriitng. The bible is used to see illustrations and then used to paint a picture in...
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U-G-L-Y? I've Got a Great Alibi

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students create a survey to explore people's perception of beauty. In this biology lesson, students explain how an animal's appearance helps it survive. They analyze survey results and present findings in class.
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Investigating comparative biodiversity of wetland and schoolyard sites

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders participate in an activity dealing with the environment.
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Mapping Puerto Rico

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Young scholars use maps to discover where Puerto Rico is located. In groups, they use the internet to research the vegetation. They also compare and contrast the relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico's government.
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It's A Jungle Out Here-Landscape Painting

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students work together to create a landscape painting. Using the musical "The Lion King", they must relate the painting to it and use while an adaptation is being performed at the school. Using the internet, they also review images from...
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Stories

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Young scholars read and write a short story. In this short story lesson plan, students read a short story and answer comprehension questions on it that teaches them about the world around them. Then they write a short story to teach...
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Pitch

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders investigate the concept of pitch and how it can be changed in its duration and frequency. They use rubber bands and cardboard to demonstrate different sound patterns. Students are asked to recognize how vibration varies...
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Graphing Heart Rates

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore heart rates. They record pulse rates, predict which exercises cause a faster heart rate, make a chart, and graph the results. Students write an essay using the data to support their predictions. They write a hypothesis...
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Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Observing and Creating Sketches of an Outdoor Environment

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Students use their senses to observe nature then sketch a plant and/or animal in their science journals using detail and color. Using these sketches, they will create classroom books which are shared with the class.