Curated OER
Get the Picture!
Astronomers practice downloading data from a high-energy satellite and translate the data into colored or shaded pixels. As a hands-on activity, they use pennies to simulate high-energy satellite data and they convert their penny...
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The International Space Station
In this International Space Station learning exercise, learners are given the altitude changes in the space station on a graph from 2000-2004. Students answer 5 questions about the trends in the graph, the changes in altitude, the reason...
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Earth is Round?
Third graders discuss how Aristotle concluded that the Earth was round. As a class, they review theories about the Earth's shape and describe how life on Earth would be different if it were flat. Individually, they make a moon book in...
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Layers of the Earth
In this layer of the earth worksheet, students label and color each layer of the earth. Then students are asked to describe each layer below.
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Social Studies: Area and Population Density
Math scholars of many ages examine the concept of population density and then discuss the significance of the population densities of Minnesota and China. They figure the population density of their school.
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Where Am I, and How Do I Get Where I am Going?
Learners describe geographical places through art, music, writing, and math. They compile information in booklets which may be published.
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Earth From Space
Students watch a series of programs from NASA titled "Earth From Space". After viewing the program, they identify ways NASA is researching the reasons why the Earth is changing. They discuss the various levels of the atmosphere and...
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Fostering Geospatial Thinking: Space to Earth: Earth to Space (SEES)
Students locate and access data to help them with their science inquiry. In this geographical positioning lesson students evaluate and compare data sets.
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My Angle on Cooling
Students explore how the angle and distance of an object can change it's temperature. After reviewing how the position of the Earth affects the temperature of the planet, student groups design and perform an experiment to test how...
Space Awareness
The Sun Compass of the Vikings
Evidence shows the Vikings likely navigated by using a simple sundial to find their course. Videos, a short story, and discussion help bring this time period to life as they study European history with a hands-on experiment. Scholars...
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Our Solar System - Comparing Planetary Travel Distances
NASA presents a mini-unit on distances in our solar system. It incorporates scientific concepts of gravity, mass, density, and payload while your aspiring astronauts also employ mathematics skills. They calculate speed, they determine...
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The Battle for Ultimate Power
Students gain an understanding of how the powers of 10 and scientific notation can be used to represent the scale of things in the universe. They relate the number of stars in the universe to the number of grains of sand on Earth's beaches.
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Strawkets and Weight
Students investigate the effect that weight has on rocket flight. They construct a variety of straw-launched rockets that have different weights, observe what happens when the weight of a rocket is altered by reducing its physical size...
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Spaced Out
Students explore the transit of Venus and the information that this minieclipse provides about the distance between the Earth and the sun. They create their own astronomical units.
Space Awareness
Measure the Solar Diameter
Scientists could measure the diameter of the sun before they knew its distance. Scholars construct a simple mirror box to measure the diameter for themselves. They compare this measurement with the official size, listed in a...
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
Where Are We Going?
Come take a ride on the space bus! Scholars go on an imaginary trip to pick up their peers from the inner and outer planets while reinforcing math skills. First, learners round decimals to identify each planets' distance from Earth....
Space Awareness
Britannia Rule the Waves
Could you determine longitude based on measuring time? Early explorers used a longitude clock to do just that. Scholars learn about early exploration and the importance of the invention of the clock. Then pupils build their own longitude...
Consortium for Ocean Leadership
Measure for Measure
How does your class measure up? Young scientists create a scale drawing of the JOIDES Resolution in a collaborative activity. The lesson incorporates mathematical principles with deep-sea exploration to focus on enhancing measurement...
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Scale Model of the Solar System
Young scientists gain a better understanding of space, the solar system and its vastness by creating a scale model. Students first need to calculate the distance between each of the nine planets according to the size of their scale. This...
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Modeling the Solar System
Young scholars build a scaled model of the solar system. In this space science lesson, students arrange them according to their distances from the sun. They analyze each planet's unique features such as density and relative gravity.
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Making Models of the Solar System
Students make several models of the solar system to learn the positions of the planets in the solar system as well as relative distances and sizes. Creation of these models will help them identify the planets by size, shape, color,...
Illustrative Mathematics
Global Positioning System II
Intricate details of a modern technology that many of us take for granted in our phones, computers (and some cars) are laid bare in a short but deeply investigative activity. The math behind a seemingly simple GPS device...
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Hurricane Frequency and Intensity
High schoolers examine hurricanes. In this web-based meteorology lesson, students study the relationship between ocean temperature and hurricane intensity. They differentiate between intensity and frequency of hurricanes.
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Satellite Technology
In this satellite technology worksheet, students read about Low Earth Orbit satellites and the frictional drag from the Earth's atmosphere that causes them to fall back towards the Earth. Students use given data of the years the...