Space Awareness
Navigating with the Kamal
Historians have proven that as early as 1497 skilled navigators were using a kamal to sail across oceans. Scholars learn about navigation tools and astronomy before building their own kamals. They then learn how to use it to determine...
Curated OER
How to be a Great Navigator!
Students examine historical methods of navigation. They discuss the techniques of "Dead Reckoning," "Heaving the Log," and "Chip Log," pretend to sail from Europe to North America using vectors and determine the location of their...
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...
NASA
From Smoke Signals to Cell Phones: Tracing How Technologies Evolve
Explore the science of space exploration. Pupils consider technological advances in propulsion, communication, power, navigation, and imaging. They select one of these areas and create a timeline of historical progress that contributed...
Space Awareness
How To Travel On Earth Without Getting Lost
Have you ever wanted to travel the world? Take a virtual trip with a geography lesson that uses longitude and latitude, the position of the sun, an astronomy app, and a classroom globe.
Curated OER
Plot Your Course
Learners determine distance and direction on a nautical chart. In this nautical lesson, students identify obstacles and characteristics of common aid to navigation on a nautical chart.
Curated OER
How to be a Great Navigator!
Pupils, through teacher lecture and class discussion, explore historical methods of navigation: dead reckoning and celestial navigation.
Curated OER
World Wide Winds
High schoolers recognize that global winds move in specific directions in specific latitudes and describe that in a written form. They relate the motion of the wind belts to historical navigation.
NOAA
Calling All Explorers
Let's get moving! The second installment of a 2-part series of six adventures helps learners take part in individual explorations by sea and by land. After navigating the waters in an informative WebQuest, groups create and hide their...
Curated OER
The Historical Development of Magnetism
Students discuss the history and importance of magnets to the world. In this magnetism lesson, students write an essay of a world without magnets. Students may research addition information to add details about uses of magnets.
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...
Curated OER
DNA Scientists
Young scholars navigate through information about scientists who contributed to our understanding of DNA. In this interactive lesson plan, students gain historical understanding of scientists through a web-based timeline. They complete a...
Curated OER
The North (Wall) Star
Students engage in a lesson which shows them that celestial navigation is the art and science of finding one's geographic position by means of astronomical observations, particularly by measuring altitudes of celestial objects - sun,...
Curated OER
"One Giant Leap for Mankind"
Students explore the significance of the Apollo 11 lunar landing by interviewing an adult for memories of the mission. They incorporate their interviews into news articles as 'journalists' in July 1969 to document this historic 'step for...
Curated OER
They're more evolved that way
Students explore the notion of local evolution, or genetic selectivity among different continent-based human populations. They consider specific examples of local evolution, such as lactose tolerance, skin color, and cognitive capacity,...
Curated OER
Straining to Understand Viruses
Students examine the differences among the strains of deadly viruses and create research-based visual displays about the origins of different strains, transmission, symptoms, treatments and historic impact of specific viruses.
Curated OER
Getting Fired Up
Students explore first-person accounts of volcanic eruptions throughout time and use second-hand information about volcanoes. They use both types of accounts to write news articles covering the events of a historic volcanic eruption as...
Curated OER
For the Birds
Students examine the different types of pandemic flu viruses and virus "scares" that have occurred over the past hundred years by creating a master chart that displays the origins, transmission, symptoms, and socio-historical impact of...
Curated OER
Woman on a Mission
Students explore the July 1999 space shuttle mission while learning how to cite Web sites in correct MLA bibliographical format. They discuss the mission's goals and historic importance as the first American space flight commanded by a...
Curated OER
Reindeer Research
Students research reindeer habitats and purposes. They investigate the historical significance of reindeer and the Christmas holiday. Finally, they write a short fictional story about reindeer using the information from their research.
Curated OER
Do You Have A Sinking Feeling?
High schoolers plot the positions of vessels given bearings in the form of landmarks. They explain how the debris field can help solve the mystery in how the ship sunk.
Curated OER
Beauty in the Eye of the Scientist
Students research science's 10 most beautiful experiments and the historical periods in which these experiments were conducted. Then, students create magazine covers for issues of a fictional magazine.
Ocean Explorer
Looking for Clues
Upper graders become "shipwreck detectives" by studying the debris field from a shipwreck in the Aegean Sea which took place in the 700s. A website is accessed that gives specific information about the debris field, and pairs of...
Curated OER
National Marine Sanctuaries Shipwrecks
Junior oceanographers access the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Shipwreck Database and plot the locations of several shipwrecks. Shipwrecks are always an enthralling subject and this activity allows your learners to act as...