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Blooming Thermometers
Students study phenology, or the study of climate change. They research the Japanese springtime festival of Hanami and plot and interpret average cherry blossom bloom date data from the past 1100 years.
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It's Not Easy Being Green
Students investigate the environmental costs of operating golf courses. In this current events lesson, students visit selected websites to study golf course needs and green design options.
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Tracking Satellites Using Latitude and Longitude
Students, viewing an Internet site, plot the path of several satellites using latitude and longitude over the course of an hour. They learn the four basic types of satellites and their purpose.
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Follow That Ship!
Learners in this exercise are introduced to the distinct ways of measuring distance (nautical miles) and speed (knots) at sea, as well as the concepts of latitude and longitude for establishing location.
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What is Life Without Water?
Students differentiate between how they use water in response to a need and how they use water for pleasure. They read books about water, participate in class discussion and illustrate their observations.
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The Coriolis Effect
Young scholars will determine the direction of Earth's rotation as viewed from the north and south if they were suspended out in space. They will model how the rotation of the Earth causes currents to be deflected in different directions...
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Aquatic Exotics
Students identify and describe the aquatic exotic species found in Illinois. Using the internet, they research the species origins and discover their effects on native species in the area. They discuss how appropriate it is to introduce...
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Rock River Watershed
Students discover what a watershed is and which one they live in. Using the internet, they research why watersheds are important to an ecosystem and how to keep them from getting polluted. They use a map to locate various items within a...
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Jr. Chef Club Super Snacks Lesson 6
Students explore healthy snacks. In this nutrition and cooking lesson, students observe and identify food groups on USDA's MyPyramid food guide. Students discuss how fiber helps our digestive system and follow a recipe using yeast to...
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Penguins Around the World
Students gain an awareness of the diverse habitats of the 17 species of penguins. Standard: 4.4 Interdependence of Life Changes in an organism's habitat are sometimes beneficial to it and sometimes harmful.
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Who Are the Aliens in Our Inland Seas?
Students work in teams to research specific landforms in Great Lakes Watershed, compile information into data table, and write legend explaining landform for children's book. Students then research area surrounding landform, compile...
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A Yuccy Situation
Students examine the concept of nuclear waste storage. For this interdisciplinary lesson, students research Yucca Mountain in order to compare and contrast opposing views regarding the nuclear waste site there. Students compose a letter...
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Science: Finlay and Yellow Fever
Ninth graders research the work of Carlos J. Finlay and his contributions to science. Once they have discussed his theories about diseases, they create tables comparing diseases that use insects as carriers. The lesson also includes a...
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Volcano Research
Student demonstrates the ability to select and evaluate media. They access and organize information about volcanoes. Each student locates on a map a currently erupting volcano.
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The Path of Pollution
Students name and locate countries where radiation from the Chernobyl accident traveled, describe how air pollution travels from one area to another and list the travel of radiation in chronological order.
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The Path of Pollution
Students examine the path of pollution that was created by the Chernobyl accident. They discover how air pollution travels from one area to another and sequentially locate the countries where radiation traveled to.
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Alaska's Physical Systems and History
Students read about Alaska's physical systems and determine how Alaska's physical makeup has impacted its history. They create timelines of their particular physical system.
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Moon Mining
Go on a moon mining expedition from the safety of your classroom with this space exploration simulation. Using simple models of the moon's surface prepared ahead of time by the teacher, young scientists are challenged with locating and...
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Volcanoes: First Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
Introduce young geologists to types of volcanoes during the pre-lab. First graders explore how different liquids flow with an experiment on viscosity to simulate how different types of lava flow. Next, they learn about the parts of a...
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Calculate Your Contribution
Young scholars assess the environmental impact of their transportation choices. They keep a transportation journal and use a website to calculate vehicle emissions for themselves and their class. They evaluate their transportation choices.
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The Path of Pollution
Students follow the path of pollution from the Chernobyl accident. Students name and locate countries where radiation traveled to, describe how air pollution travels from one area to another, and seqence the travel of radiation in...
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Should Soil Be Sterile?
Students determine if the sterilization of topsoil is beneficial to seed germination and plant growth. They grow plants alongside control groups, make and record observations of plant growth and measure plant biomass.
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Protecting the Planet
Students discuss being a responsible student by helping to protect the rainforest. In this citizenship lesson, students brainstorm ideas to help global warming, warfare, human-rights abuses and acid rain. Students write an essay to send...
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Cells: Structures and Processes
Students explore the basic unit of life, the cell in this nine lessons unit. The cell structure of animal and plant cell functions and how they affect our world are probed in this unit.