Lesson Plan
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How Trees Contribute to the Water Cycle

For Teachers 3rd
In this water cycle instructional activity, 3rd graders conduct an experiment where they observe and calculate how water transpires in different types of trees.  Students engage in a class discussion and use Venn Diagrams to compare...
Lesson Plan
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What is a Tree?

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students identify and define types of trees. In this tree identification lesson, students complete a KWL chart on trees and read the book ABCedar: An Alphabet of Trees. Students complete a tree word scramble.
Lesson Plan
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Mapping The Ocean Floor

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Young scholars explore and analyze the bottom structure of underwater habitats. They describe and explain what can't see through the collection and correlation of accurate data. Learners assess that technology is utilized as a tool for...
Lesson Plan
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Friction in Our Lives

For Teachers K - 5th
Students explore force and friction. In this force and friction lesson plan, students discover everyday examples of how  friction helps and hinders things we do. Students create a ramp to test the speed of their car. Students use...
Lesson Plan
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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...
Lesson Plan
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It's Goin' Down; The Rain Forest

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers discover the global problem of deforestation. In this environmental lesson, students identify organizations on the quest to stop deforestation. Middle schoolers also discover what they can do to solve this global dilemma.
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Are You an Ant?

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students investigate different insects in their backyard. In this insect instructional activity, students read the book Are You and Ant? and apply the reading to their backyards. Students create a list of animals that begin with the the...
Lesson Plan
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Deep Sea Coral Biodiversity

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Young scholars research life forms of both tropical coral reefs and deep-sea coral reefs to discover the biodiversity of the ecosystems. They compare and contrast the diversity and adaptations of the two eco-systems, and draw a picture...
Lesson Plan
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Weave an Aquatic Food Web

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students explore organisms that are part of interconnected food webs.  In this food web lesson, students choose an animal and research what the animal eats.  Students begin with the food chain and branch out into the...
Lesson Plan
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Nutrition in Space

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students compare and contrast the process of dehydration with the processes of freezing and canning. They predict energy sources that may be accessible in the future in different environments such as the moon and planets, most notably Mars.
Lesson Plan
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Grand Canyon History Lesson

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Young scholars explore the history of the Grand Canyon. In this Grand Canyon lesson, students read "Grand Canyon National Park" by David Peterson and respond to questions regarding the piece. Young scholars also create their own fossil...
Lesson Plan
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Honey Bees!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students research and complete two assignments about honeybees. Students draw and color a picture of a flower with a honeybee inside of it. Students write a letter to the executives at Ridit Pest Control persuading them to stop the...
Lesson Plan
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Tree Identification

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students are introduced to the characteristics of trees and different techniques to identify them. They distinguish between a deciduous and a coniferous tree. Students describe at least four characteristics used to identify trees. They...
Lesson Plan
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Beaver Ecology

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Students explore the lives of bgeahvers. They identify the physical and behavioral adaptations that help beavers survive in their environment. Students compare and contrast how beavers influence the ecology of both forest and aquatic...
Lesson Plan
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Tree Lesson

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Learners compare and contrast characteristics of conifer and hardwood trees. After collecting samples of branches around the school, they classify the branch as hardwood or conifer. Groups of students identify given twigs. They go...
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Dendrology Scavenger Hunt

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine leaves that are assigned to them.  In this earth science lesson students work in groups and find examples of leaves that the instructor asks for. 
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Are you a river keeper?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students perform healthy water practices by discussing and demonstrating acts of philanthropy. In this healthy water lesson plan, students read an article on how we can keep water clean, and create a LITWIS activity.
Lesson Plan
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Populations and Ecosystems

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders examine the factors that influence the stability of ecosystems. They construct a miniature ecosystem in a jar that includes plants, small fish, and snails, record the population changes over a period of four weeks, and...
Lesson Plan
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Dichotomous Key for Identifying Pine Trees

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students identify the species of pine trees that are found in their area. They use unlabeled "mystery" samples and a dichotomous key to identify the pine trees to species. After identification, they use a field guide to answer worksheet...
Lesson Plan
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Using a Dichotomous Key for Invertebrate Phyla

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use a key to determine the phyla of invertebrates. They are broken into groups and each group gets a stack of pictures and uses the key to determine which phyla the animal belongs to. There are also individual questions for...
Lesson Plan
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Hollow Hilton

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students identify animals that depend on their environment for survival. They describe the relationship between living things. They draw or write an explanation of their findings.
Lesson Plan
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Hurricane

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students use children's literature in order to investigate the concept of hurricanes and how they occur. The metaphor is used to describe a play area that is magical. They use their imaginations and write about their favorite places to...
Lesson Plan
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Dem Bones

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students engage in an activity in order to review the skeletal system. They play a game composed of two teams to be played in an open area. Students pick out bones from a bag and place them in the correct space for the skeleton.
Lesson Plan
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Trees: The Inside Story

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore trees. In this math lesson, students identify the basic parts of trees. Students create a model of a tree and label the parts.