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Water Quest
Young scholars visit the Hydrology Study Site, conduct a visual survey to discover info about local land use and water quality, and document their findings by mapping the water body. They use this investigation to raise questions for...
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Water Walk
Students follow the appropriate sampling protocol and take two measurements of a local water source. These measurements are Transparency and Temperature. This info about local land use and/or water chemistry issues may require further...
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Working With Environmental Issues
Young scholars begin the lesson by completing a survey about how much and what types of water they drink on a daily basis. Using a worksheet, they calculate the amount of water an American uses each day and the amount their own family...
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Embracing Diversity
Ninth graders discover that the amount surveyed affects the results and conclusions drawn from a survey. For this sampling lesson students explore the concept that a valid conclusion require a large number of entries. Students calculate...
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Life Cycle Literature Briefs
Literature containing life cycle information is available from many sources. Several examples of this type of literature are listed below with a synopsis and sample questions for each. These examples have been taken from a variety of...
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What Do People Know About Radon?
Students complete a survey about how much they know about radon. They calculate the mean scores for each question and graph them. They discuss the results as a class.
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Studying Wetland Plants
Students identify some common wetland plants. they use the scientific method of surveying the plant community to record accurate data that they observe. they cut a sample of each plant and save in plastic bags to identify and preserve...
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Benthic Macroinvertebrates
Students survey and describe a stream ecosystem. They sample the benthic macroinvertebrate populations of a given stream and determine community structure through the use of the Chandler Index and a species diversity index.
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Water Conservation
First graders participate in a simulation in which they discover the community has been using too much water. In groups, they research the various ways the water is being used and create a home survey. They show the water usage of the...
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Investigate the Role of Cholesterol from Cholesterol-rich Foods in the Human Body
Eighth graders assess fat content of different food samples. In this biology lesson, 8th graders create a flowchart showing the transport of cholesterol in the bloodstream. They perform tests for the presence of lipids on food samples.
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Relating Number of Insect Species to Water Quality
Students are asked to respond to questions such as:" Have there been surveys of the area to inventory the species?" (For example, for a wetland area, do they know what amphibians live there and how abundant they are?) Are there any...
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Neotaquit Nature Center: Ecosystems, Science, Technology
Young scholars survey their local forest conducting an inventory of tree species and analyzing data of local ecosystems. They design a nature trail, map the area and make a computer generated trail guide.
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Rapid Mycological Assessment
Students examine types of mycology methods. They practice using new vocabulary and answer key questions. They complete a field survey and analyze their results.
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Measuring Water Temperature
Students measure the temperature of three water sources. They collect data points every second for twenty five seconds for each sample using Lego Robolab temperature sensors, complete a worksheet, and analyze the data.
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A Thoreau Look at Our Environment
Sixth graders write journal entries o school site at least once during each season, including sketched and written observations of present environment. They can use sample topographical maps and student's own maps. Students can use...
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"Conducting a Watershed Snapshot of Blockhouse Creek"
Students examine specific skills in assessing water quality from a holistic approach. They assess the health of a local watershed and identify problems in the local watershed and suggest remediation.
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The Debate Over Stem Cell Research
High schoolers complete a variety of activities as they examine the ethical issues behind stem cell research and cloning. They make their own ethical decisions on both subjects.
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Data Collection
Students write a journal exercise that relates to pets. They collect information from each other in order to practice making and interpreting bar graphs. They Continue building different kinds of graphs with the group.
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Plants and Ecosystems
The relationships within and between ecosystems can be explored. after examining an area for living and non-living things students complete the same examination in the forest ecosystem. Students identify abiotic and biotic elements in an...
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Questioning NASA
Space science and math collide in this inquiry that investigates launching times for antacid-tablet rockets! Upper elementary or middle school learners collect data as they launch these mini rockets. They apply concepts of place value...
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Sediment Sleuths
Are you looking for a good, solid activity on sedimentary rocks? This one, produced by the Illinois State Museum, is just such a activity. Middle schoolers identify common rocks and minerals by analyzing sediments from local water...
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Science: Her-bariums Galore!
Students collect and identify plant species and construct herbariums both at school and at home. By gathering data from both locales, they draw conclusions and make predictions about plant diversity. Upon completion of the exercises,...
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The Roving Robotic Chemist
Junior oceanographers and underwater geologists describe the four major steps of mass spectrometry. They compete in small groups to simulate the tracking of a deepwater methane plume using imaginary autonomous underwater vehicles. Give...
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Dissolved Oxygen and Respiration
Students are presented with the question, "Do plants that grow underwater use oxygen?" They create an experiment to test the presence of dissolved oxygen in the water using provided materials. Student experiments include a control jar as...