Lesson Plan
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Bird Populations

For Teachers 7th - 12th
students study bird migratory patterns and the methods that researchers use to study them. Students are introduced to the concepts of the study of bird movements.The skill of scientific questioning is used to find results.
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Detection Detective

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students describe what each detection method uses and rank the wavelengths of each if appropriate. They answer questions about absorption, importance of materials and explain differences. Students make sure they describe diagnostic uses...
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Watershed Awareness

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students investigate the relationship between upstream influences in their watershed and the watershed's estuary. They apply the scientific process to test a hypothesis while examining the impact of upland activities on estuaries.
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Seeds and Similarities

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use the scientific inquiry method to identify the changes in a plant's life cycle. In groups, they plant different types of plants and use a chart to compare and contrast their growth rates. They share their conclusions with...
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What was Newton's Idea of Science?

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students form logical foundations for analysis of observations. They improve analytic reading abilities through practice. Students investigate the foundations of scientific thought processes and how to apply them.
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What Does It Eat?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars, working in research teams, investigate the eating habits of crickets. They collect and record data and compare their methods and results with other groups by making tables or graphs. They sumarize their findings with...
Lesson Plan
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SIM Ecosystem

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify and interpret the concept of an ecosystem and the potential impact humans have on ecosystems. They also proficient in organized and methodical Internet searches. Finally, students become proficient with public...
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From Molecules to Mole Day Do's

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students recognize methods used to define the mole. After converting various quantities to the mole, students provide a context for understanding the usefulness of scientific notation and the mole.
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Where's the Water?

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders conduct an investigation into water purification during a role play situation in an Amazon Rainforest. They design a scientific experiment for cleaning and filtering water.
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Science: Trouble in the Troposphere

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research a NASA Website and record information about an assigned city's tropospheric ozone residual monthly climate. In groups, they graph the information for the past year. They form new groups and compare their city's...
Lesson Plan
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Illinois' Habitats Happening

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use the scientific inquiry method to examine the ecosystems and biomes in Illinois. Using the characteristics of a local habitat, they identify the best conditions for an ecosystem to survive and how a slight change can damage...
Lesson Plan
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An Introduction to Thermal Spray Technology

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students discuss difference between kinetic and thermal energy, develop and demonstrate understanding of key concepts and characteristics underlying thermal spray techniques, list items used in their daily lives that are coated, examine...
Lesson Plan
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Separation of Unknowns in a Liquid

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students identify chromatography as method of separating the components of a liquid. Students discover that dyes are composed of more than one component in achieving a particular color in these lessons on paper chromatography.
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Investigating How Pollutants Travel Through Groundwater

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers determine how pollutants can travel though sediment and explore methods of pollutant removal. They conduct an experiment on porosity and permeability of soils and simulate an EPA "pump and treat" method for removing...
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Plants Under Attack

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders will identify the four needs for plant survival and gain skills and confidence in using scientific measurement tools, probes as well as the spreadsheets and graphing capacity of a computer to represent and analyze data.They...
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Interior of the Earth

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders identify and describe the composition and physical properties of the layers of the Earth. They also explain how scientists used the scientific process to know about the center of the Earth. Finally, 6th graders read a...
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Using the Hunter Model and the Holistic Model

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students increase their knowledge of scientific processes in chemistry. They compare and analyze 3 sets of data, they have gathered, for accuracy and precision.
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Quarter Coin Cookies

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students study the historical figures and symbols of U.S. patriotism depicted on the penny, nickel, dime, and quarter coins. They explore the processes involved in making coins, and how metals canchange in consistency from the...
Lesson Plan
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Red River of the North Flooding 1997

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students describe factors that affect the flow of rivers and explain their relationships. They research the factors involved in flooding events. describe the effects of present and future practices in land use, and river control methods.
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Silent Spring

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read background information about Rachel Carson found on the listed website links. They analyze and answer questions about her work and how it is linked to science then they research pesticide usage and alternative methods.
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Names in the Field: A Simple GPS Field Exercise

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students explore basic methods of GPS data collection, uploading the data to a computer, and making simple maps of their data using GIS software. They create a map of the data using GIS software (or Excel)
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"The Collaborative Group Information Collection, Interpretation and Dissemination Technique"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers answer the question "How are the concepts and processes I examine in Biology relevant to my other classes, to my life, and to my community?" This assignment has students actively involved in the intellectual work of...
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The Importance of Water

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Young scholars explore the importance of water. They discuss why water is important and students design an experiment that evaluates the water quality and methods of improving water quality. Young scholars perform testing and report...
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Lab Experiments in Nutrition

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Looking for authentic hands-on nutritional experiments? High schoolers will perform experiments to test for the presence of vitamin C in several solutions as well as the effect of caffeine on Daphnia. They will also consider the...