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The Solar System: Why do we Explore?

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders act as scientists. In this property discovery lesson, 3rd graders explore the substance "Oobleck" (cornstarch, water, food coloring). They work in groups to investigate the substance and make observations as a scientist...
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The Same but Different Part II

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders experiment with beakers of water and balloons to measure the volume of the gas in the balloon. They determine ways to change the volume of air in the balloon which changes its size but not its physical state. By heating the...
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Shake, Rattle and Roll

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students compare the weathering of materials. in this weathering lesson, students experiment with the chemical and physical weathering of different materials. Students use salt and water as an example of how weathering occurs.
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Bats and Hot Dogs

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students identify patterns and relationships from data that is collected and solve variables.  In this investigative lesson students study ocean productivity, the nitrogen cycle and phytoplankton then answer questions.
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Power, Pollution, Pros and Cons

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners review what they know about non-renewable energy, compare and contrast advantages and drawbacks of each type, such as cost of energy sources, feasibility, air pollution, water pollution, and other risks, and create table listing...
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Lake Superior Ecology Unit

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders research Lake Superior and its ecosystem. Students investigate the lake's cycles of mixing and stratification and how these cycles affect the biology of the lake. This lesson contains five days of activities.
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A Message in a Bottle

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Young scholars investigate the motion of water currents by mapping the possible movement of messages cast into the ocean in bottles.They accurately plot the appearance of bottles on a world map and illustrate the flow of an ocean...
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Sky Observations Sky & Cloud Windows

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students observe the sky and weather to gather data. They conduct experiments to answer questions about the sky and weather phenomena. They measure, analyze and present data. They create sky windows by gluing sky colored paint chips...
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Ziplock Chemistry

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students investigate various chemical reactions when creating mixtures in ziplock baggies. In this chemistry lesson, students will recognize various chemical reactions and cite evidence. Safety and assessment strategies are included in...
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Sky and Cloud Windows

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Young scholars monitor the weather, clouds, and sky. In this weather lesson, students create a sky and cloud window to focus their sky observations. They write observations in a notebook and include the date, time, cloud cover, types of...
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Science:Effects of Weathering

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders take an outdoor observation walk around the campus and take soil samples. Working in groups , they conduct experiments with rocks and soil that demonstrate the effects of different types of erosion.
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Three Clouds Activity

For Teachers K - 4th
Students understand how clouds are formed. In this cloud activity, students participate in three experiments to make clouds. Students complete activity sheets for each experiment.
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Weather

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students explore the earth's atmosphere, weather, and climate. They begin class with a discussion about weather patterns, atmosphere, and the layers of the earth. After the class discussion, students rotate through four stations to...
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Greenhouse Gases: The Chemistry Behind the Culprits

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders investigate the effect of different gases in the atmosphere. In this chemistry lesson, 9th graders explain how these gases contribute to global warming. They suggest possible solutions to this growing problem.
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The Solar System

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders investigate Newton's law of Motion.  In this chemical reaction lesson, 3rd graders participate in an experiment with rockets to study Newton's law. Students observe the effects of a chemical reaction made by combining...
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Breaking it Down

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers will identify the factors that contribute to erosion and weathering. They will start by differentiating between chemical and mechanical weathering. They then apply what they learned by playing the online jeopardy game. Key...
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Three Clouds Activity

For Teachers K - 8th
Learners explore how clouds are produced through three different age-appropriate hands-on experiments.
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Keep the Environment Clean

For Teachers K
Students discuss ways our environment becomes polluted. They make a list of ways to keep it clean.
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Energy/Light/Heat/Sound

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study the properties of heat in this series of lessons. They discuss sources of heat and experiment to determine its properties. They identify insulators and conductors by measuring temperatures, and graphing their data....
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Structure of the Earth

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders define atmosphere and hydrosphere, explore through experimentation how the atmosphere was formed, and describe the layers of the Earth's atmosphere and their distances.
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Let's Take a Rock Apart!

For Teachers K - 12th
Students examine a crushed rock and sort the minerals they find in that rock by color and other properties.
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Dirty Decomposers

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students explore the ecosystem by conducting a ziploc bag experiment. In this recycling lesson, students identify decomposer organisms in our environment and how they speed up the recycling process. Students utilize a ziploc plastic bag,...
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The Miracle Fish: Learning to Design an Experiment

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students develop procedures to explore the behavior of fish.  For this scientific experiment lesson students from a hypothesis, write a question, identify different variables and controls in their experiment. 
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Magnetic Discovery Bottle

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine how to conduct simple investigations and use simple equipment to gather data.  For this magnet lesson students decide what types of objects are attracted to magnets.