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Aquifers: Unlimited or Not
Students understand that an aquifer can become a non-renewable resource if it is not used wisely. Students do an experiment that recreates an aquifer in the classroom.
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The Pros and Cons of Dams
Students investigate the use of dams on rivers in order to manage water uses in particular the Flathead River and Lake. They make presentations about dam management and write a persuasive paper on the issue. If possible they visit the...
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Bell Live! The Great Lakes: A Superior Adventure
Students participate in a virtual field trip to Lake Superior. In groups, they perform experiments in which test the level of toxins and bacteria in the water. They also watch video segments life in the lake and discuss their observations.
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Lesson on Wayne Thiebaud
Fourth graders view Theibaud's work in order to form opinions and share in class discussions. They also critique some of the artists work using the Linderman method and recreate the artist's style of work with their own paintings.
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Wetland Safari!
Students identify how humans, fish, plants, birds, insects and other wildlife benefit from wetland environments. They observe a wetland and its inhabitants, draw a migration map that represents how birds use wetlands in traveling long...
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If You Mess With A Wetland, At Least Try to Make Amends!
Eighth graders examine the role of wetlands in an ecosystem. In groups, they use the internet to research how humans have disturbed and ruined the effectiveness of wetlands throughout the country. They pretend they are in charge of...
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Sea Floor Spreading
High schoolers recreate sea-floor spreading and the pattern of magnetic stripes that are created by different configurations of plate boundaries. They see how transform faults work.
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The Sky Show
Students use lecture and research to answer the question: Why is the sky blue? students research a variety of other sky phenomena, chart their observations and participate in experiments.
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Reclamation and Recycling
Students examine the many uses of mined lands after reclamation has been completed and discover the importance of recycling finding the difference between manufacturing with recycled materials and newly extracted materials.
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Air Pollution and Health
Students use Internet research to become familiar with the environmental and health effects of the six criteria pollutants identified by the U.S. EPA, along with the greenhouse effect and carbon dioxide.
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Down on the Farm
Students are introduced to a map of an Illinois farm. They determine whether the map is of the past, present, or future by looking at features on the map. They also use the map to make a three-dimensional model.
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A Day During Colonial Times
Fifth graders participate in read aloud activities of three books about life in Colonial times. They compare their life to that of children of Colonial times using a Venn diagram. They draw a picture and write about what a day in the...
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Who Works in This Forest?
Students examine the variety of jobs that are related to working in the forest. Information on the different jobs is provided in this lesson plan for the teacher to share with the students. The students create a collage using magazines...
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Ecology of the Dump
Students recreate landfills in petri dishes, observe relative biodegradability in a year-long project, and isolate a cellulose degrading bacteria while discovering the need for recycling and the serious problem waste management has...
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Decorating Objects... and Re-decorating
Students create decorative objects and discuss their importance in form and function. In this art history lesson, students discuss Chinese porcelain objects with mounts later added by the Chinese. Students recreate an example of this art...
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Turning the Tide on Trash: Marine Debris Curriculum
Six different lessons comprise this unit on marine debris. Science, language arts, social studies, and art projects make this an ideal interdisciplinary unit. The result will be well-informed future citizens who can help make a...
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What is an Estuary?
Students define the terms estuary and watershed. They conduct an experiment to determine the density differences between fresh and saltwater. They examine the salinity distribution of the Peconic Bay Estuary.
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Hot and Humid, That's Manu
Elementary and middle schoolers participate in a demonstration of the heat and humidity of the Manu rainforest environment. They watch and discuss a video, calculate the humidity and temperature in the humidified tent, and write a...
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Get Your Butt off the Beach!
Pupils participate in a Beach Field Study in which the analyze the affect pollution is having on beaches and the animals that live there. Students focus specifically on the damage cigarette butts are causing on the environment.
American Museum of Natural History
The Ancient City of Petra
Anyone who has seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade will recognize the entrance to the Nabataean city of Petra. Young archaeologists don't need horses or camels to travel through the Sig and tour this fascinating city, however. With...
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Flood Control Project
Students examine the reasons why dams were built in Nebraska. They identify factors that need to be considered when building a dam. They create a dam of their own.
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Mystery State #38
In this United States mystery learning exercise, students determine which state is described by the 5 clues listed on the sheet and then mark it on the outline map of the United States.
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The Rock Cycle: The Story of a Rock
Learners describe the changes undergone by rocks during the rock cycle and develop an understanding of the interconnectedness of the rock cycle.
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Vocab-u-lous! Build a Fabulous Vocab: Words Beginning with SC
In this vocabulary instructional activity, students select the best word choice to complete the sentence. They are challenged with words that have sc-blends.