Lesson Plan
NASA

Discovering Some of Your “Yardsticks” Are Actually “Meter-sticks”

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The Milky Way gets great reviews on Trip Advisor — 100 million stars. The activity allows scholars to rethink their assumptions and prior knowledge. Pupils observe a set of two lights at equal distance and brightness, but they believe...
Lesson Plan
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PHET

Planet Designer: Kelvin Climb

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
It's time to get those creative juices flowing! This second instructional activity in a series of five continues allowing pupils to design their own planets. It the same format as the first, but, this time, allows students to alter...
Lesson Plan
PHET

The Dynamic Nature of the Sun

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
In this second instructional activity of the series, pupils learn to observe similarities and differences in photos of the sun and record them in a Venn diagram. Then, small groups practice the same skill on unique images before...
Lesson Plan
NASA

Moon Phases and Eclipses

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Starry-eyed astronomers draw different views of the Moon in order to introduce its phases. Then they experiment with a ball and a lamp to recreate the phases. A demonstration ensures every pupil understands the process, and the...
Lesson Plan
University of Colorado

Looking Inside Planets

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Researchers use scientific data to understand what is inside each of the planets. The first in a series of six, this lesson builds off of that concept by having pupils use a data table to create their own scale models of the interiors of...
Lesson Plan
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University of Colorado

Looking Inside Planets

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
All of the gas giant's atmospheres consist of hydrogen and helium, the same gases that make up all stars. The third in a series of 22, the activity challenges pupils to make scale models of the interiors of planets in order to...
Lesson Plan
PHET

Soda Bottle Magnetometer

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Introduce learners to set of complete instructions that describe how to build a magnetometer that works just like the ones professional photographers use to predict auroras. The diagrams are wonderfully descriptive, and the written...
Lesson Plan
NASA

Just How Far is That Star?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Pupils often wonder how we know the distance to various stars. Starting with a thought experiment and progressing to a physical experiment, they determine the brightness and distance to various stars. The evaluation requires...
Lesson Plan
NASA

The Evidence is “Clear”!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Do you think you know better? Become a scientist and prove it. Scholars review the evidence for two different theories of the origins of the universe. They notice the empirical observations as well as the inferences to determine which is...
Lesson Plan
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University of Colorado

Are All Asteroids' Surfaces the Same Age?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
There are more than 600,000 asteroids in our solar system. Pupils analyze images of two asteroids in order to determine if they are the same age. They count craters for each asteroid and compare numbers. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Devastation of Indian Quake

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers read an online article at CNNfyi.com to determine what happened in India after an earthquake. They determine the magnitude of this earthquake and address the issue of relief efforts from other countries.
Lesson Plan
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University of Colorado

Clay Planets

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Why do scientists use models? In the first installment of 22, groups create scale models of our solar system. They then share and discuss their models.
Lesson Plan
NASA

Analyzing Tiny Samples Using a Search for the Beginning Mass Spectrometry

For Students 9th - 12th
Teach the basics of mass spectrometry with a hands-on lesson. The fourth in a series of six lessons explores how mass spectrometry measures the ionic composition of an element. Learners then compare and contrast relative abundance and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Solar System Walk

For Teachers 11th - 12th
A unique lesson on the solar system, and some of the mathematics associated with it, is here for your high schoolers. Pupils are put into groups of four, and each group is assigned one of the planets from our solar system. They must...
Lesson Plan
NASA

Raisin Bread Universe

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
What is the universal breakfast? The resource includes two activities, the first one observing oatmeal to understand the texture of the universe. Then, scholars measure raisin bread dough before and after it rises to represent the...
Lesson Plan
NASA

Melting Ice: Designing an Experiment

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Sometimes, despite the best laid plans, the unexpected will occur. Learners witness this firsthand as they carefully design an experiment to determine the time needed for ice to melt in salt water or pure water. They uncover facts not...

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