Curated OER
Remembering the Challenger Tragedy
Use our nation's response to the Challenger disaster in order to teach character, as well as science and literary standards.
Curated OER
Culture, Crisis and Population Explosion: A Deweyan Approach in the Classroom
Students read various arguments posed by John Dewey when it comes to population growth. In groups, they use magazine articles and the internet to find issues related to populations and complete experiments to identify the challenges...
Curated OER
Bigger, Faster, Stronger . . . Higher
Students analyze popular feelings and beliefs about two major disasters: the sinking of the Titanic (1912) and the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger (1986). They compile evidence, through research and interviews, about how much...
Curated OER
Space Shuttle
One slide details the features of Space Shuttle Discovery in graphic form. Another shows a faulty hydrogen fuel sensor. The final slide is a picture of the explosion of Space Shuttle Challenger and the ill-fated crew. If you wanted to...
Curated OER
It's Going to Blow Up!
Get your ocean explorers online, reading articles about submarine volcanoes. They answer a series of questions and take a geometery challenge in which they calculate how much of a volcano has been blown away. Make sure to explore several...
Curated OER
Coronal Mass Ejections
In this coronal mass ejections worksheet, high schoolers observe a time line of events that took place during a solar storm. Students use the time line to answer 3 questions about the solar storm and the time it took to reach Earth. High...
Curated OER
Christa McAuliffe: Teacher in Space
Students study the life of Christa McAuliffe who was on the Challenger space shuttle lost their lives when the ship exploded.
Curated OER
The Breathtaking Nature of the Urban Explosion, Part 2
Students explore ozone levels. They measure the concentrations of ground-level ozone in the atmosphere. Students observe changes in the concentrations of ozone over time. Students complete a data sheet to record ozone readings over a...
Teach Engineering
Above-Ground Storage Tanks in the Houston Ship Channel
Introduce your class to storage tank failures caused by major storms with an activity that looks at how the concepts of Archimedes' Principle and Pascal's Law affect the storage tanks along the Houston Ship Channel. The background...
American Chemical Society
The Energy Efficiency of Heating Water
Can a small change in laboratory procedures save energy? Scholars test three different methods for heating water in a science lab. Then, they calculate the energy efficiency for each and compare them to determine which uses the least...
Curated OER
Glowing Glimpses of Our Universe
Students will complete hands-on space activities. In this space science lesson, students will create a glow-in-the-dark model of the solar system, visit a planetarium, make star pictures, and paint constellations. Activities are meant to...
Curated OER
Native Species Restoration: Is Saving One Species Hurting Another?
Students investigate the effect of human activities upon the environment. The studying experience encourages students to think about the issues involved in native species restoration.
Curated OER
Tracking Ocean Ecology
Students look at the data maps given to them about how chlorophyll affects the algae blooms and make predictions about the harm they will cause. For this data maps lesson plan, students manipulate data sets from the website.
Curated OER
Elements of Biology: Organization In Living Systems
Students explore the recent research on dinosaurs. In this dinosaur lesson plan students write a report on the new findings and how it has changed ideas on dinosaurs.
Curated OER
Elements of Physics: Motion, Force and Gravity
Students research about different human space explorations conducted by NASA. In this physical science lesson, students discuss why space exploration is important. They write a paper about their thoughts on continuing NASA's space...
Curated OER
Oil Spill Lesson Plans
With the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, now is a great time to educate students on issues related to oil.
Curated OER
Busting More Myths Using the Scientific Method
Use the Mythbusters model to jazz up your scientific method lessons!
Curated OER
Gulf Oil Spill Fill-In
In this Gulf oil spill instructional activity, students examine an article regarding basic facts about the April 20, 2010 oil spill and then respond to 25 fill in the blank questions. A word bank is provided.
Curated OER
Children's Health: Children Aren't Little Adults
This lesson is a compilation of interdisciplinary, technology-infused activities that focus on the often complicated and sometimes controversial issues related to toxic chemicals in children's environment. Special emphasis is placed on...
Curated OER
Death of the Dinosaur
Students consider theories of dinosaur extinction. In this reading comprehension lesson, students read an article about dinosaur extinction theories. Students may also complete the suggested activities. The article is not included.
Other
Metro West Daily News: Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion Still Vivid
Many people still remember exactly where they were when they either were actually watching it or heard about it - the Challenger explosion. After all these years, the memories still inspire hope for the future. Here are some notes on the...
A&E Television
History.com: Challenger Explosion: How Groupthink and Other Causes Led to the Tragedy
Seven lives were lost as communications failed in the face of public pressure to proceed with the launch despite dangerously cold conditions. January 28, 1986, The sun had been up for less than an hour and air temperatures were a few...
PBS
Pbs Newshour Extra: Space Shuttle Challenger Tragedy
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the explosion of the Challenger, PBS provides an article that describes the repercussions of the disaster.
US National Archives
Docsteach: Watching What?
Students will hypothesize what the president and cabinet members were watching on television by analyzing facial expressions, and body language, and the physical environment. Students will learn that President Ronald Reagan and his staff...