Curated OER
Kepler And His Laws
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.
TED-Ed
Tycho Brahe, the Scandalous Astronomer
Who says scientists are boring geeks? Certainly not the narrator of a short video who dishes up the scandals associated with Tycho Brahe, a Danish scientist and alchemist (now that's two labels you don't often see together) who used...
Curated OER
Astronomer Research
Learners discover the contributions of early astronomers and scientists. In this research skills lesson, students research electronic and print sources about Galileo Galilei, Aristarchus, Hipparchus, Claudius Ptolemy, Nicholas...
Curated OER
Kepler and his Laws
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.
Curated OER
How Does a Satellite Stay in Orbit?
Students explore placing a satellite into orbit, then about forces needed to keep an object in orbit. They examine how satellites orbit in elliptical paths and about properties of ellipses. They learn Kepler's 3rd Law of Planetary Motion
Curated OER
Worksheet 19: Ship Positions
In this math worksheet, students read informational paragraphs and then answer 18 questions using data from their readings. Questions are about vectors, positions, distance and orbits.
Curated OER
Orbital Bliss
Most young mathematicians are aware that the planets don’t orbit the sun in a circle but rather as an ellipse, but have never studied this interesting feature. This resource looks at the planetary orbits in more detail and helps learners...
Curated OER
On the Shoulders of Giants
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.
Curated OER
Explore the Characteristics of Stars with Microsoft WorldWide Telescope
Students explore the characteristics of stars. In this space science activity, students use the Microsoft WorldWide Telescope program to identify the properties of stars and identify the stars in the galaxy.
Curated OER
The Physics of the Planets: How 16th and 17th Century Physicist Helped Us Understand Our Solar System
Eighth graders draw the paths of the planets in the solar system. In this astronomy lesson, 8th graders calculate speed of objects using distance and time information. They research about the work of scientists in the 16th and 17th century.
Curated OER
A Guide Through the Culture of the Blues
Pupils examine the history of blues music and discover how it relates to the music of today. As a class, they listen to the drum songs of Africa and compare it to the use of drums in pop music today. Using the internet, they research...
Curated OER
Lasers Saving Sight
Students review some basic biology by talking about how the eye works. They cover the concepts behind laser surgery as a treatment for saving sight. They begin to recognize the overlap of disciplines (physics and biology) required for...
Curated OER
Solar System
Eighth graders identify the basic concepts of celestial bodies. They discover the difference between perihelion and aphelion and demonstrate how the universe is expanding. They also discover how gravity and centrifugal force are...
Curated OER
Mineralogy, Astronomy, & Ancient Wisdom
Learners 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.
Curated OER
Nature of Meteor Showers
Ninth graders describe, in general terms, the distribution of matter in space and
identify evidence for, and describe characteristics of, bodies that make up the solar system. They then investigate predictions about the motion,...