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Life on Earth and Beyond, Our Search for Answers
Students in a special education classroom are introduced to how the universe and solar system was formed. Using the internet, they research the characteristics of Earth that support human life. In groups, they compare and contrast...
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Modeling the Big Bang and the Formation of the Universe
Sixth graders conduct an experiment to understand the Big Bang Theory. In this Big Bang Theory instructional activity, 6th graders will observe a balloon with confetti popping to emulate and analyze information related tot he Big Bang...
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The Reasons for the Season
Students explain the reason for the changes in season. In this lesson examining the relationship between the Earth and the Sun, students use an applet to discover how the alignment of the Earth and the Sun cause the change in seasons.
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Constellation Projections
Young scholars draw constellations. In this astronomy lesson, students create constellations from star groupings projected on a chalk board. Young scholars connect the "stars" to create a pattern on the board. Student can create new...
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Colonizing the Stars
Middle schoolers compare and contrast the size, composition and surface features of the nine planets of our solar system with the possible sizes and compositions of extra -solar planets.
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Project SETI.
Tenth graders study how to search for life in outer space and make use of the 40-foot radio telescope at Greenbank, West Virginia. Request that the telescope be pointed at a particular location and time and receive data back from it...
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an Explorative Journey Through the Solar System
Students, in groups, research a planet from our solar system. They create Styrofoam models of the planets and place the planets on a correct distance scale from the sun.
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Habitable Zones
Students focus on stellar luminosities to estimate size of habitable zones, map out habitable zone around hot light bulbs that serve as models of stars, investigate how size of model "habitable zone" around light bulbs depends on...
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Planet Interiors
Students view cut-away images of the planets' interiors, comparing and contrasting them with the Earth's in written form. Students also classify each planet as "terrestrial" or "Jovian". The Planet Interiors applet on the CSA website...
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The Milky Way and Beyond
Students consider the scale of the Milky Way Galaxy. In this Milky Way lesson, students hypothesize the length of time necessary to cross the Milky Way.
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Cosmic Rays
Students study cosmic rays and the energy behind them. In this atmospheric lesson students complete a cosmic ray telescope project.
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Comets And Meteor Showers
Young scholars fill in a diagram of a comet. They listen to a short lecture, view flash animation descriptions of comets and meteors and then use the presented information to complete a worksheet.
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Solar and Lunar Eclipses
Students examine eclipses. In this eclipse lesson, students investigate solar and lunar eclipses. Students complete a WebQuest and write a descriptive summary of eclipses. Lesson references a WebQuest, but does not include a link.
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Time Travel to the Edge of the Universe and Back!
Students analyze the size of the universe and calculate the time to travel to near and distant destinations.
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The Universe
Students describe what scientists mean by an "expanding universe" in their own words. They explain how scientists comprehend the universie is expanding. Students comprehend the vast scale of the universe. They comprehend how theory...
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Using Star Charts and Maps
Learners study star charts and describe locations of objects. In this scientific models lesson students use coordinates and identify characteristics.
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How Far Away Is Saturn?
Students work together to create a scale model of the solar system. They write a descriptive paper and a paper comparing and contrasting the Earth to Saturn. They discuss their writings with the class.
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Seeing Interference Fringes with a Telescope
Learners construct an interferometer using a simple telescope. In this physics instructional activity, students explain how light waves create the fringe patterns. They observe patterns made by different objects in the sky and compare them.
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The Solar System and the Forces Behind It
Sixth graders discover why planets stay in orbit. In groups, they use everyday materials to examine the effect of gravity of objects and calculate how mass changes based on gravitational pull. To end the instructional activity, they...
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Mass
Students participate in a qualitative discussion of the distinction between weight and mass, followed by a description of astronaut mass measurements in a zero-g environment.
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Red Shift, Blue Shift
Middle schoolers demonstrate how stellar spectra measures a star's motion relative to Earth along the line of sight.
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Studying Shadows
Students measure shadows and explore the altitude of the sun. For this sun lesson students will graph the length of shadows and solar altitude against time.
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The Guest Investigator Puzzle
Students conduct a brief astrophysics lab matching the EUVE spectra of various kinds of "mystery" stars with the spectra of known stars taken at Extreme Ultraviolet and optical wavelengths to determine their type.
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Liquid Crystal IR Detector
Students experiment with one method of detecting infrared radiation. They simulate the detection of infrared radiation using a liquid crystal sheet.