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Puzzling Planets
Students examine the concept of a solar system. In this research based activity, students compare a star and a planet. They explain the requirements for life in a biosphere.
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Discovering Saturn, The Real "Lord of the Rings"
Reading, writing, and rings! A lesson from NASA combines space science with authentic reading and writing tasks. Included in this lesson are pre-reading activities, four mini informational booklets on Saturn, a structured note-taking...
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Etymology
Young scholars tie together planet names with Greek mythology. Students browse thru a dictionary to see where exactly these names came from and what significance they have. Young scholars explore the origins of some English words.
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History of Saturn Discoveries
Students interpret how scientists have explored Saturn. In this NASA based astronomy lesson plan, students create a timeline depicting the study of Saturn from 1610 until 2010. Each student will write a letter to Galileo discussing how...
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Space: Stars and Planets
Students observe and report that the moon can be seen sometimes at night and sometimes during the day. They describe how changes to a model can help predict how the real thing can be altered. Students explain the essential fact of the...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Galileo: Revealing the Universe
To gain an understanding of the significance of Galileo Galilei's revolutionary ideas, class members watch the short video "Stargazing Before Galileo," and conduct a close reading of Galileo's Sidereal Messsenger. They then compare...
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Mars: Off the Charts--Until You Put It There
Students explore the night sky and make illustrations which are shared in class the next day. Distinctions are made between the stars and the planets and views of the constellations for the season are made available. The work of early...
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Awesome Saturn
Students brainstorm words that describe Saturn. They view images sent to Earth from satellites. They write poems about the planet using different poetic forms.
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Exploring Mars
Students, working in small groups construct scale models of the planets and solar system. They examine images of Mars and discuss what might have caused the features. They record facts about their planetary research in their journals and...
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Wow, Saturn Is Much Bigger Than Earth!
Students compare and contrast the sizes of Earth and Saturn. They create scale illustrations of each planet and label them. They share their models with the class.
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What Do I See When I Picture Saturn?
Students create their own Saturn Discovery logs. They draw pictures of the planet and its founder. They share their drawings and writings with partners.
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Wondering About Saturn: A Short History
Students read an article about the history of Saturn. They complete reading comprehension tests. They examine what has been discovered on the planet.
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What Do You Know About Saturn?
Learners discuss what they know about Saturn. They create drawings to show what the planet looks like and identifies its characteristics. They write a paragraph about the planet as well.
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Amazing -- Saturn Is So Far Away!
Students work together to create a scale model of the distances between the planets. They write a paragraph to describe Saturn and their make-believe trip to the planet. They identify other characteristics of Saturn as well.
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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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Putting It All Together
Students organize their daily observation logs to write a nonfiction piece. They compare and contrast Saturn to other planets or write a summary. They use this piece of writing in future lessons.
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Space Science: Journey Through the Solar System
Students explore the Solar System and examine the characteristics of al the planets. Through research and discussion, they create catalogs of the Solar System's components. Next, students use their findings to create Powerpoint...
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Modeling Martian Motion
Students explore the difference between stars and planets and take on the role of these objects to simulate the relative motions of Mars and the Earth around the Sun.
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Kepler and his Laws
Students examine Kepler's Laws. They confirm Kepler's 3rd law by comparing orbital periods and mean distances for all major planets and study conic sections, qualitatively.
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Earth to Saturn, Earth to Saturn!
Students compare and contrast the characteristics of Earth and Saturn. They practice writing analogies using those characteristics. They complete a worksheet to end the lesson.
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The First Manned Mission To Mars
Students plan the first manned mission to Mars. They discuss, in small groups, some of the information that the group might have heard regarding the red planet and decide which types of occupations should be included in a crew for the...
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How Far Away Is Saturn?
Students work together to create a scale model of the solar system. They write a descriptive paper and a paper comparing and contrasting the Earth to Saturn. They discuss their writings with the class.
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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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Mission Planning: Earth/Mars Comparisons
Students compare and contrast conditions on Mars to those on our own planet, specifically, their local or regional environments. The physical characteristics, the atmosphere, and other astronomical data is considered.