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Energy Production
Middle schoolers examine the role of energy in our daily lives, and how energy is produced. Students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each energy resource, and the controversy surrounding the use of nuclear energy.
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A River Ran Through It
Students research how water is used to generate electricity. They investigate water's potential-to-kinetic energy transfer in hands-on activities about falling water and waterwheels. They take measurements, calculate averages and graph...
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Solar Power
Students discover how engineers use solar energy to heat buildings. They investigate the thermal properties of different materials. They evaluate the usefulness of each material.
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What's down there?
students analyze how oil is formed and where in the Earth we find it. Students take a core sample to look for oil in a model of the Earth. They analyze their sample and make an informed decision as to whether or not they should "drill...
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Learn to Build a Rocket in 5 Days or Your Money Back
Students discover the entire process that goes into designing a rocket for any customer. They study important factors such as supplies, ethics, deadlines and budgets. Also, students explore about the Engineering process, and recognize...
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Waterwheel Work
Students investigate the history of the waterwheel and common uses for water turbines today. They construct an experimental waterwheel using a two-liter plastic bottle, measure the rate of revolution of a waterwheel, and complete a...
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Locating Vent Fields Using CTD Data
Students describe the way hydrothermal vents work. Students work on locating vent regions through remote collection of data about water temperature and density. Comparing density and temperatures graphs, students search for indicators...
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How Long Does Trash Last
Students work in cooperative groups to estimate how long trash lasts in a landfill. They study environmental consequences of not recycling and use graph-making software to create a graph that illustrates the lifespan of trash items...
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Solids, Liquids, and Gases
First graders explore the properties of matter. In this states of matter lesson plan, 1st graders conduct scientific investigations that require them to mix, cool, and heat objects in order to observe changes in the properties of matter.
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Visual Models of Solutions and Concentrations
Students model solutions with beakers of colored glass or plastic spheres. In this solutions lesson, students use beakers of colored spheres to represent pure substances. They mix the spheres to demosntrate solutions. They discuss...
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Tree Identification
Students list four ways to identify trees. For this tree identification instructional activity, students use tree identification techniques such as leafs, bark, wood grain, soil type, and climate to create tables and graphs.
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Balance Point
In this math/science worksheet, students find the balance point of a variety of objects, and complete ten problems. Students look at sketches of objects and calculate the balance point, and also use meter sticks and weights. This is an...
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How Things Fly
Students research the mechanics of flight and create a slideshow with one slide dedicated to each of these topics: lift, drag, thrust, and weight. They create a short quiz regarding the material that they presented and give it to their...
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Our Solar System
Third graders describe the composition of our solar system. They recognize the names of the planets in our solar system and compare and contrast the nine planets that orbit the sun.
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Classifying Matter
Second graders conduct investigations to explore matter. In this states of matter activity, 2nd graders complete four activities to analyze the three states of matter. Students analyze the properties of solids, liquids, and gases....
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Using Star Charts and Maps
Students study star charts and describe locations of objects. For this scientific models lesson students use coordinates and identify characteristics.
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Population Dynamics
Middle schoolers discover how organisms are dependent on one another for survivial. They also discuss how to conserve natural resources. They compare and contrast the different types of symbiotic relationships as well.
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Structure of the Earth
Eighth graders explain the difference between igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. They identify the stages in the rock cycle. They discover the origin of rocks as well.
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Strength of Water
Students perform experiments using flexible bottles of water and eyedroppers partially filled and placed in the bottle. They record what happens when they tighten the bottle lid and squeeze the bottle.
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Ecology: Factors Influencing Animal Populations
Students assess the factors affecting animal populations. Working in groups they define specific vocabulary terms and complete several activities from "Project Wild."
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Understanding Canadian Weather Extremes
Students research and analyze the causes and sources of Canada's extreme weather conditions. They conduct an experiment, complete a worksheet and predict the most likely locations for extreme weather conditions.
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Air -- Is It Really There?
Students work together to perform simple experiments discovering the properties of air. They share their results with their classmates. They examine how engineers use the properties of air to clean the air of pollutants.
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Keep the Environment Clean
Students discuss ways our environment becomes polluted. They make a list of ways to keep it clean.
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Meteorology (Condensation)
Second graders define condensation and evaporation. They identify and describe the steps in the water cycle. They ask questions to end the lesson.