Lesson Plan
Curated OER

WHAT HOLDS US TO EARTH?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners they imagine they are Galileo and try to duplicate Galileo's experiments and results.
Lesson Plan
Journey Through the Universe

Comets: Bringers of Life?

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Young scientists investigate the elements found in our solar system and then construct a model of a comet. They apply their new knowledge to the formation of the solar system. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Devastation of Indian Quake

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read an online article at CNNfyi.com to determine what happened in India after an earthquake. They determine the magnitude of this earthquake and address the issue of relief efforts from other countries.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Coronal Mass Ejections

For Students 9th - 12th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Sky Clock

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explore space science by completing a worksheet in class. In this astronomy lesson, students discuss and identify star patterns in the night sky and relate these patterns to the approximate time they appear. Students complete an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Rock Cycle Shower

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students classify rocks as sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic based on physical properties. In this earth science lesson, students recreate the rock cycle using a set of stones placed on labeled shower curtain. They explain the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Magic School Bus Out of This World

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students learn along with Ms. Frizzle's class. In this Magic School Bus lesson plan, students explore craters that objects of different sizes and weights (marbles, Ping-Pong balls, and aluminum foil balls) create.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Hubble Spies Colliding Asteroids!

For Students 9th - 11th
In this colliding asteroids worksheet, students are given the equation to determine the collision time for asteroids. Students use this equation to solve 4 problems including finding the area of a cross-section through the body of an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using a Sundial

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students examine the use of a sundial to tell apparent time. In this sundial lesson plan, students watch a teacher demonstration using a flashlight to create shadows. They discuss what happens to shadows of different objects as the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Changing View of the Solar System

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students identify and name the eight planets and the five dwarf planets in our solar system. In this space science instructional activity, students view a slideshow of the planets and label them on an included Solar System chart.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weightlessness

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students predict the behavior of coffee in a cup while it is dropped during a demonstration. They relate their observations to the weightless conditions that astronauts experience in space and discuss the concept of free-fall.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Worksheet 19: Ship Positions

For Teachers 11th - 12th
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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sampling the Ocean Floor

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students sample goodies from an unseen ocean floor and try to accurately describe their composition. This simulation helps students explain the limitations of sampling and the problem of obtaining representative samples of sea floor...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

E.T., Are You Out There?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Research the necessary components of a planet that supports life after reading the article "All of a Sudden, The Neighborhood Looks a Lot Friendlier" from The New York Times. After finding their information, middle and high schoolers...
Lesson Plan
NASA

Things Are Not Always What They Seem

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Science is magic that works. Magical color-changing beads and a coffee can that follows voice commands are just two examples of magic tricks that rely on science. After completing a hands-on activity and an experiment investigating the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Lettuce" Learn About the Water Cycle

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Young scientists investigate the water cycle through a lettuce seed experiment. For this experiment, learners plant lettuce seeds inside of a ziplock bag in order to create a small greenhouse. They observe condensation and precipitation,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Galaxy Adventure

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Working in groups, learners create a mnemonic device, give an oral presentation, and create a pictorial representation of the correct sequence of the planets and asteroid belt from the sun. An assessment rubric is included in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Delta, Delta, Where is the Delta?

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Pupils explore several images of Earth from space. They identify parts of deltas. They observe, label, and measure delta images, taken from space. They consider how deltas form and why they differ in shape.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Properties of Air

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students conduct investigations to demonstrate and learn that air takes up space, and puts pressure, or pushes, on everything around it. They conduct experiments to learn about feeling air pressure and measuring air pressure. Prior to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Have All the Glaciers Gone?

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders discover that scientists examine evidence from around the world in order to explain global climate change. They see that records of climate change exist, and describe photographs interpreting changes in glaciers over time.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Long Day?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students become aware of the effects of tides on the Earth's rotation. In this tides lesson, students calculate the number of seconds lost over various periods of time.
Activity
Discovery Education

Satellite Telemetry

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Satellites require rockets to launch, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand them. Future engineers learn about how satellites send data to Earth and how to interpret satellite images. They see how radio waves play a role...
Unit Plan
Tech Museum of Innovation

Analogous Models

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What goes into a museum display? A secondary-level STEM project prompts groups to design a museum display for the Tech Museum of Innovation. They create an analogous, interactive model illustrating a science concept to complete the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Comparison Study of Water Vapor Data to Precipitation over North America

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Learners use NASA satellite data to compare water vapor over the United States.  In this data analysis activity students use an Excel spreadsheet to map their data.