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Facts and Myths about our Solar System
Sixth graders explore popular ideas about the Sun and Moon. In this space science lesson, 6th graders separate commonly accepted details about our solar system into facts and myths. Students research a particular idea and create comic...
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Space Exploration to Find Habitable Planets
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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Earth, Moon, Mars Balloons
Students demonstrate size and orbits of Earth, Moon, and Mars. In this space science lesson plan, students will use balloons to show how the size and distance between the planets and satellite compare.
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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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Scoping Out Space
Students research existing and proposed telescope projects and synthesize their knowledge by creating presentations on each telescope and speculating about which project is worthy of additional funding.
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Celestial Photography
Students practice photographic skills and gain an awareness of photography as a scientific tool.
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The Discovery of the Solar System
Students explain the observed motion of the planets. The inner ones move back-and-forth across the position of the Sun, while the outer ones usually advance in one direction, but with occasional temporary reversals known as "retrograde...
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The Vocabulary of Space
Students build their knowledge and understanding of vocabulary related to space. In this space lesson, students discuss four categories of words and phrases related to space.Â
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Puzzling Planets
Young scholars list the order of the planets, describe the general characteristics of each planet and explain why we could not live on other planets without special equipment.
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Seeing The Sun In A New Light
High schoolers examine the observation of "coronal holes," by x-rays, also about related fast streams and moderate magnetic storms that recur at 27 day intervals. They study NASA'S great observatories.
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Ellipses And Kepler's First Law
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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May The Earth Be Revolving Around The Sun?
Young scholars trace the beginning of the heliocentric theory of the solar system--the idea that the solar system revolves around the Sun--to an observation by the Greek astronomer Aristarchus, which convinced him that the Sun was much...
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How Distant is the Moon?--2
Students examine total eclipses of the Sun and their limited regions of totality. They explain that this limited view occurs because the Moon is close enough to us for different points on Earth to view it differently.
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How Distant Is The Moon?
Students discover how Aristarchus, a Greek astronomer around 230 BC, used a simple observation of the eclipse of the Moon, plus clever reasoning, to deduce the distance of the Moon. They practice the same calculation technique.
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Parallax
Students discover how astronomers used the diameter of the Earth's orbit around the Sun as a baseline for estimating the distance of some stars, and the meaning of "Parsec" and "light year."
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Precession
Students explain how Hipparchus, around 130 BC, used a shift in the predicted location of a lunar eclipse to detect a slight shift in the path of the Sun around the sky. They examine the elliptical orbit in which the Earth travels around...
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The Sundial
High schoolers explain the design, principle and orientation of a sundial, the type with a gnomon pointing towards the pole of the heavens. They construct a model sundial from paper.
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Stargazers And Skywatchers
Students recognize the daily motion of the Sun across the sky, defining the main directions of east, west, south and north. They see how the first calendars were based on changes in the Sun's noontime elevation, and on locations of...
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The Path of the Sun: The Ecliptic
Students investigate the celestial sphere and the paths it takes in the solar system.
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Finding the Pole Star
Students study the constellations fo the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia and their use in finding the Pole Star. They realize that other celestial objects--Sun, Moon and planets--share the rotation (and hence rise and set), even though their...
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The Angle of the Sun's Rays
Young scholars study elevation of the Sun above the horizon and the angle of the rays and their heating power.
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Constellations
Students explore constellations. They read trade books about constellations and write notes including their locations, origins, and names. They research and report on one constellation in the Northern Hemisphere and share their report...
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Lives of Stars
Students take notes on the lives of stars. In this lesson on stars, students take notes alongside a PowerPoint presentation about the lives of stars.
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Make a Spaceship
Students create a spaceship, satellite, or space station. In this space lesson, students consider design elements for buildings and objects in space. Students use K'Nex, Legos, or other household materials for their creation. Students...
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