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Taking Care of a Baby

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore the basics of human development and the critical role of parents in taking care of a newborn.
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Music of the Estuary

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students explore the sounds of the estuary. In this wetlands lesson, students discuss how to simulate the sounds of nature. Students write and record a musical score featuring the sounds of the wetlands.
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The Salmon Stream and Vegetation

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students explore the ecosystem and food chain by researching Pacific Salmon. In this fish habitat lesson, students discover the life cycle for salmon, where they spawn and what they eat to survive the harsh elements. Students participate...
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Layers of the Forest- Leaf Litter

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students conduct an experiment. For this temperate forest lesson, students discuss what kind of animal life can be found in the forest. They read The Magic School Bus Meets the Rot Squad: A Book About Decomposition and complete an...
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Take Deep Breath

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders become familiar with how the diaphragm expands to draw air into our lungs and contracts to exhale carbon dioxide. They also label the major parts of the respiratory system through the use of interactive Internet research...
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Can You Measure Up!

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders investigate standards of measurement and metric units using a game to show the importance of standards of measurements. In this measuring lesson plan, 7th graders are grouped together and each group represents a foreign...
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Ecology

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Young scholars make connections between their daily lives and the usage of natural resources as they relate to the importance of environmental quality.  In this ecology instructional activity, students listen to the story...
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Applied Science - Science and Math Lab

For Teachers 4th - 11th
Students investigate topology. In this Applied Science lesson students explore higher, more abstract mathematics using tangles. Students make topologically related shapes.
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What did T. rex taste like?

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars examine the three domains of life and explain that all living things share a common ancestor.  For this paleontology lesson students are introduced to the process of illustrating evolutionary relationships. 
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The Lesson: Cloning

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students explore the concept of cloning. In this cloning lesson, students research reproduction, cloning, and ethic issues. Students discuss their findings and write stories about extinct animals that are brought back to life.
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The Great Continental Drift Mystery

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students stud the concept of Pangaea by using Wegener's clues to construct a map of the continents joined together. They determine how fossil distribution can be used to enhance the study of continental drift. They locate the...
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Solid Waste Recycling

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students plan a "no garbage" lunch and hold a classroom contest to sort grabage into what can and what can't be recycled. They assess the importance of reducing the amount of garbage in the environment and set up a book recycling program.
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Probability

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Here is a classic activity used to introduce your class to the concept of probability and data collection. They will roll one die 30 times, then record and discuss the results. Great introduction, but too shallow to be considered a...
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RESPONSIBILITIES OF OFFICE

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Young scholars make an organizational chart. They show the relationship of power in the executive branch of the Illinois state government. They include the responsibilities of each office and define the roles and responsibilities of...
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TE Activity: Pollution Politics

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students examine how a bill becomes a law in the US Congress. They investigate legislation about global warming. They determine the role of engineers as they educate Congress, the public and other government institutions about global...
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Uses of a Tree

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Students complete a word sort to discover the relationship of tree resources. In this tree resource instructional activity, students examine information from the word sort and the book "Be a Friend to Trees" by Patricia Lauber. Finally,...
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Construction Technologies: Construct the Strongest Bridge

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners investigate how engineers use different types of bridges for different places. In small groups they design and construct bridges for three different scenarios, and answer a series of investigating questions applied to the...
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The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus and Properties of the Definite Integral

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students discuss the importance of fundamental theorems in math. For this calculus lesson, students define the fundamental theorem of calculus and discuss why it is so important they understand it. They work problems to model how this...
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PRIMATE CLASSIFICATION: Evolution, Cladograms,

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students transfer examples (names) of primates from their location in an outline hierarchy of primate groups into a set of nested boxes reflecting that same hierarchy. A cladogram can then be drawn illustrating how these groups are...
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Molecular Sequences & Primate Evolution: Amino Acids, Hemoglobins in Evolution

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students compare differences in amino acids in the beta hemoglobin from representative primates, complete a matrix of those differences, and from these data, construct and interpret cladograms as they reflect relationships and timing of...
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A Tree Full of Ancestors

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students study human evolution and the scientific process. They complete the Origins of Humankind Web activity to become familiar with the hominid species as well as the associated evidence found, in the form of fossils and artifacts.
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Introducting the Concept of Medical Ecology

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders examine the effects of the breakout of the West Nile Virus. They make predictions on its origin. They develop and present an action plan to stop the virus from spreading.
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Chances Are

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Upper graders examine the concept of probability. They collect data and create a bar graph. They must interpret the data as well. Everyone engages in hands-on games and activities which lead them to predict possible outcomes for a...
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How Buds on Trees Survive the Cold (and Related Mysteries)

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students solve a science mystery. In this biology lesson plan, students see how the delicate tissues of a tree bud are insulated so that they can survive the winter and learn how to determine the age of a branches and twigs.