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Rust Never Sleeps
Students investigate oxidation-reduction reactions involving iron by conducting an experiment in which they expose iron filings to different atmospheric and ocean conditions. They relate the results to the oxidation banding patterns seen...
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Three Clouds Activity
Students understand how clouds are formed. In this cloud activity, students participate in three experiments to make clouds. Students complete activity sheets for each experiment.
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The Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF)
Students design an experiment for NASA's STEREO/IMPACT mission to measure the interplanetary magnetic field. This lesson includes 3 excellent hands-on and critical thinking activities in which students explore magnetism in the solar wind.
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Air Is there
Students experiment to observe air and its mass. In this air lesson, students use the scientific method to complete experiments that demonstrate the properties of air. Students view a video as follow-up.
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What Plants Need in Order to Survive and Grow: Air
Young scholars conduct an experiment to determine whether plants need air in order to survive and grow. They discuss natural resources, analyze slides, and observe and record data from the experiment.
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Plate Tectonics: Movin' and Shakin'
Students are introduced to the causes of plate movements and the hazards they present. They plot the location of 50 earthquakes and 50 volcanic eruptions on a map and explore the relationships between plate tectonics, earthquakes, and...
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The Water Planet
Learners use NASA photographs and hands-on activities to compare the amounts of land and water on our planet. They discover that the world has five oceans and that they cover seventy percent of Earth's surface. Students learn how this...
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Voyage of Discovery
Students develop a sense of the scale of our solar system by creating a one to ten billion scale model. They calculate the relative sizes and distances for the planets and asteroid belt using a guiding worksheet. To create the model they...
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Cooler in the Shadows
Students explore Earth science by creating a scale model in class. In this shadow activity, students research the impact the sun has on Earth shadows and complete a space science worksheet. Students create models of the Sun and Earth and...
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What's Air Got to Do with It?
Students use M&M's to create a pie graph that expresses their understanding of the composition of air. They watch and conduct several simple experiments to develop an understanding of the properties of air (it has mass, it takes up...
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Gravity Launch
Students examine how gravity affects launching rockets into space. In this physical science instructional activity, students review the concept of gravity and use an interactive online site, "Gravity Launch," to simulate a rocket launch.
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Planetary Diversity
Students explore the infrared radiation and the part of the spectrum that is not always visible. In this electromagnetic lesson plan students complete a lab activity on the different wavelengths.
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Capillary Action and Adhesion
Students perform classroom experiments to observe adhesion. They perform a second experiment using sand, salt, water, and a heat lamp to observe the principle of capillary action. They also experiment with adhesion in plants.
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The Lost Hydroponics Chamber Lesson
Students understand the definition of hydroponics. In this space hydroponics less, students simulate the experiment conducted in space. Students answer questions based on their experiment.
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Soil Properties
Students explore the porosity of soil. In this soil lesson, students conduct an experiment which shows the porosity of different types of soil. They use sand, silt, and clay to see how soil particles are more or less aerated and thus...
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Modeling the Big Bang and the Formation of the Universe
Sixth graders conduct an experiment to understand the Big Bang Theory. In this Big Bang Theory lesson, 6th graders will observe a balloon with confetti popping to emulate and analyze information related tot he Big Bang theory....
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Graham's Law Of Diffusion
Students demonstrate Graham's Law by observing a gaseous diffusion. After a lecture/demo, students perform an experiment then complete a write up activity which is imbedded in this plan to reinforce what they have observed during the...
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Magnify It!
Students view objects of various sizes from several viewing distances to discover that their visual field is limited. They record what they see and compare their observations with classmates. They conduct more structured experiments.
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Climate Change Challenge
Students participate in a demonstration in which they role-play polar bears and habitat components to demonstrate the impacts of climate change on the Arctic Ocean ecosystem.
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Moon
Students discover scientific facts about the Moon and how
some American Indian Tribes used the moon to measure time.
They accomplish this by listening to stories and poetry, writing
stories, communicating with an astronaut,...
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Understanding Air Pressure
Fifth graders complete experiments with air to understand that air takes up space, has mass, and that air pressure can be changed. In this air pressure lesson, 5th graders test the air pressure by using balloons, syringes, and water to...
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What Plants Need in Order to Survive and Grow: Soil
Young scholars conduct an experiment to evaluate whether plants need soil to survive and grow. They plant two seeds, one with soil and one without, make predictions, and record and analyze the seed germination results on a worksheet.
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Seeping Stones
Learners explore and experiment with oil traps in rocks. In this rocks lesson plan, students explore the porousness of different rocks and how the more porous a rock is, the more oil it can trap. Learners also participate in a lab step...
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Light and shadow
Learners experiment with light and shadow. In this light lesson, students look at the relationship between shadows and light. They experiment with light source, shadow size, transparent objects and reflective objects.