Virginia Department of Education
Independent and Dependent Variables
Investigate the relationship between independent and dependent variables. Individuals begin by identifying independent and dependent variables from different problem situations. Then, using specific guidelines, they create posters...
Advocates for Human Rights
The Right to a Clean Environment in the United States
Even if a school has gone digital, chances are there's still plenty of paper being used. The three activities help scholars learn about the environmental impact of paper and another consumer products of their choosing, the issue of...
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Sound
Third graders explore sound. They describe sounds in terms of their properties and explain how sounds are made. Students discuss how various sounds sound to their ears and how sound travels in waves.
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Yesterday and Today
Eighth graders are introduced to the concept of conservation. As a class, they brainstorm ways in which they can or already have helped the environment. Using the internet, they research key individuals and organizations that help the...
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Match Shapes in Compositions
Third graders draw shapes that are congruent with each other and identify other congruent shapes. In this congruency lesson plan, 3rd graders also apply specific colors from the color wheel in their shapes.
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I Wonder Why There Is So Much Frass...
Students examine frass and try to determine what it is. They make observations and add to their growth charts on a daily basis. They make predictions and support them to end the instructional activity.
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I Wonder Where The Manduca Came From...
Students examine how the Manduca came to America the economic means that made it possible. They discover what frass is and make observations. They make their own speculations on why the Manduca came to America.
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Lesson Two
Second graders, after assessing why forecasting weather is important, study about temperature and how to read a thermometer. They experiment being able to observe the mercury rising up and down when given a thermometer and cups of cold...
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Environmentally Friendly
What can your pupils do to promote better conditions for wildlife? After researching issues around wildlife management, class members use the Internet to locate three different organizations devoted to protecting wildlife. They then...
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This is Your Life
Middle or high-school pupils choose a scientist to research. They collect biographical information and explore their contributions to scientific understanding. With all that they compile, they create a scrapbook of the scientists' life....
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How Much Water Do Plants Need?
Students experiment with the effects of varying amounts of water on household plants. They give different amounts of water to plants and then observe and record the effects.
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The Alphabet Garden
Third graders transplant, tend and observe a plant for each letter of the alphabet in a school garden. They work individually to research and select a plant that will grow in their local climate. Students then care for and observe the...
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What's Up With the Water Cycle?
Students explore the water cycle. Students identify the stages in a water cycle and create a PowerPoint presentation based on their knowledge.
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How Caves Are Formed
Students explore caves. In this cave formation lesson, students take a virtual tour of a cave and then participate in a scientific investigation that requires them to grow crystals and chart data regarding their growth.
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Taking Care of Me
Students brainstorm on the effects of stress on the body. For this health science lesson, students write journals three times a week about how they feel. They determine strategies to cope with stress.
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Into the Pond
Seventh graders use a pond to explore macroinvertebrates and other organisms. They use a dichotomous key to classify the organisms and maintain a journal recording their findings.
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The Water Cycle
First graders investigate the different stages of the water cycle. They conduct Internet research and complete a water cycle WebQuest. Students identify what happens at each stage of the water cycle, and write about each stage in their...
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I Wonder What An Important Observation Is...
Students discover the importance of descriptions and detail in their writing. They write in their scientific journals and are evaluated by the teacher. They write a descriptive piece and evaluate their own writing as well.
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Frenzied Food: Fantastic Fuel?
Students infer the causes of obesity. In this health science lesson, students brainstorm ways improve to their diet. They write personalized journals with goals on how to live a healthy lifestyle.
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Air Pollution: What Can You Do?
Learners discuss and write about air pollution in their journals. They practice using new vocabulary words associated with pollution and write sentences using those words. They end the lesson by determining what they can do to fight air...
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Remote Control
Students explore and evaluate several distance learning Web sites. They defend whether or not they would like to participate in the distance learning experience by either writing a proposal for including this distance learning project...
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Interaction Actions
Fifth graders, in groups, write about things that happen as a result of interacting with their environment.
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Recycling Bottles
Students learn how to sort #1 and #2 plastics and how to weigh and read a digital scale. The bags are then collected and weighed on a digital scale and the information is used to make bar graphs. They also write in their journal about...
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From Egg to Independence
Learners reseach information about owls and write about a young owl's life. They make a time line of an owl's development from chick to owlet. Finally, they have to record in a journal their observations, development and experiences...