In this field lab activity, students will determine the density, pH and water content of prairie soil, transition soil, woods soil, and riverbed soil and compare their findings.

This lab activity is a paper fossil dig where students discover skeletal characteristics of humans, primates and hominids and are asked to make a short oral presentation to the class.

In this unit, students make regular journal entries about a plant/animal/insect community in the natural area around our school and use this to create a Non-fiction Class Book. They also interview family/resources to discover, record and present stories about human relationships with nature from their culture(s).

This is an investigation where students observe what happens to land after it is mined. Students will create a hypothesis, observe their model, conclude what happens to land after it is mined, and discover the role humans play in land conservation.

In this 6-lesson unit, students use dominoes to explore four models of addition: counting, number line, sets, and balanced equations. They learn about the commutative property, the relation between addition and subtraction, the result of adding 0, and the concept of doubles. Students write story problems which involve the operation of addition and begin to memorize the addition facts. They represent addition in pictures. The various models of addition help students develop a rich conceptual schema for addition. Included are a Bibliography of Counting Books, student materials, questions for student and teacher reflection, assessment and extension ideas. [Suggestion: Use the alternate applet, Pan Balance - Numbers, listed as a Related Resource, rather than Pan Balance - Shapes, in Lesson 4.]

A process for technical problem solving is introduced and applied to a fun demonstration. Given the success with the demo, the iterative nature of the process can be illustrated.

Students test the question, "Do eggs balance on the equinox?" Students develop their own procedure, analyze their data and come up with their own conclusions.

This is a series of lab activities where students complete experiments for open, closed, series and parallel circuits.

This activity is a simple way for students to understand the basics of electron energy levels, a fundamental atomic concept.

ELL students create and share a botanic field guide incorporating depiction, measurement, description, and classification of common Minnesota trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and plants.

In this math activity, learners are presented with a problem: two bowls are suspended from the ceiling by springs. One bowl is lower than the other. In one bowl, you can only place marbles; in the other bowl, you can only place bingo chips. Learners investigate how many items must be placed in each bowl so that the heights of the bowls are the same, and in doing so, solve a system of linear equations. This lesson guide includes questions for learners, assessment options, extensions, and reflection questions.

The rules of Krypto are amazingly simpleäóîcombine five numbers using the standard arithmetic operations to create a target number. Finding a solution to one of the more than 3 million possible combinations can be quite a challenge, but learners love it. This game helps to develop number sense, computational skill, and an understanding of the order of operations. Play this game online or use a deck of Krypto cards.

In this math lesson, learners examine pennies and dimes and model subtraction as they listen to a childrenäóťs book ("Alexander Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday" by Judith Viorst). Learners model amounts to 60 cents with coins, use coin rubbings of pennies and dimes, and make a chart comparing the two coins.

This activity is a class lab activity in which students will observe unknown rocks and learn about how they fit into the rock cycle.

In this introductory physics lab activity, students explore the sounds made by the free-end of a ruler vibrating off the end of a desk.

In this activity, learners design unique tiles and make repeating patterns to create tessellations. This activity combines the creativity of an art project with the challenge of solving a puzzle. This lesson features three investigations, in which learners make tessellations by translating, rotating, and reflecting the patterns.

In this activity, learners repeat patterns in two and three dimensions to create tessellations. This activity combines the creativity of an art project with the challenge of solving a puzzle. This lesson features three investigations that are appropriate for varying grades and levels.

This activity provides for small group investigation of the properties of different liquids leading to the discovery that liquids are different in many ways, including density.Students would be led to a very beginning understanding of density.

This activity is an extension of the FOSS Variables Lifeboat investigation. Students choose a lifeboats variable to investigate, write up an experiment based on the variable to be tested, test the variable, and create a lifeboats investigation poster to share their results.

This is an interactive applet game exercises a student's factoring ability. A student can play against the computer or against a friend on grids containing the numbers 1-30, 1-49, or 1-100. Each player in turn chooses a number from the board, and then the opponent claims all of its remaining proper factors. A player's score is the sum of all the numbers and factors she/he has chosen. When there are no numbers remaining with unclaimed factors, the game ends and the player with the greater total is the winner.