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Hazards: Kindergarten Lesson Plans and Activities
The last unit in the series allows kindergarteners to see the dangers and hazards associated with each of the natural disasters learned so far in the series—earthquakes and volcanoes. They listen to sounds associated with the...
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Earthquakes: Kindergarten Lesson Plans and Activities
Beginning with a pre-lab, kindergarteners trace the letters in the word earthquake and discuss what happens in an earthquake. The lab portion allows young scientists realize that earthquakes trigger shaking of different intensities...
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Weathering
Second graders explore weathering and how the water cycle plays a part in weathering. In this weathering lesson, 2nd graders put gravel and sugar cubes in a jar and shake, simulating weathering. Students use the scientific method to...
US Department of Energy
Solar Distiller
Explore the sun's ability to distill contaminated water with this simple set of classroom experiments. After filling two glass bowls, one with muddy water and the other with salt water, they are covered with plastic wrap and placed...
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Igneous Rocks
Second graders examine igneous rocks in this lesson. They discuss the rock cycle and how rocks form. They also explore volcanic activities and build their own volcano.
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Groundwater as Part of the Water Cycle
Ninth graders study the effects of soil and rocks on filtering groundwater. In this groundwater lesson students complete a lab activity that includes sources of contamination.
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Rockin' Picture Books
Learners demonstrate their knowledge of the rock cycle by creating picture books.
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Earth System Science
Students explore the Earth and its ability to support life. They discuss the geosphere and the water cycle and complete the Water Wonders activity. After completing the activity, they respond in their journals and reflect upon the...
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Classroom Aquaponics: Exploring Nitrogen Cycling in a Closed System
Students investigate nutrient cycling in a simplified desktop ecosystem involving aquarium and hydro-ponically grown plants. They set up an aquarium with 10 gallons of water at least a week before the lab is planned and place...
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Rocks
Students examine how sedimentary rocks are formed. In this rock lesson students research different rock formations and different types of rock.
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Let's Rock
Students investigate the property of rocks and how to distinguish among the different types. They explore the hardness of rocks and perform streak tests to determine mineral color. They classify rocks according to their properties.
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Life Cycle of a Butterfly
In this activity on the life cycle of the butterfly, students look at 4 pictures representing the life cycle stages, and choose words from a word box that match each picture. Students then number the pictures in the correct order of life...
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Rock Cycle SIOP Unit
Young scholars collect rocks, identify them, classify them, investigate their properties, and more. In this rocks lesson plan, students also experiment with soil and erosion and weather.
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Hazards: Fifth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
After comparing earthquake and volcanic hazards to one another, fifth graders take a closer look at damage associated with a volcanic eruption. They then create a simulation of mudslides due to a volcanic eruption. Using different...
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Plate Tectonics: Fourth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
The pre-lab portion of the lesson introduces emerging geologists to the various layers that make up Earth. After completing a sheet on the identification of the layers, class members simulate plate boundaries and their...
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What Goes Around Comes Around
Students investigate how the ocean plays a part in the water cycle. In this earth science instructional activity, students locate a puddle outside and mark it with chalk. Students observe the changes in the water during the next two days.
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The Wonderful world of Water
First graders examine the water cycle through readings and experiments. In groups, they conduct interviews with others and use the information to create a chart displaying the various uses of water. After brainstorming lists of ways to...
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Heat Up the Floating Plates
Eighth graders research the connection between the convection currents within the mantle of the earth and the moving of Earth's plates. A connection to lessons at previous grade levels on the rock cycle and important background...
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Environment" The Mining Cycle
Young scholars explore the world of mining and explain its importance in daily life. After describing how companies search for mineral deposits, they examine the environmental consequences of mining as well as the positive aspects. The...
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Putting the Pieces Together
Students, in groups, explore ecosystems, water cycle, rock cycle, and food web. They create a puzzle piece on white butcher paper based on their information.
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Let's Take a Rock Apart!
Students examine a crushed rock and sort the minerals they find in that rock by color and other properties.
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Keying Rocks
Fifth graders observe several examples of types of rock and write about their similarities and differences in their science journals. They discuss their observations and discover that rocks are grouped according to the scientific...
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Rock Solid
Students investigate the three types of material stress related to rocks. They watch a PowerPoint Presentation, view an online animation of the three types of rock stress, identify the various types of rocks, answer true or false...
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You've Got to Be Cool to Make Igneous Rocks
Students describe how igneous rocks are formed, design a classification system to group igneous rocks and develop a controlled experiment to prove that the rate of cooling affects the size of the crystals.