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Making Sense of Our Senses
Students participate in activities about the five senses. They explore objects, listen to stories and discuss the senses with classmates.
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Bird Interdisciplinary Possibilities
Students explore birds, their territory, breeding, and seasonal movement. They research and collect information on birds through writing letters to ornithologists, reading in books, comparing web sites, and observing pictures. Students...
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Whose Bud Are You?
Students visit an orchard and examine tree branches. They discover the buds on the branches looking for signs of life. They share their observations in their journals and with their classmates.
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Decomposition
Learners are introduced to the concept of decomposition. They examine decomposition in their school orchard. They write about their findings in a journal.
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Thanksgiving: Bird Evolution
Learners explore the evolution of birds. In this biology lesson, students research articles that discuss evidence about the ancestry of birds. They discuss their findings with the group and draw a journal magazine cover highlighting...
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Leaves
Students explore, observe, and collect leaves from outside. They make journal entries, discuss the differences and common features of leaves and what function leaves serve. They will discuss the plant and tree leaves. Students draw...
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Living and Nonliving Things
Students photograph five objects from a bag and five objects from the outdoors. Students categorize things by living and non-living and by properties such as color, size, structure and needs. Students draw conclusions about the basic...
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Diverse Environments
Students explore life forms in different environments. After exploring different biomes within their state, students research different plant and animal species within each biome. They prepare a group report on one feature of the region...
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Growing Pains
Learners compare common food items with the parts of a plant. They grow their own plants to assess the difficulties in assisting a plant's growth and reproduction.
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Re: Forest Station
Students read an online article to explore rainforests of the world starting with the Barro Colorado reserve in the Panama Canal. They participate in a mock international summit about rainforest conservation issues.
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SORTING ALL SORTS
Learners examine how the method of classification is used. In this sorting instructional activity students take a pre-test, classify organisms and complete a crossword puzzle.
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Endangered Species: Not Only Animals
Students research endangered animals and plants. In this biology lesson, students are read Will We Miss Them? Endangered Species by Alexandra Wright before they begin searching for information to complete an endangered species...
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Busy Bees
Students explore the pollination cycle. In this pollination lesson, students investigate the process of pollination. Students illustrate the pollination cycle of bees on paper plates.
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Mosquito Life Cycles
Learners gather mosquito eggs to record the mosquito life cycle using drawings, descriptions, and any other appropriate means. In small groups, they analyze and describe the process of complete metamorphosis. They classify mosquitoes...
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The Climate Change Skeptic's Argument: Natural Solar Cycles or Human Activity?
Teachers explore patterns in sunspots and total solar irradiance to understand the counterpoint to the human effect of global warming. In this professional development tool, teachers work through a lesson on the sun's natural...
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Genetics: Integrated with History and Art
Students work cooperatively in pairing chromosomes, created statistical genetic babies using the face lab, constructed a color DNA booklet and demonstrated mitosis in a flip book.
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Flying Casanovas
Learners view a video clip on bowerbirds. They research and compare and contrast the different types of bowers created by them. They work together to answer questions on the birds behavior.
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Water-The Liquid Gold
Students investigate the necessity of water for the survival of plants, animals, and people. They explore the affect that water has on human and natural environments through literature, field trips, and discussions.
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Eco-Detectives
Students explore natural decomposers. In this decomposing lesson, students participate in a WebQuest to discover how nature handles decomposition. Students compare natural methods for decomposition with recycling efforts.
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How Does Climate Affect Plant Growth?
First graders compare plant samples obtained from two different sites to explore how climate affects plants.
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Introduction to Measuring the Forest
Students investigate how much wood is in a forest. For this forestry lesson, students calculate how much usable wood comes from the forest. They will read, Sizing Things Up from Trees + Me = Forestry, measure firewood piles, and create a...
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What Do You Know About the Birds Around You?
Students compare and contrast various species of birds. After participating in a brief discussion of the characteristics of birds, they view birds in their natural habitat and in pictures with a focus on the similarities and differences...
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Renewable vs. Non-Renewable Resources
Fifth graders identify renewable vs. non-renewable resources and comprehend why conservation of resources is important. They are asked what they think the words natural and resource mean. Pupils then put the words together to define...
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Catching Some Rays
Sixth graders explore the tilt of Earth's axis. In this Earth lesson, 6th graders read a Greek mythology story explaining why there are seasons. Students build a sun-ray gathering tool from styrofoam, glue, thermometers, skewers, and...