Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life on Mars

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students research the feasibility of life on Mars and debate what it would need in order to sustain life. They work in teams to predict, research, infer, and explain their theory using models they build.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Escape Velocity

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders create/use spreadsheets to solve real-world problems, explore patterns, make predictions, select/explain most appropriate types of graph to display data, use information to create product, and have basic understanding of...
Lesson Plan
1
1
University of Colorado

Great Red Spot Pinwheel

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The great red spot on Jupiter is 12,400 miles long and 7,500 miles wide. In this sixth part of a 22-part series, individuals model the rotation of the Great Red Spot on Jupiter. To round out the activity, they discuss their findings as a...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Night Here, Day There

For Students 3rd - 5th
Explore astronomy with a lab sheet for fifth grade scientists. After reading a short explanation about the earth's rotation, they solve a word problem about the differences in times across the world. Next, they make a model of the solar...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Place and Space

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars explore number values by completing mathematical worksheets in class. For this decimals lesson, students identify the different place values a number has and the use of decimals to represent a fraction of a number. Young...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Is Portland, Oregon Experiencing Global Warming?

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students use data to determine if the climate in Portland has changed over the years.  In this weather lesson students complete line graphs and study long wave radiation. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

CO2 and You

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students study the scientific evidence about carbon dioxide emissions. They learn to calculate the amount of energy used by different appliances. They complete a worksheet which analyzes the amount of energy that their home uses.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Starry Night Time and Day Time

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders complete a unit of lessons on the solar system. They complete various art projects inspired by Van Gogh's 'Starry Night,' create a moon phases book, create a moon phase wind chime, develop a timeline of space exploration,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Earth and Mars

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners work together to compare and contrast Mars and Earth. Using the internet, they answer questions given to them by their teacher and calculate answers showing their work. They graph their answers and discuss the results of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Beyond the Earth Part II

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Learners explore the solar system. In this solar system lesson, students use Internet and print resources to research a component of the solar system. Learners create travel brochures based on their research findings.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Discovering a Law of Space Physics

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Learners use data collected by an astronomer to determine the relationship between the time it takes the planet to orbit the sun and the average radius of the planet's orbit around the sun. Students use trial and error to find the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Layered Earth

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students role play plate tectonics by creating a "plate statue" made up of students. In this earth science lesson, students describe how Earth's movement cause earthquakes and volcanoes. They draw and name the different layers of the Earth.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Works Wonders

For Teachers K - 1st
Students examine where water is found in the world, how we use it, and the various forms it takes. They observe the refraction of light through a prism, record the day and night sky over a week's time, and create a topographic model of...
Lesson Plan
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1
Teach Engineering

Manned Mission to Mars

For Teachers 6th - 8th
To go or to not to go — the question for a mission to Mars. This resource provides details for a possible manned mission to Mars. Details include a launch schedule, what life would be like on the surface, and how the astronauts would...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

What Is El Niño?

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students access information at remote sites using telecommunications, identify impacts by reviewing past El Ni??o events, make and use scale drawings, maps, and maps symbols to find locations and describe relationships.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Solar System to Scale

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students calculate the diameter of planets and their relative distances.  In this space science lesson, students discover how small or big the planets are in comparison to each other. Students use cross multiplying fractions to find...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Last Year on Pluto

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students examine the astronomical concept of a year. They relate the passage of time on planets to historical events in the USA.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Environment: The Haves and the Have Nots

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils examine consumption habits in developed and developing countries and determine their effects on natural resources. In groups, they assess graphs on the Living Planet Report and observe the connection between consumption and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Astronomical Scales

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils describe the different units of measurement. In this space science lesson, students calculate astronomical distances using a scale. They explain the significance of using scientific notation in expressing very small or very...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Kids Astronomy

For Students 3rd - 5th
In this astronomy word scramble worksheet, students examine the 16 letter groupings and use the decoder to help them reveal the 16 astronomy terms listed at the bottom of the worksheet,
Worksheet
K5 Learning

The Astronomy Project

For Students 5th Standards
A passage about an astronomy lesson may leave readers starstruck. Fifth graders read about a class's exploration into the makeup of the galaxy and its constellations before answering six questions about the terms and vocabulary...
Lesson Plan
Teach Engineering

Designing a Spectroscopy Mission

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
In this mind-bending activity, young engineers explore this question of whether or not light actually bends. Using holographic diffraction gratings, groups design and build a spectrograph. The groups then move on research a problem...
Activity
2
2
Teach Engineering

Earthquakes Living Lab: Finding Epicenters and Measuring Magnitudes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pairs use an online simulation to determine the epicenter and magnitude of an earthquake. Using real data about the earthquake's maximum S wave amplitudes, they then determine the magnitude. The resource provides a great career...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gravity - The Glue of the Universe

For Teachers 2nd - 7th
Students explore physics by conducting a class experiment. For this gravitational force lesson, students define several scientific terms associated with force. Students utilize a styrofoam cup and marbles to simulate a satellite crashing...