Students explore an idea about the history of human knowledge of the universe and understand the process of scientific exploration.  In this scientific exploration lesson students contemplate the state of astronomy and future...

NASA has crafted an imaginative and memorable series of lessons, "NASA and Jamestown Education Module." This lesson is one of the five components. In it, middle schoolers connect history and science by comparing the settlement of...

Students investigate the history of astronomy and how the study of constellations has evolved since the dawn of ancient civilization. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The teacher uses demonstrations to model how the...

Students explore space science by participating in a star identification activity. For this astronomy lesson, students identify different star patterns and discuss the movement of stars across the sky as the seasons change. Students...

Take your science class on a hypothetical field trip to Mars with an engaging astronomy lesson. After first learning about NASA's Mars rover missions, young scientists plan their own scientific investigations of Earth's...

Students study sunspots and their motion, from data gathered, they determine the significance of the sunspot data. The data be used to calculate the rotational period of the sun. They draw conclusions as to the sunspot's impact on the...

High schoolers research about the characteristics of celestial bodies using a database. In this space science lesson, students collect data such as brightness, apparent color and size by observing the night sky. They share their findings...

Young scholars research space flight exploration and technology. In small groups, they research a significant event from early time until the start of the space age. A class time line is created from the research groups.

Students examine constellations and planets through completing various activities. Students work individually and in groups to create drawings based on stars, compare and contrast the night sky with and without a telescope and learn...

Students simulate crater formation through a lab activity. In this space science lesson, students calculate how much energy is transferred during meteorite impact. They identify different factors affecting the size and depth of craters...

The Mars Global Surveyor spent two years creating a mineral map of the planet Mars using thermal emission spectrometry. To help young astronomers understand this remote sensing instrument, have them simulate how data is collected and...

Ninth graders examine the relationships of science and technology and how it influences people's perceptions of places.  In this mythology and astronomy lesson students view a PowerPoint presentation and complete a...

In this astronomy worksheet, students read through a description of the development of a star and its life cycle. The description provides detailed explanation and key vocabulary terms.

Class members play a version of the game Chronology to determine when certain scientific events occurred in history. Teams play until someone has 5-10 events in the correct order.

Students, working in small groups construct scale models of the planets and solar system. They examine images of Mars and discuss what might have caused the features. They record facts about their planetary research in their journals and...

Students explore space science by participating in a class WebQuest. In this constellation identification lesson, students view star charts based on the four seasons and identify the changes our sky goes through in the course of 12...

Students describe how the universe was formed. In this astronomy lesson, students listen and respond to questions in a PowerPoint lesson that includes various theories about how the universe was created.

Learners are introduced to planetary research and become familiar with the planets and their features. They view images of the planets, and fill in an information chart which is imbedded in this plan.

Students address a major misconception in astronomy, the understanding of scale. The lesson is designed to introduce students to both celestial coordinates and to the first rung on the distance determination ladder, parallax.

Astronomers practice downloading data from a high-energy satellite and translate the data into colored or shaded pixels. As a hands-on activity, they use pennies to simulate high-energy satellite data and they convert their penny...

Here is a set of lessons that explore conics in a number of different ways. Starting with modeling how a conic is produced by the way a plane cuts the cone, to solving complex word problems, algebra learners progress through a series of...

Students research the two opposing views and biographical information about Ptolemy and Copernicus in order to be familiar with the societal viewpoints that influenced the thinking of these two scientists. Students role-play supporters...

Learners use the Drake Equation to calculate the probability of sustaining life on various planets. Through the use of the equation, they determine whether intelligent and advanced civilizations can be developed on planets other than...

Students simulate the formation of chondrites and asteroids. In this astronomy instructional activity, students demonstrate accretion using balloons and static electricity. They compare and contrast their models to the actual process of...