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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tornado in a Bottle

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students learn about the causes and properties of tornados. Students create a simulation of a tornado and observe its characteristics.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Art of Locomotion

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders examine the artistic legacy of trains by comparing the representations of trains in the painting of Turner and the photographs of Terry Evans. They write an essay, story or poem using their own observations of trains,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

On Deck of a Union Warship

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students examine role of Naval blockades in Union war strategy, and analyze primary source image "On Deck of a Union Warship" and make detailed observation about people and activities shown.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Perceived Risks

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students rank a list of everyday risks to compare with classmates. They rate each risk on both its ability to be controlled and its observability in the environment. Results are graphed.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Incorporating 3D Visualizations into Your Classroom

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars make observations through 3-D visualizations. They explore scientific and geologic processes through the use of 3-D pictures.
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

How Volcanoes Grow

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students create models of the three major types of volcanoes and determine how a volcano's shape is related to the type of material erupted. They then observe a demonstration that simulates the nature of two volcanic materials: lava and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Volcanoes!: The Dangers of Snow and Ice

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students observe a demonstration of how melting snow and ice can contribute to mudflows. They then observea list of continents with the number of snow and ice covered mountains on each continent and discuss. They then label a group of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth's Water: A drop in your cup

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Students complete activities where they observe the amount of freshwater in the world as a fraction of the actual amount of water using different mixtures. In this freshwater lesson plan, students brainstorm on how to preserve...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Planet: Melting Glaciers

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Resource links to a video, satellite images, data, and photographs of glaciers provide emerging earth scientists the opportunity to examine how the ice has been retreating over the years. A data table is included for pupils to record...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Glaciers: Then and Now

For Teachers 4th - 8th
A large data table is given to your elementary earth scientists in which they record observations that they make while viewing pictures of Alaskan glaciers. They compare and contrast recent photos with older photos. Hold a discussion...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Osmosis in Potato Slices

For Teachers 6th - 12th
You may find this presentation helpful in setting up the classic experiment where potato wedges are used for observing the effects of osmosis. You can view the experimental setup in the text and a lab sheet in the pictures, but you will...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Rikki-tikki-tavi"

For Teachers 7th - 8th
“Rikki-tikki-tavi” provides an opportunity to model for readers how to use background information to enrich understanding of a story. Class members observe animal behavior, listen to biographical background on Rudyard Kipling, study...
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Lesson Plan
Teach Engineering

Water Power

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young hydrologists observe a waterwheel which helps them investigate the transformations of energy that occur when the blades of a hydro-turbine are turning. They work together in pairs and pretend to be engineers who are building a new...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Robe Design

For Teachers K - 5th
You can learn a lot from a robe, especially if that robe is from the Qing Dynasty. Examine the beauty and symbolism that covers a functional and piece of clothing entitled Winter Dragon Robe. The class will consider and analyze all...
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Lesson Plan
Foundation for Water & Energy Education

What is the Water Cycle? Activity B

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Curious physical scientists follow a lesson on the properties of water with this lesson on distillation. They observe a miniature water cycle model that filters dirty water into clean water. These two lessons combined are an enriching...
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Lesson Plan
National Park Service

Living & Non-Living Interactions

For Teachers 2nd - 6th Standards
What better way to learn about ecosystems than by getting outside and observing them first hand? Accompanying a field trip to a local park or outdoor space, this series of collaborative activities engages children in...
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Lesson Plan
PHET

Iron Filings and Magnetic Field Lines

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
How do magnetic fields differ? Allow scholars to see the difference between 2-D and 3-D magnetic fields. They construct models of both and observe how they are similar and different. It is the fifth installment of an 18-part unit.
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Activity
Complete College America

The Marshmallow Reading/Writing Project

For Students 11th - Higher Ed Standards
Which option would most children choose: One marshmallow now, or two marshmallows in 10 minutes? Learners watch the social experiment on video and discuss their observations. They then read articles and work in small groups to analyze...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hey, Look Me Over!

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students make observations about mealworms using hand lenses, rulers, and cotton swabs. Students complete their own mealworm observation chart, then they share their observations with the class. This is one station out of five in an...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Testing Foods

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners perform an experiment using brown paper bags to determine which foods have oil in them. This task assesses student's abilities to make simple observations and inferences from them.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mystery Boxes

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students make observations about Mystery Boxes that their teacher has made up and describes the motion of the object inside the box and hypothesizes it's shape based on their observations.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bug Hunt

For Teachers K - 2nd
Learners strengthen observational skills by searching for insects in their home and classroom. In this observation lesson, students use magnifying glasses to classify what kinds of bugs were found. Learners then create a bar graph to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's Still Polaris

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students observe the changing night sky over the course of an evening and chart the circumpolar stars as they traverse the sky in a progression around Polaris. They infer and discuss the cause of the changing star positions.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating Animals in Water

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Students observe small animal activity. They identify local water animals and describe the habitats where water animals can be found. Students collect samples to observe in the classroom.