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...
Curated OER
The Reason for the Seasons; Science, Geography
Students think about what causes the seasons to change, reflect on what they know about seasons and how their lives affected by seasonal changes.
Curated OER
What Causes the Seasons?
Middle schoolers conduct experiment to examine how tilt of globe influences warming caused by lighted bulb. They monitor simulated warming of their city by sun in winter and in summer by using light bulb, interpret results, and submit...
Curated OER
Charting Seasonal Changes
Students research the Earth's patterns of rotation and revolution, create a chart and graph of these patterns and use them to explain the causes of night and day and summer and winter.
Curated OER
Sundials: Keeping Time Like Native Americans
Students explore the use of sundials. They observe the shadows cast by the sun and record the times at various points throughout the day. They create sundials and record the location of the shadows and the time of day. They view a...
Curated OER
Astronomy
Pupils explore space science by utilizing education software. In this moon cycles lesson, students discuss the importance of the moon and the different phases we observe from earth. Pupils demonstrate the earth's orbit by creating a...
Curated OER
Shadow Trackers
Students use online websites to inquire about the cycle of day and night. In this web based instructional activity, students are able to see the movement of the sun and Earth. Students can look at different parts of the Earth as if they...
Curated OER
Seasons and Cloud Cover, Are They Related?
Students use NASA satellite data to correlate cloud cover over Africa to the solar declination.
Curated OER
Solar System: The Four Inner Planets and Earth's Moon and Astronauts
Second graders read THe Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System. In this language arts and science lesson, 2nd graders explore the four inner planets. Students view the inner planets using Google Earth.
Curated OER
Seasons in 3D: Student Exploration
In this seasons exploration worksheet, students review vocabulary and answer prior knowledge questions, then use the Seasons in 3D Gizmo to complete exploration activities.
Curated OER
The Seasons
Learners determine the effect of the earth's tilt on the amount of incoming solar radiation throughout the year. They simulate the earth's orbit around the sun using a light bulb and a globe to simulate the seasons. Assessment questions...
Curated OER
DASH Sunrise and Sunset/ Seasons Chart
Second graders rotate as the person to enter the information of sunrise and sunset into a spreadsheet. The teacher also demonstrates how to convert the spreadsheet into a chart.
Curated OER
It's A Meteor
Students complete a webquest to find Earth's relationship to the sun. In this webquest instructional activity, students complete tasks to understand the effect of the sun on weather and time. Students create a multimedia presentation as...
Curated OER
Knowing North: Understanding the Relationship Between Time and The Sun
Students determine how to find North using a watch and their shadow. In this finding North lesson, students go outside on a sunny day and work with their shadow and a wrist watch to find out which direction that North is. They examine...
Curated OER
Sun Shadow Cycles
Students use diagrams to review how the Earth rotates around the sun. In groups, they use the same diagrams to explain how the sun shadows are produced and how they differ between seasons. They describe the Earth's rotation and...
Curated OER
Investigating the Dynamic Martian Polar Caps
Pupils download NASA Hubble Space Telescope images of the Martian polar ice caps in summer and winter, and measure and compare various images of the changing Martian and Earth polar ice caps.
Curated OER
Seasons of the Year
Students examine how the link between the tilt of the Earth's axis to the ecliptic and seasons of the year--length of day, effectiveness of sunlight, polar day and night, and seasons south and north of the equator, as well as near it.
Curated OER
Mars Calendar Project
Students design a calendar that displays time on Mars. They explore the differences between time on Earth and time on Mars while making the calendar.
Curated OER
Introduction to the Day and Night Sky
Students explore space science by participating in a sky observation activity. In this astronomy lesson, students define a list of astronomy vocabulary terms and examine star charts of the four seasons. Students gather with their...
Curated OER
Learning Lesson: The Shadow Knows I
Learners examine the elevation of the sun to discover the changes in seasons. They observe and measure the length of their shadow. They compare this measurement to one taken four months later.
Curated OER
Our Sky Clock
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...
Curated OER
Summer Sky Tour
Students explore space science by participating in a constellation identification activity. In this astronomy lesson, students view star charts based on the different seasons and define a list of astronomy related terms. Students...
Curated OER
Our Universe: Always Moving, Always Changing
Students explore the main concepts of astronomy through the eleven lessons of this unit. The past, present, and future methods of studying the science are examined in this unit.
Curated OER
Our Solar System
Students analyze the theories of the formation of the universe and solar system. Students analyze planetary motion and the physical laws that explain that motion: Rotation, Revolution, Apparent diurnal motions of the stars, sun, and...