Students use NASA drawings to build a model satellite for a specific mission. They design a set of drawings for their satellite showing its subsystems as well.

Tenth graders devise a computational model to explore how the orbit of the Earth might change if its velocity were different. Using accurately recorded data, 10th graders defend a scientific argument.

Students study the nature of a satellite's orbit around the Earth.

Travel through space as you learn about the galaxy, solar system, planets, and much more. An extensive resource for studying astronomy in upper-elementary and middle school classrooms.

Gravity does more than keep our feet on the ground — it holds a satellite in orbit, too. Help learners understand the effects of gravity on an orbiting object through a simulation activity. Individuals adjust a launch speed and watch as...

Neatly organized and easy to read, this chart summarizes five different molecular shapes: linear, trigonal planar, tetrahedral, trigonal bipyramidal, and octahedral. It associates shapes with electron pairs and atom arrangement and lists...

View the moon changes from space while simultaneously experiencing the changes on Earth. A creative lesson allows pupils to view the big picture as they watch the orbit of the moon through a calendar period. At the same time, they see...

Studying what you can't see can be challenging. Discover how scientists use indirect measurements to prove the existence of planets and estimate their sizes. The introduction explains the symbiotic movement of planets and stars during an...

Why do we have four seasons? A series of questions about the Earth's orbit and its impact on seasons challenge Earth science students.The second page of the resource has nine multiple choice questions, such as "One year on Earth is one...

An extremely thorough presentation walks new chemists through the basics of matter. There really isn't a unifying theme, however So many topics are covered: forces, elements, atomic structure, chemical properties, compounds, quarks,...

What is pi anyway?  After this set of activities, your pupils should have multiple answers to this question. Investigate pi with various experiments and discoveries. Calculate the ratio circumference/diameter for different sized...

Colored boxes with white font present the basic periodic table of elements to your young chemists. All of the basics are included: chemical name, symbol, atomic number, atomic mass, and the number of electrons in each orbital. A brief...

Which planet is closest to the sun? And what comes next after that one? Have your learners note down each planet on each orbit sketched out on this page. They can draw the planet, write its name, and include a few tidbits of information...

Dramatize the stars and planets as they become a visual representation of the solar system in this activity. Young astronomers track and simulate various constellations as they orbit the Earth to learn the position and motion of...

Jupiter has 67 moons! As the seventh in a series of 22, the exercise shows learners the size and scale of Jupiter and its Galilean moons through a model. They then arrange the model to show how probes orbited and gathered data.

Scholars build specific elements by creating a model of its atomic structure. Objects they can include are protons, nuetrons, electrons, orbits, clouds, charge, and mass number. Simulation ends with questions to challenge individuals'...

Create your own solar system using a simulation. Young scientists explore the components of a stable solar system through trial and error. Using the simulation, they place planets and watch as they orbit safely or cause fatal collisions.

Not everything revolves around the sun! Believe it or not, there are planets, called exoplanets, that orbit stars other than our sun. Learners use an interactive online resource to research several of these planets. They learn about the...

Use spectral knowledge to make discoveries on a distant moon. Small groups gather information from images of one of Saturn's moons. The moon orbits within the E-ring made up of mainly water ice. Using information about the composition of...

Calculate the movement and properties of planets like professional astronomers! Scholars use Kepler's third law to find Mercury and Venus's distance from the sun. Using changes in brightness of distant stars and Kepler's third law,...

The 2009 version of the first part of a national chemistry competition is posted for your use with olympiad hopefuls. Test takers deal with 60 multiple choice questions covering an entire year of chemistry curriculum. Use this to...

Here is a copy of a past national challenge exam that you can use in your general chemistry course as a unit or semester review. Sixty multiple-choice questions query learners on properties of matter, stoichiometry, reactions, and...

As to be expected from the American Chemical Society Olympiad Examinations Task Force, this 60-question test tops the charts in terms of excellence. It consists entirely of multiple choice questions designed to assess a year's worth of...

Pupils explore, experiment and study how the Earth orbits the Sun once a year and how the moon takes approximately 29 days to orbit the Earth. They access an online activity to examine the process of how the Sun is at the center of the...