Lesson Plan
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MAPPING THE TOPOGRAPHY OF UNKNOWN SURFACES

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students describe in words and graphic displays the elevation or depression profile of sections of Mars' Olympus Mons and/or Valles Marineris. They explain how orbiting spacecraft build up global maps one data slice at a time.
Worksheet
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Student Exploration: Mineral Identification

For Students 8th - 9th
In this mineral identification worksheet, students read nine vocabulary words and answer 5 short answer and fill-in-the-blank questions regarding minerals. There are four additional pages of related activities. 
Lesson Plan
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Electricity and Magnetism: Ben Franklin and His Influence

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore electricity by examining the life of Benjamin Franklin.  In this biographical lesson, 4th graders listen to the teacher read facts of Benjamin Franklin's life and analyze his contributions to our current...
Lesson Plan
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Crash Test Smarties

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students 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.
Lesson Plan
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Topo Triangulation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate how to read a topographical map and triangulate with just a map. They convert a compass measurement to a protractor measurement, reverse a bearing direction, and using a worksheet take a bearing of certain landmarks...
Lesson Plan
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How Are Clouds and Fog Formed?

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders investigate how clouds and fog are made of tiny droplets of water. They discuss how clouds and fog are formed, then conduct an experiment in which they observe what happens when an ice cube is placed on top of a bottle...
Lesson Plan
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Making a Simple Film Canister Kaleidoscope

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students use clear film containers with 1/4 inch holes drilled in the bottom to create kaleidoscopes. They use mirror board folded into a triangle shape and cake decorating sprinkles to create the kaleidoscope effect.
Lesson Plan
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Down, Dung and Dirty

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students observe the changes seen in succession and the biodiversity of a community through its species richness and evenness. They create a dung culture in a clear plastic cup from horse, goat or cow dung then observe the numbers of...
Lesson Plan
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Rocks and Soil

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore the physical properties of rocks. They explore the three different types of rocks and are able to compare and contrast their different properties. Students simulate the creation of sedimentary rock, they also...
Lesson Plan
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Sound

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore and examine the basic properties of sound. In pairs, they speak through a balloon and listen to the sound vibrations, and listen to a ticking clock or watch through a variety of materials and identify the...
Worksheet
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Minerals and Rock Cycle Review

For Students 8th - 10th
In this minerals and rocks instructional activity, students answer questions about the chemistry of minerals, scratch tests, rocks and the rock cycle, and erosion and deposition.
Worksheet
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Minerals Prime

For Students 7th - 10th
In this minerals worksheet, students answer fifteen multiple choice questions about mineral formation, volcano and mountain formation, mineral tests and properties of minerals.
Lesson Plan
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Elasticity and Collapse

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discuss the oil crisis and a future world without oil. In this oil lesson, students watch videos online based on the reduced oil supply. They discuss how their regional community depends on oil and what would happen if the oil...
Lesson Plan
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Fiber Optics

For Teachers 9th - 12th
This is a printout of the slides for a presentation on fiber optics. In bullet-style notes, it covers how optic fibers work, their structure, different types, and their use. You may use these as a lecture guide, or if you want to take...
Worksheet
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Making a Periscope

For Students 4th - 5th
In this designing a periscope worksheet, students follow the directions to collect materials and make a periscope. Students answer 5 questions.
Lesson Plan
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Cool Suits

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine the materials that are used to make space suits. They complete an experiment in which they test different materials in different colors to determine the best one for keeping astronauts comfortable. They analyze the data.
Lesson Plan
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Make a Sound Viewer

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students see, and thus better understand, the vibrations that sound makes through this simple project.
Lesson Plan
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Healthy Eyes and Low Vision Care

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students explain how eyes function, how to prevent eye problems, the types of refractive errors, and the common low vision and eye disease problems. They receive professional development points upon successful completion of an assessment.
Lesson Plan
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Moon Glow

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students identify the Earth-Moon relationship and the phases of the Moon. They participate in an activity that illustrates why the Moon has so many different looks within a lunar cycle. They discuss solar and lunar eclipses.
Lesson Plan
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Sea Ice and Satellites

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students study satellites and satellite images using Google Earth. In this satellite lesson, students discuss satellites and how they work. Students watch a demonstration of how satellites work and learn what they are used for. Students...
Lesson Plan
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Moon Phases

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students engage in a study looking for the differences found during the cycle of one lunar month. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Then the information is used to construct a lunar calendar to observe daily changes and...
Lesson Plan
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American Disaster Quiz

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
In this weather disasters worksheet, students match words to definitions about weather disasters. Students complete 10 matches total.
Lesson Plan
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Exploring Microscopes

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore the parts of a microscope. In this microscope instructional activity, students examine simple and compound microscopes. Students discover how the parts of a microscope work together to generate an image.
Lesson Plan
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Remote Sensing - What Can We See When We Can't Touch?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discover how remote sensing is used to identify the signatures of life even when the particular life form is not directly observable. They investigate how a satellite "sees" objects on the surface of Earth.