Lesson Plan
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Life Is a Cycle

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students investigate about cycles through games, shared readings and a shared writing activity. They play a game of Ring Around the Rosie to be introduced to the concept of "cycle."
Lesson Plan
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T-shirt Chromatography

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore chromatography, a process used to separate mixtures. They create a colorful T-shirt design.
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Sundials: Keeping Time Like Native Americans

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Students explore the use of sundials. They observe the shadows cast by the sun and record the times at various points throughout the day. They create sundials and record the location of the shadows and the time of day. They view a...
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Wacky Wildlife World

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders research organisms in the environment in Kentucky and create brochures for the local area wildlife reserves. Individuals create brochures that include information on habitat, body characteristics, scientific class, role...
Lesson Plan
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Tree Identification

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Learners are introduced to the characteristics of trees and different techniques to identify them. They distinguish between a deciduous and a coniferous tree. Students describe at least four characteristics used to identify trees. They...
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Walking on Frozen Ground

For Teachers K - 4th
Students listen to an Elder speak about permafrost structures in their area. In this permafrost lesson plan, students listen to the guest speaker, take a tour outside to view permafrost structures, and draw them.
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"Who Done It?" Analysis of Molecular Fingerprints Left At the Scene of the Crime

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners examine different types of DNA fragments. They record and analyze their results. They determine who is the criminal in the story.
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Chemical Formulas and Naming

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students practice naming and writing formulas for simple chemicals. After a review of vocabulary, they create ion flash cards and discuss the rules for writing chemical compounds. They practice naming and writing the formulas based on...
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Fun With Sound

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders make predictions. In this sound lesson, 2nd graders listen to various sounds, and write down and draw what they think that sound is. Students make a chart of their predictions.
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Geography Action! Rivers 2001- Stream Table

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use a stream table to simulate river and watershed systems. The affect of gradient on stream flow as well as erosion and deposition are two items that students examine.
Lesson Plan
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Structural Changes in a Protein

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Young scholars observe and manipulate the structure of a protein. They form an alpha helix, a beta sheet, and add disulfide bonds. They create a multimeric protein and compare their location with other students.
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What Can You Make of It?

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students investigate the various uses of a paper cup. In this scientific inquiry lesson, students investigate various ways to use a paper cup by identifying its characteristics. Students sketch their discovery.
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Optical Illusions

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students view, identify, and construct four optical illusions. In this optical illusions lesson, students are introduced to four types of optical illusions. They construct their own illusions.
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Winter

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore the concept of hibernation. In this winter lesson, students read Time to Sleep by Denise Fleming and discuss the content of the story. Students participate in classroom activities that require them to develop their...
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Animal Habitats

For Teachers K - 4th
Students explore animal lifestyles by researching their characteristics. In this animal habitat lesson, students read the story Over in the Jungle and analyze the animal illustrations in the book. Students create clay animal characters...
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The Water Cycle

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students study the water cycle. For this water cycle lesson, students examine how the water cycle works, what its functions are, and how to diagram it.
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Water & Ice

For Teachers K - 2nd
Learners investigate the properties of water. In this states of water lesson, students explore how water goes from liquid to solid and back to liquid again. Learners use measurement, observation, and communication to describe the change.
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Sea Urchins - Diadema Antillarum

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Pupils investigate oceanography by painting sea life. In this crustacean lesson, students identify sea urchins in our ocean environments and describe the functionality of their spherical-shaped bodies. Pupils design their own sea urchins...
Lesson Plan
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Tissue Leaf Rubbings

For Teachers 1st - 8th
Students use tissue paper to create the texture of a leaf. They use different colors of tissue paper to have leaves of different colors. They place the leaves on white construction paper for all classes to view.
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Laetoli Trackway Puzzle

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students try to reach a "best explanation" after viewing diagrams.  In this trackway instructional activity students complete several worksheets, make observations and hypothesize.
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Changing Matter

For Teachers 1st
First graders investigate the changing states of water.
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Bird Banter

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Learners listen to examples of common bird songs of birds found in Illinois. As a class, they discover the importance between the differences in songs and calls. They practice making their own bird calls and songs to end the lesson plan.
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Minerals

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students explore the concept of minerals. In this minerals activity, students discuss how cooling affects the size of crystals. Students discuss how the structure of minerals is a tetrahedron. Students discuss the structure of silicates...
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Variations

For Teachers K - 2nd
Sttudents examine populations of living things and identify variations in physical features.