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The rock sandwich experiment is a hands-on way to learn about a very long process. The bread acts like two layers of sediment on top of each other that will eventually form metamorphic rock. This experiment is simple, cheap, and quick. It will make for a nice addition to a lesson on the different phases of the rock cycle. I could have pairs of students perform this experiment so everyone is involved and all of them have a chance to do a hands-on activity. It is also a great activity to do lab sheets with and a follow up journal entry on what they learned about the formation of metamorphic rock.

SC.E.1.2.3 Students know that our Sun is a star and that the energy of the Sun can be captured as a source of heat and light on Earth (e.g. plants, solar panels) Students will have a basic understanding of the vocabulary words sun, solar system, star, planet, asteroid, comet, orbit, axis.

This lesson allows students to investigate which way is best to clean up oil and researching how oil spills affect the environment. The students will try three different ways to remove oil from a tub of water, then they will determine which way is the most effective. Afterwards, the students will present their findings to the class. I like that this lesson is engaging and it can easily be related to real world oil spills. I would tell my students that they were a team that was hired to find out how to get rid of the oil after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This way the students feel that they are doing something realistic.

This is a slideshow that explains weathering, erosion, and deposition. There are 31 informational slides. The slideshow explains in depth what each word means and how it affects the world and landmarks around us. I chose this slideshow because I thought it would help visual learners and it would be a nice introduction to the topic. Sometimes it is better to actually see what erosion does to a rock rather than just talk about it. I also liked that it gave real life pictures of erosion and weathering. I would use this resource to start my lesson on erosion. I would start with the slideshow and discuss all the important details and then break the students into groups to do an activity dealing with erosion and weathering.

In this activity, students are put into small groups to construct 3D candy landform maps. To begin, students are given a blank outline of the United States on a large piece of paper and a landform map. Students must then map out where all of the major rivers, deserts, mountain ranges, plains, and oceans are. Next, students are given various candy, yarn, and paint with which to construct their map and key. I chose this activity for three main reasons. For one, it allows students to work with their peers to create a product. It also provides them with a link between social studies and science. Finally, students are very likely to be engaged in the project because both candy and painting are involved. I could see myself using this project in my classroom as a conclusion to a unit on landforms because it is a culmination of many different types of landforms as well as an application of what has been studied to an actual map of the United States, thus making a real-world connection.

For this activity, ask the students what they think will happen if you heat a bar of ivory soap in the microwave. Make a graph of their predictions on the smartboard. Then heat the bar of ivory soap in the microwave for one minute. After you show the students what happened to the soap. Allow them to hold pieces of the "cloud" and make observations about texture and why they think the soap formed into a cloud. I chose this activity because this teacher also has a unit on weather connected to this activity that includes daily weather observations, non-fiction passages and writing organizers.

Who knew!? Very cool and surprising outcome. I am a little concerned that this activity might lead students away from true understanding of the formation of clouds, though. What do you think?

What I like about this lesson is that it can be used cross-cirricularly if your younger class does not allot enough time for a science lesson. Using a book as the main idea of your lesson is a great engagement tool for younger students. This lesson on wind, energy, and renewable resources is fun and lists a lot of extension activities like building a windmill and figuring out the problem/solution using writing skills.

I think this would be a great extension activity following a lesson over the phases of the moon as students will be showing their understanding of these phases using Oreo cookies. Each student is given 8 split Oreo cookies and one plate with the phases of the moon on the bottom of the plate. Students will use their spoon to move the cream off the cookie to model the correct phase of the moon. After completing eight correct moon phases with their cookies, the student will label each phase of the moon with the correct name strip which is provided. Once the student has correctly labeled the 'moons', they may eat the cookies and take the plate home. This is a great way to check and make sure students have an understanding of this material. It also makes it fun for the students as they are able to finish the assignment by eating their cookies!

"Two similar plants are observed as one gets regular water and the other does not." This science lesson and activity can benefit students in so many ways. Students will be observing and making comparisons among two plants as one plant receives water and the other does not. Throughout this week-long project, the students will be coming up with their own theories about what will happen to each of these plants. Along with this, they will be comparing and contrasting their observations and the final results. I believe that students would love an activity like this, and it would be extremely beneficial to them as they learn how living things change and depend on their environment to satisfy their basic needs.

I enjoy this lesson because it is another hands on activity for students. Students will get to compare and contrast what they know about the seasons. The students will get to place pictures in the correct poster for what season that picture may be related to. This lesson also involves reading books to the children to expand their knowledge on each of the seasons.

Photo Credit: Clipart.com To observe and document similarities and differences between parts of plants. While ideas of ecology, biology, horticulture, etc., are far too abstract for K-2 students, young children are curious about their living environment and are ready to be introduced to the idea that they live on this earth along with plants and animals. I love this lesson. Plants are something that can easily be brought into the classroom for observation and exploration. This lesson provides a way for students to explore and identify the different parts of the plant, while also being able to see the parts on an actual plant and not just from a picture. I would definitely use this type of lesson in my future classroom, even if I were teaching older children I would just alter and make the content more in depth.

This lesson gets students to not only observe and classify, but it will also help further students science skills and help them become a more detailed thinking. I like this lesson because it is hands on for young students. This lesson takes the students on a scavenger hunt to find similar parts of plants and then the teacher will bring them back together and act as a facilitator when asking them questions about what they think of their findings. They will then document their findings and how the parts of the plant may be similar or different.

Early learners are sure to love these introductory videos on the concept of the solar system. This series features high quality music and animation that will instantly engage kids, and which teachers will enjoy watching as well. Each video states facts about its subject in a catchy song to aid kids in retaining the information and exciting them to discover more. _____________________________________________________________________ I love these videos! This website provides many Storybots videos that all relate to the solar system. These videos are fun to watch and get students engaged. They provide information on everything in the solar system (planets, sun, Earth, stars). Each video provides a catchy song that draws students in, while also teaching them different things about the solar system. I chose this resource because I personally love all the videos. I think they provide a lot of information on the solar system, but in a fun way. I think students will really enjoy these videos, and I think they'll also learn a lot as well. I watched the sun video a couple times and I was already beginning to learn some of the lyrics! I think this resource could be used as a hook for any lesson about the solar system. These videos could be used as an introduction and will help get the students engaged in the material. Students will want to learn more once they watch these videos!

"If you're looking for a fantastic way to end your spring plant/botany unit, try this fun activity from Ms. Lopez of Coloring Outside The Lines that will have your kiddos snacking through the parts of a plant!" This lesson/activity could tie a unit on plants with healthy eating unit! I would first make a diagram with the students labeling the different parts of the plant to activate their background knowledge. After that, I would go through my different foods I had out and ask the students what part of the plant they thought it was. They would attach their food to their worksheet and once they were done we could eat the different parts of the plant! I think younger students would love this activity!