Curated OER
Space: NASA's Frontier
Young scholars research the history and accomplishments of the American space program and ponder its role in the future. They gather research on NASA and make small group presentations to the class on their findings and assessments.
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Living in Space
Students explore space science by viewing a video in class. In this astronaut lesson plan, students identify the living habits of astronauts by researching the NASA website and observing a space science video in class. Students...
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Detecting Magnetic Materials in "Martian" Soil
Young scholars simulate some of the Pathfinder experiments by devising methods of collecting and measuring magnetic substances in pseudo-Martian soil. The efficiency of each of the methods used to collect materials is evaluated in this...
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Crash Test Smarties
Young scholars share hypotheses about the variables needed to produce a collision between two moving objects. They simulate the impact of a moving object on an object that creates a spray of debris, and simulate a NASA Deep Impact study.
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History of Saturn Discoveries
Students interpret how scientists have explored Saturn. In this NASA based astronomy instructional activity, students create a timeline depicting the study of Saturn from 1610 until 2010. Each student will write a letter to Galileo...
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"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...
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Science vs. Science Fiction
Students acknowledge the difference between science and science fiction through a compare/contrast activity. They discuss their reading materials together. Students identify characteristics specific to science fiction.
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"To Terraform or Not to Terraform?"
Students analyze an article written by an engineer at NASA proposing colonizing Mars with human explorers on the fastest track possible. They are invited to react to the article through several activities.
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My Spacecraft to Saturn
Students discover problems that NASA must deal with on a daily basis. They work together to think of solutions and sketch their own idea of a spacecraft. They discover the concept of engineering.
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My Spacecraft and Cassini
Students discover solutions to the problems that NASA used in a previous lesson. They write a paper comparing and contrasting their spacecraft idea to the one that was actually used to go to Saturn. They also discover Saturn's moons.
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Mars Mission Logbooks
Young scholars design and create a logbook into which a variety of data is kept to document and assess their involvement in the Live From Mars module. Academic progress is tracked as materials are added to he portfolio.
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Rotating Rings of Ice
Learners work together to develop a model of Saturn and its rings. They identify what types of materials make up the rings and how they revolve around Saturn. They write a short paragraph describing the rings.
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Amelia the Pigeon: As a Pigeon Flies
Students follow Amelia's adventure on a satellite image. They use measuring and math skills to determine the distance she traveled.
Chicago Botanic Garden
Causes and Effects of Climate Change
Wrap-up a unit on global climate change with a lesson that examines the causes and effects of climate change. Learners fill out a chart that represents what they think causes climate change—natural and human-based—and what they think...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Causes and Effects of Climate Change
It's time for your class to literally show what they know! Pupils illustrate what they learned about the causes and effects of climate change by filling out a graphic organizer to complete the 5-part series of lessons. They discuss them...
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We're On A Mission!
Pupils examine the Mars Exploration Rover mission. In groups, they design their own mission while participating in a webquest. They write an essay using the information they gathered to propose their mission to the President. They...
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Mixing and Stirring
Students experience mixing through dancing. In this physical science lesson plan, students not only dance to show mixing but also demonstrate mixing and stirring by combining milk and chocolate milk.
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Creating Craters
Students explore parts of an impact crater and compare and contrast craters found in Earth, the Moon, and Mars. Crater formation is modelled and the relationship of mass, velocity, and size of the projectile to the crater formation is...
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Rocket Science 101
Students explore the aspects of Newton's First and Third Laws of Motion as they conduct controlled rocketry experiments and analyze the Mars Mission in terms of the principles of rocketry.
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Sun, Shadows, Surface Structure...and the Face on Mars
Students use light and shadow information to make inferences regarding the three dimensional shapes of specific objects photographed on the surface of Mars. Limitations of the of the data provided are discussed and entries made into the...
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Rockets and Payloads
Students investigate Newton's Second Law of Motion as they predict the effect of a payload on the amount of energy needed to lift a rocket vertically. The constraints of the weight of the equipment carried to Mars is compared to the...
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The Evolution Of Bicycling Technology
Students discover how the design of bicycles has changed over time as technology has developed. They use the Web to research bicycle history and then write a report showing how technology changed the way the bicycle looks and works.
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Earthquake, Earthquake, Read All About It!
Students utilize the U.S. Geological Service web site. They research the various types of scales used to measure earthquakes and classify different situations on the scale. They write a story about a town that has just experienced a quake.
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Just How DO Those Plates Move?
Students experiment with water, temperature and paper to explore how convection currents occur and how they are used to explain the movement of the Earth's plates.