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Sundials: Observing and Using Shadows
Students build sundials and observe changes in shadows over the course of one or more days. They identify patterns in the shadows and discuss how shadows may be used to tell time.
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Near and Far Snow People/an Art lesson
Students explore the concepts in art of near and far by drawing landscapes and snowpeople. They first draw and later do watercolor and oil pastel paintings.
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Water Cycle in a Box
Fourth graders investigate how the water cycle is vital for all living things to survive on Earth. They observe the teacher set up a simulation of the water cycle using a Plastic Earth Simulator, desk lamp, and water, and make...
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Shadows and Skyscrapers
Eighth graders explain the relationship between the position of the sun, a city's latitude and shadow length. Ratio's, geometry, and algebra are used to determine the shadow lengths and building heights. A sun angle (altitude) charts to...
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May The Earth Be Revolving Around The Sun?
Students trace the beginning of the heliocentric theory of the solar system--the idea that the solar system revolves around the Sun--to an observation by the Greek astronomer Aristarchus, which convinced him that the Sun was much bigger...
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3rd Rock from the Sun's Baby Rock
Seventh graders have a chance to actively see each phase of the moon and make connections to what they see in the sky when you show how the moon goes through each of the phases.
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Individual Horizontal Sundial 2: Cloud/Rain Activity
Students create a sundial to measure local apparent time as it relates to the position of the sun in the sky. In this sundial lesson, students cut and glue gnomon to a sheet of thin cardboard. Students then set the sundial in an...
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My Place In Space
The purpose of this unit is for students to make the rich set of connections between astronomy and the rest of science and technology, language arts, cultural studies (social studies), math, art, and music.
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The Analemma
Students describe the relationship between the tilt of Earth's axis and its yearly orbit around the sun, by learning about analemmas. They determine what they can do to show that the sun's position doesn't change, and they find ways to...
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Earth's Poles
In this Earth's Poles worksheet, students survey, examine and dissect the North and South Magnetic Poles, the Earth's axis and summarize the Aurora legends. Students research six directives involving space weather and predicting answers.
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Precession
Students explain how Hipparchus, around 130 BC, used a shift in the predicted location of a lunar eclipse to detect a slight shift in the path of the Sun around the sky. They examine the elliptical orbit in which the Earth travels around...
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A Shadow of Yourself
Young scholars measure the length of their shadows three times during the day, Students determine the differences in shadow lengths after each measurement. They discuss why the length changed from one time of day to another.
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Science--Learning About Light and Shadows
In this light and shadows instructional activity, learners find 5 transparent items and 5 opaque items from the classroom and categorize them underneath their appropriate headings. Students look at 4 boxes with shadows and draw a little...
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What Shape is the Moon Tonight?
Students understand that the moon appears differently throughout the month. In this phases of the moon lesson, students observe and record the phases of the moon.
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Student Exploration: Summer and Winter
In this recognizing the seasons online/interactive worksheet, students explore the Earth's positions and determine the summer and winter season. Students answer 21 short answer questions
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Stars
In this stars worksheet, learners determine if 15 statements about stars, constellations, Polaris, light years and the position of the stars are true or false. If they are false, students change the italicized word in the sentence to...
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Lesson 1 Activity 1: Tools of the Ancients
Students examine how Christopher Columbus determined his latitude.
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Seven Quacks Me Up
First graders explore the day and night sky and add a page for the number 7 to their countiing books.
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What Makes Shadows? Observing and Drawing Shadows
Students make accurate drawings of a classmate's shadow. They note position of the sun in the sky. They identify a connection between the direction of the shadow and the location of the sun. They observe changes in shadows over time.
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View of a Comet from Earth
Students investigate comets. In this space science lesson, students study overhead transparencies of the orbits of Earth and a comet. Students identify various locations and times where comets would be visible from Earth.
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Taking a Voyage away from Home
Learners experience and participate in a journey through a "Voyage" exhibition of the Solar System and the frontier it covers. They build a dynamic model of the Earth and Sun. Descriptions are given on the relative sizes of the Sun and...
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Finding the Way
Students identify and research navigational tools used in deep sea explorations. They are introduced to a compass, the Global Positioning System and sonar technology and then describe their uses in underwater exploration.
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Clouds
Students explore clouds. In this weather lesson, students identify the steps in the water cycle, define condensation and evaporation, and relate this information to cloud formation. Students perform a cloud experiment,...
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Power Functions: A Question of Magnitude
In this power functions worksheet, students read about determining the brightness of stars using a magnitude scale. Students solve 4 problems including finding the magnitude differences of stars and determining equivalent magnitudes.