Curated OER
Home-Made Clouds
Fourth graders witness cloud formation in a jar during a teacher lead simulation. They research, draw and predict weather using information they gather about clouds.
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Ozone Hole Expert Groups
Research topics associated with the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. Researchers write five facts about their topic and one question for each of those facts. They present what they learned to the rest of the class. Six topics are...
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Worms, Nature's Recyclers!
Young scholars study what worms need to survive in different environments. They study how worm composting improves soil and reduce waste. They discuss composting techniques and present a puppet show about a worm's life.
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Myth or Fact
Are opioids the most abused drug after marijuana? How hard is it for young people to obtain painkillers without a prescription? Middle and high schoolers explore the growing epidemic of opioid addiction with a instructional activity that...
Curated OER
Presto Change-o: Caterpillars to Butterflies
Students use the Internet to explore the four stages of a butterfly's life cycle. They make a model of a butterfly using macaroni, sticks and leaves.
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Grounded for Life
Second graders become familiar with the lives of penguins including their life cycles, habitats and basic needs. Students will experience the lives of penguins through stories and video.
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Lake Superior Ecology Unit
Sixth graders research Lake Superior and its ecosystem. Students investigate the lake's cycles of mixing and stratification and how these cycles affect the biology of the lake. This lesson plan contains five days of activities.
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Autumn
Students examine the cycle of nutrients in a forest. They research the concepts of decomposing and recycling within a forest.
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Here Comes the Rain
Second graders help to prepare a model of the water cycle before the conduction of this experiment. They use the model in order to observe changes that happen to water when it changes states of matter.
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This Is Tree-rific!
Third graders view a clip of the video Backyard Safari, "Trees," and portray the life cycle of a tree. They also view a clip on structures of a tree and draw a diagram of a tree in their science journals.
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How to Recycle a Rock
Third graders explore the rock cycle and explore how rocks are made, changed, destroyed and recreated. They create representations of these processes with hands-on activities.
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Up, Up, and Away
Second graders observe the changes that water has when there is a change in a state of matter. In this lesson they observe the results of applying heat to water with the end result of conversion to a gas.
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Worm Posters Presentations and Worm Box Part 2
Students work in small groups to investigate the topic, make a visual aid, and present to the class. They are given the following four topics: Worms and other decomposers, taking care of a worm box, waster and recycling, and...
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Physical and Chemical Changes
Sixth graders complete several experiments about chemical and physical changes. In this physical and chemical science instructional activity, 6th graders complete 6 experiments about chemical and physical changes. Students examine the...
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How Much Do I Know About Water?
Sixth graders explore how water behaves on a penny. In this states of matter lesson, 6th graders observe water as they add drops to a penny. This lesson helps students apply the adhesive properties of water to the water cycle.
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Compost Columns
In this unit of lessons, students examine the role of compost columns and recycling. They create a KWL chart about garbage in Chicago. They also examine life cycles and packaging of everyday products.
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Food Chains & Food Webs
Tenth graders examine how energy is lost through different trophic levels. In this trophism lesson students construct a food web and view a video.
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Habitat Art: Florida Panthers
Students discover the lifestyles of a Florida Panther by investigating its habitat. In this wild animal lesson, students utilize the Internet to research the habits of a Panther and what their habitat is. Students create an...
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Where Are the Dinosaurs?
Students examine the concept of extinction by studying dinosaurs. In this living environment lesson, students view dinosaur video clips and define the word "extinction." Students visit the "Zoom Dinosaur" website to investigate various...
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Dust in the Wind; Chemicals in the Water
Students explore mechanical and chemical weathering at stations. They articulate some mechanisms of chemical and mechanical weathering through exploration in a lab. Students stations describe how chemical weathering differs from...
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I Need Some Help Here!
First graders describe what help seeds need to grow, including light, water, good soil, and warmth, observe and discuss what happens when seeds do not have help, and state similarities and differences among seed growth.
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Water, Water Everywhere (Pond Animals)
Second graders examine the characteristics of animals who live in a pond environment. In groups, they describe the various stages in the life of a frog and identify the characteristics of other pond animals. Using this information,...
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Parts of an Ecosystem
Fourth graders study the Great Salt lake and the ecosystem that encompasses it. They study the relationship between an individual of a species, a population of that species, a community that includes that population, and the...
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You're as Cold as Ice!
Students study the movement of glaciers and how they have affected the Earth. In this geology lesson students simulate the effects glaciers have on landscape and watch video segments.