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Activity
NASA

Art and the Cosmic Connection

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
Solar art inspires! Scholars study planetary geology with an artistic analysis. Pupils view a PowerPoint presentation on the solar system and space exploration and then try their hand at planetary image analysis using art techniques. 
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Activity
NASA

Whip Up a Moon-Like Crater

For Teachers 1st - 6th Standards
The moon is famous for its craters, but they haven't always been there. Young learners experiment with materials to simulate the creation of moon craters. Pupils are able to see patterns in their materials that are similar to the...
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Website
American Museum of Natural History

Beyond Planet Earth

For Students 6th - 12th
Scholars take a journey through space with 16 eye-catching images. Along the way, learners read captions starting with the moon, then move onto asteroids, Mars, and Jupiter.
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Activity
Las Cumbres Observatory

Plotting an Asteroid Light Curve

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Data can tell us a lot about celestial objects that are just too far away to study otherwise. Learners examine data on the brightness of an asteroid to predict its rotation rate. Graphing the data reveals a periodic pattern that allows...
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Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Following the Trail of Evidence

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
One important skill in analyzing scientific evidence is identifying facts versus opinions. Scholars identify pieces of evidence from the film The Day the Mesozoic Died and then discuss this evidence in small groups at the end of each act...
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Activity
Discovery Education

3D Printing Robots

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What is water worth to you? The answer probably depends on many different variables. Learners explore the value of water in space and what it takes to transport the resource to locations in a galaxy far far away. They then consider...
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Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Determining the Size and Energy of the K-T Asteroid

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Two different groups of scientists published scientific papers in 1980 offering proof of a large asteroid hitting Earth between the Cretaceous and Tertiary layers of ground. Scholars use a worksheet to analyze the same type of data as...
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Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Distribution of Elements in Earth’s Crust

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
How do scientists know the difference between a meteorite from space and a regular rock from the earth? Scholars read a passage and answer comprehension questions about the creation of the solar system. They extrapolate the main ideas to...
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Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Calculating Iridium Fallout from an Asteroid Impact

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Should we be afraid of a large asteroid impact on Earth today? Young scientists estimate the size and composition of an asteroid similar to the one that caused the K-T mass extinction. They apply algebraic formulas to answer questions...
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Activity
Teach Engineering

Making Moon Craters

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
Create an egg-citing study of energy. Pupils investigate the effect of height and mass on the overall amount of energy of a falling object. The fourth segment in a six-part series on energy uses a weighted egg falling from different...
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Interactive
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

The Solar Wind Tunnel

For Students 9th - 12th
The winds of change are blowing in our very own solar system!  But what makes some heavenly bodies more affected by solar winds than others?  Pupils discover the concept of magnetic forces at work in space in this attractive interactive,...
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Printables
Research Parent

Solar System Cards

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
Find all things solar system in a set of reference cards. Even Pluto makes an appearance! Each of the 24 cards has a picture and accompanying informational text that gives brief background about the object.
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Lesson Plan
University of Colorado

Are All Asteroids' Surfaces the Same Age?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Did you know scientists can tell the age of an asteroid by looking closely at its craters? This final lesson plan of a six-part series focuses on two asteroids, Gaspra and Ida, in order to demonstrate the concept of dating asteroids....
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Lesson Plan
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University of Colorado

Are All Asteroids' Surfaces the Same Age?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
There are more than 600,000 asteroids in our solar system. Pupils analyze images of two asteroids in order to determine if they are the same age. They count craters for each asteroid and compare numbers. 
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Activity
1
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Teach Engineering

Recommendations and Presentations: Drum Roll Please

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Teams analyze the data they collected during the past six lessons and finalize where they will build a survival cavern. They then present their decisions to the rest of the class and justify their locations. 
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Activity
1
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Teach Engineering

Incoming Asteroid! What's the Problem?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Oh, no! An asteroid is on a collision course with Earth!. Class members must rise to the challenge of designing a shelter that will protect people from the impact and permit them to live in this shelter for one year. In this first lesson...
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Activity
1
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Teach Engineering

Rocks, Rocks, Rocks: Test, Identify Properties and Classify

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Time is growing short. Teams work together to identify physical properties of rocks in order to determine the properties that would best suit their cavern shelter design.
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Activity
1
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Teach Engineering

Identifying Possible Underground Cavern Locations

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Teams continue with the Asteroid Impact challenge and determine possible locations to construct their underground shelters. Participants cut scale area models of their shelters from paper and place them on the map to find locations to...
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Activity
1
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Teach Engineering

Using Map Scales to Figure Distances and Areas

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The asteroid is getting closer and the question is whether the state of Alabraska is large enough for the shelter calculated in the previous activity. Teams determine the scale of their project and then use the scale on the map to...
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Activity
1
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Teach Engineering

Building and Testing Model Underground Safety Caverns

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Teams take their cavern designs and build a model from clay or paper mache that can be buried in sand. Testing involves dropping a bowling ball on the buried cavern. Teams dig out their cavern, inspect it for damage, and consider...
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Activity
1
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Teach Engineering

How Big? Necessary Area and Volume for Shelter

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Teams must determine the size of cavern needed to house the citizens of Alabraska to protect them from the asteroid impact. Using scaling properties, teams first determining the number of people that could sleep in a classroom and then...
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Lesson Plan
media.yurisnight.net

Science Lesson Plan: Our Solar System: I Wonder?

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Ever wonder why Pluto isn't considered a planet? Or how large the Earth is compared to the other inner planets? Explore the universe with a series of projects that simulate different aspects of our solar system. The activities require...
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Activity
It's About Time

Impact Events and the Earth System

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
What would happen to Earth if an asteroid struck it? Assist young scientists as they explore the mechanics of an impact event and effects caused by it; calculate the energy released once an asteroid strikes Earth's surface; and compare...
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Lesson Plan
Starry Night Education

Comets and Meteors

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Comets are also known as dirty snowballs or icy mud balls. With your super scientists, create a model comet nucleus to discover how they are made and take part in a scientific discussion to learn how it behaves.