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Assessment
University of Washington

Kepler’s Laws

For Students 9th - 12th
Introduce your physics or astronomy class to Kepler's laws of planetary motion with this straightforward worksheet. It covers the basic concepts of each and has learners answer questions to demonstrate their grasp on them. You could use...
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Activity
NASA

Exploring Exoplanets with Kepler

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Calculate the movement and properties of planets like professional astronomers! Scholars use Kepler's third law to find Mercury and Venus's distance from the sun. Using changes in brightness of distant stars and Kepler's third law,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Kepler And His Laws

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers engage in an overview of the story of Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler, and of Kepler's laws. Each of Kepler's laws be studied separately in more detail in later lessons. They examine Kepler's 3rd law.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mathematics at the Frontier of Astronomy

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the different types of measurements used in astronomy. In this space science activity, students explain the relationship between planets' orbits and distance from the sun using Kepler's Laws. They discuss how math aides...
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Activity
New Mexico State University

Lab 6: Kepler's Laws

For Teachers 9th - 12th
A 15-page package thoroughly teaches your physics or astronomy learners about Kepler's three laws of planetary motion. Each one is stated and explained. Class members answer questions, solve problems, and participate in the classic...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Astronomy Class

For Students 6th - 8th
In this space science worksheet, students find the words associated with the basic terms of Astronomy. The answers are located at the bottom of the page.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan on Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students construct a solar system model. In this space science activity, students calculate the eccentricity of a planet's orbit. They calculate the period of a planet's revolution using Kepler's formula.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Kepler's Second Law

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students gain an understanding of Kepler's 2nd law--that planets (and satellites) move fastest at their closest approach to the center of attraction, and slow down when far away. They explore the concepts of "potential energy" and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Kepler's Second Law

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils explore orbital velocities and how they vary along each orbit, according to Kepler's Second Law.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ellipses and Kepler's First Law

For Teachers 11th - 12th
The class examines graphs in the form r = F(¿¿) in polar coordinates (r, ¿¿), in particular with the circle, ellipse and other conic sections. They determine the nature of an ellipse by studying the role of the semimajor axis and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Kepler and his Laws

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine Kepler's Laws. They confirm Kepler's 3rd law by comparing orbital periods and mean distances for all major planets and study conic sections, qualitatively.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Kepler's 3rd Law

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students derive the velocity in a circular orbit of any radius. They derive the Earth escape velocity and prove Kepler's 3rd law for circular orbits # A simple formula for the orbital period in a circular Earth orbit of given radius.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Physics of the Planets: How 16th and 17th Century Physicist Helped Us Understand Our Solar System

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders draw the paths of the planets in the solar system. In this astronomy lesson plan, 8th graders calculate speed of objects using distance and time information. They research about the work of scientists in the 16th and 17th...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Scientific Revolution

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Scientists participate in studying how new scientific advances have changed the world. They explain how astronomers have changed the way people view the universe, summarize the advances that were made in chemistry and medicine, and...
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PPT
Mr. E. Science

Our Solar System

For Students 7th - 8th Standards
The presentation starts with the scientists who made discoveries about our solar system: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo, Brahe, Kepler, and Newton. It also covers the planets, inner, outer, and Pluto, satellites, and an in-depth discussion...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our View of the Sun

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers are introduced to safety rules for observing the Sun, how the distance of the Sun is measured using Kepler's Laws and identify the visible layers of the Sun. They discuss solar eclipses and view images of eclipses using...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Kepler's Third Law

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use Kepler's third law to derive the velocity in a circular orbit of any radius, and identify the Earth escape velocity.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ellipses And Kepler's First Law

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explain that planets actually orbit the center of gravity of the solar system, and that distant planets may be detected by motions of their central star around the centers of gravity of their planetary systems.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mineralogy, Astronomy, & Ancient Wisdom

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students complete a variety of activities surrounding minerals, crystals, and mineralogy. They locate common minerals on a world map, complete a lab in which they identify the chemical and physical properties of various minerals, etc.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mars: Off the Charts--Until You Put It There

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore the night sky and make illustrations which are shared in class the next day. Distinctions are made between the stars and the planets and views of the constellations for the season are made available. The work of early...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

On the Shoulders of Giants

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students select an astronomer or scientist from the past, research the role that they played in the development of the heliocentric revolution, and make presentations on their achievements.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Space Exploration to Find Habitable Planets

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students explore space science by reviewing scientific vocabulary terms. In this planet identification lesson, students identify the nine planets in our solar system and discuss which ones could potentially harbor life at some point....
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Worksheet
Curated OER

The Solar System

For Students 9th - 12th
In this solar system worksheet, students complete a word puzzle by determining the terms associated with the 10 statements about the planets.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Reading Comprehension 6

For Students 8th - 9th
Set the timer for five minutes (or less), and distribute this resource to your class. There's a very short reading passage followed by a set of three questions. What a great tool in prepping your class for upcoming state testing.