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Flying Through the Solar System
Young scholars create a model of the solar system out of candy. They write a book about their travels through the Solar System, beginning at age ten and reaching Pluto at age seventy.
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Whose Water Is It?
Students role-play as San Francisco residents in 1908 who support or oppose the building of a dam in Yosemite National Park. They create posters and write letters to representatives defending their positions.
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Look At Those Leaves!
Students observe, measure and sort leaves. In this leaf lesson students divide into groups and observe the different kinds of leaves.
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Heavens Above
Students study the stars and their positions. In this astronomy lesson students see how scientists can predict the positions of the stars and can tell how they would have appeared in the past.
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Images of Our Changing Earth
Students identify and explain that remote sensing can detect changes on the Earth's surface that occur over time, and name at least three: urbanization, deforestation, and succession. They select a global change issue to investigate and...
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Earth's Tilt Creates Seasons
Students examine how the Earth's tilt creates the seasons. In this seasons instructional activity, students study a diagram that shows the rotation of the earth around the sun and how it tilts during the rotation. They answer 4...
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Comets
Students explore the nature and composition of a comet. They research comet facts, legends, and myths. They identify different types of comets and describe what happens to a comet as it travels closer to the Sun.
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What Do Magnets Do?
Second graders discover the physical properties of magnets. In this physics lesson, 2nd graders investigate the differences between natural and man made magnets and the uses of each. Students complete 4 separate RAFT...
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Remote Sensing
Ninth graders participate in a variety of activities designed to reinforce the concept of light and the electromagnetic spectrum. They research and analyze data from remotely sensed images. They present their findings in a PowerPoint...
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The Difference Between Comets, Meteors And Asteroids
Students use Venn diagrams to highlight the similarities and differences between comets, meteors, and asteroids.
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Tracking and Tracing Sunspots
Students examine sunspots. In this sunspot lesson, students use applets to investigate the movement of sunspots. Students research sunspots and evaluate the rotation of the sun. Lesson references outside resources not available in this...
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Energy and the Environment: What Can We Do?
Students consider the impacts of global warming and brainstorm ways to help decrease their contribution to the problem. In this climate change lesson, students are exposed to facts concerning global warming and think of ways to...
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Star Party- Closing Lesson
Students study the stars and galaxies. In this universe instructional activity students complete their unit by participating in an evening bonfire to share what they learned.
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Seeing Interference Fringes with a Telescope
Students construct an interferometer using a simple telescope. In this physics lesson, students explain how light waves create the fringe patterns. They observe patterns made by different objects in the sky and compare them.
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Day and Night
Third graders view a classroom simulation that demonstrates how the Earth's rotation creates day and night.
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What's down there?
students analyze how oil is formed and where in the Earth we find it. Students take a core sample to look for oil in a model of the Earth. They analyze their sample and make an informed decision as to whether or not they should "drill...
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Overpopulation
Young scholars examine population growth and how it impacts our environment. In this population instructional activity students identify the causes and consequences of overpopulation.
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Matter: Build a Word
Fourth graders examine matter and the periodic table of elements. In this matter lesson, 4th graders discuss atoms and their composition. Students explore the periodic table of elements and use it to spell words out of the elements.
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A Model of Earth's Atmosphere
Middle schoolers make a model of the four layers of Earth's atmosphere that represents the characteristics of each layer.
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Up in the Sky
First graders associate events and objects with day or night. They create a word bank and use is as a reference to create sentences about the sun. They conduct sun-themed experiments and art projects.
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Are we alone? Do aliens exist?
Students discuss the existence of aliens in the universe. In this alien lesson, students discuss the answers to the questions: What are the chances that aliens exist in the universe? and What are the chances that aliens have visited earth?
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Phase In, Phase Out, the Magnificent Moon
First graders discuss why the moon appears to change shape. They use flashlights and balls to simulate the sun's light shining on the moon during its different phases. They read books, paint pictures and write sentences about the moon.