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Going in Cycles: The Life of an Aluminum Can
Students explore the life cycle of aluminum cans. In this recycling instructional activity, students review the manufacturing process and how to make a closed loop cycle. Students also have the opportunity to present what they've...
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The Wedding of a Mountain
Students examine the differences between weathering, erosion, and deposition as it pertains to mountains.
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What is the Composition of Soil?
Students examine the different components that make up soil. Using data, they identify the components of soil in their local area and discover how scientists use the soil to see how it was formed. They also describe the soil forming...
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Olympic Solar Energy
Students use cardboard and aluminum foil to construct a solar oven that concentrates enough sunlight to cook a hotdog. They review the history and use of solar energy in relation to the Olympics.
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Changing Ways
Third graders examine hard boiled eggs as possible models for the earth's layers.
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Excavating the Past
Learners discover how palaeontologists conduct a dig for fossils and how they interpret the age of the fossils. In small groups, they prepare a "dig site" consisting of bones, rocks and soil layered in a cardboard box. They switch boxes...
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Geology of Yosemite
Students are shown slides of Yosemite and explore how the valley was formed by performing an experiment. Instructions on how to set up the lab are included. They can be assessed orally or by writing a report on the outcome of the lab.
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Tropical Rainforests
Students create their own rainforest environment. This tropical rainforest lesson, introduces where rainforests are located, their real world connections, and their structural make up. It includes further resources online.
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Erosion Patterns
Students explore erosion when there are multiple types of sediments. They view a soil separation demonstration jar before and after agitation to determine how and why the layers settled. In addition, they conduct experiments with a river...
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Geologic Age
Young scholars investigate radioactivity as a tool for measuring geologic time and how geologists use this information to determine the absolute age of rocks or minerals.
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Trouble in the Troposphere
Middle schoolers Use data sets from MY NASA DATA to produce graphs comparing monthly and yearly ozone averages of several U.S. cities. They analyze and evaluate the data and predict trends based on the data. In addition, they discuss and...
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Investigating Different Rock Types
Students analyze a rock using their eyes and then a hand lens. In this science lesson, students determine and discuss how hard or how easy it was to find and classify the assigned rock. Students record their observations on an index...
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The Magic School Bus Rocks and Rolls
Students participate in a science experiment to show them the power that water erosion has to sculpt stone. They explore how running water moves earth and creates new landforms.
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"Investigating Soil Color and Texture"
Ninth graders will identify/understand the differences between soil and dirt. They will classify soil color accurately and use Munsell notation to describe it (Munsell books provided).Students will classify soil texture using the feel...
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Determining the Percolation Rate of Soil
Students discover how water moves through different types of soils. In groups, they use the same sample from a previous activity and empty it into a milk carton in which they have layered with cheesecloth to determine the percolation...
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Law of Superposition
Learners identify the law of superposition and it states that beds of rock in a series are laid down with the oldest at the bottom and younger layers on the top. They construct a legen for a block diagram and construct a block diagram...
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Soil Layers
Ninth graders identify the different layers of soil. In this earth science lesson, 9th graders explain how limestone layers are formed. They identify the different parts of the coral colony.
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Geology/Earth Structure
Third graders examine the rock-soil cycle. They identify the steps and describe what happens. They also discover the three layers of soil.
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Musical Plates
Sixth graders engage in a study of the plates and how they are part of the formation of the ever changing landscape of planet earth. They access web sites that have applications for observation and conducting different activities. The...
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Aerology- The Study of Mars
Learners investigate various aspects of the planet Mars. They examine a core sample that is simulated to make observations. Then compare the known sample with one that is unknown and differentiate between the two. Students hypothesize...
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Plate Tectonics: Recycling the Seafloor
Students classify earth's layers and plates using Ocean Seismicity data. In this plate tectonics lesson, students outline where the plate boundaries are on the world map. They then compare these predicted boundaries with USGS map of the...
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What Lies Beneath the Upper Crust?
Students discover if information in an article is accurate and current. In this science lesson, students read the story carefully and decide on what the subject of the article is. Students search the Internet to see more information...
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Soil Composition
Students examine soil. In this soil composition lesson students participate in soil sedimentation and filtration activities. The students discuss what non-living and living things are in soil and why it is so important.
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Trees and Erosion
Students examine the connection between trees and erosion. In this erosion instructional activity students experiment with the effects of rain on a hillside. Students investigate the number of trees and the amount of erosion.