Curated OER
20th-Century Astronomy
High schoolers examine and explain how the distance to nearby stars can be measured by the parallax method, discuss the role of women in the history of American astronomy, form their own opinions of the importance of Harlow Shapley and...
Curated OER
Star Party- Closing Lesson
Students study the stars and galaxies. In this universe lesson students complete their unit by participating in an evening bonfire to share what they learned.
Curated OER
Solar System Socratic Questions
Students reflect on and discuss theories of how the solar system was formed. They respond to prompts in a structured sequence to relate the formation of the solar system and the age of the Earth.
Curated OER
Top 10 Facts About Space
Students create their own Top 10 Facts about any topic related to space. In this space lesson plan, students work in groups to produce a Top Ten List of facts about space and share with their classmates. Groups choose a fact...
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Types Of Nebulae
Eighth graders explore the different types of nebulae that can be found in the solar system. They view a PowerPoint presentation about the material and identify each nebulae as it is presented. Students also discuss the life cycle of a...
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In a Galaxy Far, Far, Far Away
Sixth graders compare distances between objects in the solar system. They investigate how light years are measured and when using them to measure how distances compare with one another. They write an essay exploring the possibility of...
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Expanding Children's Geographic and Economic Worlds
Students learn their addresses and gain a sense of connection between their neighborhood and the rest of the world and the universe.
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Stars and Galaxies
Eighth graders define constellations and how they are used as reference points and identify stars and constellations in the nighttime sky. They construct their own planetarium star finder and identify the location of circumpolar, zodiac,...
Curated OER
Stargazers
Students discuss the light spectrum and light waves as well as how the properties of light and color have contributed to important discoveries about properties of the universe. They research the term redshift and the redshift phenomenon...
NASA
Things Are Not Always What They Seem
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...
Curated OER
Fact or Fantasy?
Are we alone in the universe? This brief informational text on extraterrestrial theory has been split into seven sections to help scholars practice note taking. They read the statements, underlining key words. Then, using the graphic...
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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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The Solar System
Students describe the different bodies that make up our solar system, explain the place of our solar system within the Milky Way Galaxy and the universe, explain day and night and the Earth's movement, and describe the relationship...
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Time That Period
Physical science starters play with a pendulum in order to experience periodicity. Detailed procedures and a worksheet are included for day one. For day two, learners will use a graphing calculator to help them plot orbit data from a...
NASA
Just How Far is That Star?
Pupils often wonder how we know the distance to various stars. Starting with a thought experiment and progressing to a physical experiment, they determine the brightness and distance to various stars. The evaluation requires...
Curated OER
How Much, How Fast, How Far?
Young scholars investigate the concept of the number one million. In this number concepts lesson, students read the book How Much is a Million? and brainstorm questions, such as "how many leaves are on a tree" and "how many hairs are on...
Curated OER
Planets in Our Solar System
Each member of a four-student group takes on a specific aspect of an assigned planet to research. After gathering information, the team works together to create a travel brochure and a presentation intended to convince other classmates...
NASA
The Atmospheric Filter
What is the difference between a comet and a meteoroid? An educational lesson includes five demonstrations of how the atmosphere can inhibit our ability to measure many things in the galaxy.
NASA
Space Images
As technology advances, so does our understanding of the universe around us. Thanks to the Hubble Telescope, Mars rovers, and other high-resolution cameras, there are amazing photographs of celestial bodies, planets, comets, and more...
NASA
Discovering the Milky Way
What do you call a tiny collection of galaxies? A puny-verse! Young scholars graph data gathered by scientists studying Cepheids. They attempt to identify a relationship between the variables through standard and logarithmical...
Curated OER
Our Home in the Milky Way
Pupils gain appreciation of the vastness of our galaxy by viewing an applet about the Milky Way. Students hypothesize about how long it would take to get from Earth to Pluto.
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Hubble Space Telescope
Students investigate the universe through the eyes of the Hubble space telescope. They conduct research from looking at the universe that is simulated with a digital projector. The images are projected onto the wall in a simulation of...
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Infrared Telescope
Most of the twenty slides in this presentation include photographs or diagrams, making it an eye-catching way to teach about infrared telescopes. The pros and cons of using infrared light to study outer regions of space are explained....
Curated OER
Taking Risks: Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Students discuss a video about drug and alcohol abuse and their connection to risk-taking. They answer questions on a risk factor sheet about the use of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol. They discuss long and short term goals and how not...