Group items tagged

Rock Cycle Game

Short article, mid to high reading level, could be used as enrichment.

compares Missouri consumption to the U.S.

A vernier lab using heart rate monitor for human body unit.  Interaction between nervous system and muscular system in response to a stimulus.  Pretty darn cool lab!

Students look at 5 different extinct animals and infer their habits and abilities by using background knowledge of present-day animals.

Good read about implementing scientific inquiry. I really liked many of the tables/charts they included. I plan to post the table on pg. 27 in the classroom (Fundamental Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry).

Activity: To make and observe model fossils and infer how they were made.

Simple Vernier lab using temperature probes we are using to get students used to the equipment and to help them practice experimental design and identifying IV/DV

students visit various websites to learn more about rocks and minerals

This is an activity I use as a visual for the students to see the different types of pollution that affect rivers.  I modify it by talking about the MO river.

There are a couple of things about this one that I think need some careful attention. For one: "A [food]chain will always start with a plant (a primary producer)." That isn't really true for the largest ecosystem on the planet, for example: the oceans. Not only are most algae not considered plants, a large number of these are unicellular and prokaryotic... the "blue green algae/bacteria" or cyanophytes. In fact, there are even deep sea hydrothermal ecosystems, for instance, that do not even rely upon photosynthetic organisms at all. These primary producers are chemosynthetic in the blackness that is the sea floor. So yes, "primary producer" is accurate... but not so for "plant." I'm also anxious to see what kids will place in between the snail and the bird (as pictured) on food chain "B" to complete the "missing link." I honestly had to work the Google to find out that spider-eating snails do exist. I feel like that is pretty obscure.

CDC article outlining the effects of various chemicals on the various body system.

CDC article outlining the effects of various chemicals on the various body system.

Lower level reading on adaptions

Lower level reading quick read about hypotheses.

On grade level quick read about hypotheses.