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THE FABLE OF THE FAINTING GOATS

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students practice telling time while reading a story about a fainting goat. They write their own story about a fainting goat. Students write letters to the International Fainting Goat Association, asking for more information about...
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Paths of Electrical Currents

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine the paths that electrical currents travel. They create a current of electricity using flashlights, bulbs, batteries, wires and tape. They determine how to create a closed circuit that will light the bulb. They...
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The Energy of Life in Zebrafish

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Young scholars study the stages of development of an unknown organism. In this zebrafish lesson, students examine and collect data as they use microscopes to view a zebrafish embryo.
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The Great Art of Henri Matisse

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students discover the artistic works of Henri Matisse, and examine what his work means. In this art lesson plan, students observe the different paintings/collages of Henri Matisse, eventually creating works of their own based on his style.
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"Julie of the Wolves"

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders research life in Alaska and compare life there to their lives in this lesson. They read "Julie of the Wolves." They research through the novel and other reference books facts about the Alaskan climate and geography. They...
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America's Rain Forests Can It Be Real?

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students examine the attributes of unusual plants and animals before determining how they are adapted to specific habitat. They complete an associated worksheet. They make posters with information that they find during research sessions.
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Build a 3-d Plant Model

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders construct a three-dimensional model of a flowering plant. They examine the major plant parts and their basic functions. They demonstrate an understanding of the similarities and differences in the physical...
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Ourselves

For Teachers K - 1st
Students identify the main parts of the human body. They point to various parts of their own body, cut out pictures of humans and animals and sort them into the two categories, discuss the differences between animals and humans, and...
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Spiders and their Webs

For Teachers K
Students investigate spider webs. In this spider web lesson, students gain information about spider body parts and how they make their webs. Students simlulate what it is like to be a spider walking on their web. Students illustrate...
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Teacher's Plant Collection Guide

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students explore a variety of guidelines that involve collecting plants in a responsible manner and participate in a plant pressing activity. In this teacher's plant collection guide lesson, students collect data regarding plants,...
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Wetland Plant Detectives

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders identify plants in the wetlands. For this plant detectives lesson, 6th graders complete a scavenger hunt on a local reserve, record observations, and respond in their journals. 
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Letting Off Steam

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students examine the concept of transpiration. They work together to complete an experiment in which they see water loss in plants. They record their observations and discuss their conclusions.
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Prairie Restoration and Prairie Ecology

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students collect data as they identify and classify native prairie plants and insects. They create their own population study using a variety of sampling techniques to determine the population density of various species. Students...
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How Microbes Help Ecosystems

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders observe different microorganisms under the microscope. In this biology activity, 6th graders draw and describe the samples they see. They study the root nodules of plants and explain how the plants benefit from those bacteria.
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Water Quality: Water Filtration

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students build a water filtration system. For this water quality lesson, students work in groups to construct water filtration units that can purify contaminated water. This lesson is part of a larger unit on water quality.
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Food Chains

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study food chains, producers, consumers, and decomposers. They play a food chain game and create food chain mobiles or posters. They take a nature hike around the school and observe various parts of a food chain.
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Monarch Migration

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders investigate the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly. They experiment with various tools to simulate the mouth parts of insects, conduct research, record their observations of butterflies hatching, write a play, complete...
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Climate Change

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students focus on the production of maple syrup in Northern New England as they study the effects of climate change. They investigate other environmental factors on the forests of Northern New England.
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African Adventures

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Learners access the Internet to gather information. They record their observations of African habitats. They create either an electronic slideshow or mural to present a science experiment.
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Make Your Own Newspaper Plant Pots

For Teachers K - 4th
Students make plant pots out of newspaper as part of a recycle, reuse, and reduce instructional activity. In this recycling instructional activity, students fold a piece of newspaper to make a pot in which to start plants. They fill it...
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Blowing and Flowing

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders compare and evaluate the rate of erosion from water and wind on three type of landscape: bare land, land with sparse vegetation, and land covered by dense vegetation.
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What's Your Genus? Scientific Classification and the VT

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars understand the definition of binomial nomenclature. For this binomial nomenclature lesson, students classify ordinary animals by seeking their scientific names. Young scholars participate in a knowledge hunt using binomial...
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Idea Mapping

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students generate, share and display ideas as a group. They break into small groups to work on hand-drawn maps made up of concentric circles. they come before the group and make a similar diagram by charting each other's characteristics.
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What Happens to a Seed?

For Teachers 1st
In this creative lesson on seeds, 1st graders listen as the book The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle is read to them about the life of a seed. Students then draw a picture to show the life cycle of a seed in each season.