Lesson Plan
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The Solar Cycle

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students research the solar cycle. In this Science lesson, students use the internet to investigate the solar cycle. Students produce a spreadsheet and graph from the information collected.
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Galaxies

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students use the provided website to classify galaxies after exploring information about elliptical, spiral, lenticular, and irregular galaxies and using the Hubble Tuning Fork.
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Modeling the Big Bang and the Formation of the Universe

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders conduct an experiment to understand the Big Bang Theory.  In this Big Bang Theory lesson, 6th graders will observe a balloon with confetti popping to emulate and analyze information related tot he Big Bang theory....
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Bubble-ology

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students observe the visible spectrum while observing light hitting the surface of bubbles. They blow large bubbles and observe how the colors change.
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Studying Shadows

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students measure shadows and explore the altitude of the sun.  In this sun lesson students will graph the length of shadows and solar altitude against time. 
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Constellations

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students explore constellations. They read trade books about constellations and write notes including their locations, origins, and names. They research and report on one constellation in the Northern Hemisphere and share their report...
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Are We Alone

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders collect/analyze data and draw conclusions; support reasoning by using a variety of evidence; construct logical arguments; access information at remote sites using telecommunications; apply the concept of percent;...
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Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine the relationship between temperature and brightness.  In this astronomy lesson students will correlate the evolution of stars to the HR diagram plotted. 
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The Difference Between Comets, Meteors And Asteroids

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students use Venn diagrams to highlight the similarities and differences between comets, meteors, and asteroids.
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SETI WebQuest and the Drake Equation

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students complete a WebQuest where they research the Internet for extraterrestrial intelligence. In this extraterrestrial lesson plan, students also explore how the Drake Equation can predict the occurrence of life elsewhere.
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Hubble Space Telescope Webquest

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research the Hubble Space Telescope. In this Hubble Space Telescope lesson, students complete a webquest about the Hubble Space Telescope.
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Using Parallax to Determine Distances

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Pupils study parallax and what it is used for.  In this distance instructional activity students complete an activity that allows pupils to get experience using a parallax.
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The Universe

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers describe what scientists mean by an "expanding universe" in their own words. They explain how scientists comprehend the universie is expanding. Students comprehend the vast scale of the universe. They comprehend how...
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Mirror, Mirror

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the Law of Reflection and how light travels.  In this reflection lesson students produce data from their experiment then create a pencil tracing.
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Stellar Observations

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders study the uses of spectroscopy and the operation of the Hubble space telescope.  In this astronomy lesson students complete a lab activity that includes graphing star color and temperature.
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Heating Up: Direct and Indirect Sunlight

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students, by conducting simulations, explore the effects of direct and indirect sunlight on heating of the Earth.
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Stars and Slopes

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Young scholars use the slopes of various curves plotted on log-log graph paper to classify stellar objects as binary stars, supernovae, or active galaxies.The data used in this lesson were obtained from X-ray astronomy satellites.
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Project SETI.

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders study how to search for life in outer space and make use of the 40-foot radio telescope at Greenbank, West Virginia. Request that the telescope be pointed at a particular location and time and receive data back from it...
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Particulate Sampler

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students estimate the extent of particulate air pollution present in their neighborhoods.
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It's All In The Surface: The Effects Of Color & Texture On The Ability Of A Surface To Absorb Solar Energy

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders examine how dark surfaces absorb more light than light surfaces. They perform an experiment that compares various surfaces abilities to absorb heat, then record and analyze the results.
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The Big Bang Theory

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students will use scientific reasoning to formulate ideas about the formation of the universe using the Big Bang Theory. The use of critical thinking skills is part of the activity and the foundation of the scientific method will serve...
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The EUVE Orbit

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study the nature of a satellite's orbit around the Earth.