Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Beyond the Milky Way

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
When we look at the night sky, we see stars and the nearby planets of our own solar system. Many of those stars are actually distant galaxies and glowing clouds of dust and gases called nebulae. The universe is an immense space with...
Handout
University of Illinois

University of Illinois: Cosmic Mystery Tour

For Students 9th - 10th
This multimedia tour is extremely dense with information about the origin of the universe. There are videos and simulations to assist with understanding, but it is definitely for advanced students.
Website
Other

University of Cambridge Cosmology: Galaxies

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the University of Cambridge allows you to view information on spiral, elliptical, and Milky Way galaxies, as well as galaxy clusters. Provides basic facts about each one.
Website
BBC

Bb Ci: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

For Students 9th - 10th
Fun site containing information about the world created by the book. Also contains links to information on the author, Douglas Adams.
Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: The Black Hole

For Students 9th - 10th
This site examines the black hole as an object in astrophysics. Delve into this comprehensive resource that covers this concept from its history, to qualitative physics, the reality of black holes, mathematical physics and more.
Unit Plan
CPALMS

Florida State University Cpalms: Florida Students: What's the Matter in the Galaxy?

For Students 4th - 5th
A tutorial that looks at the components within a galaxy such as gas, dust, stars and objects that orbit stars. A PDF file of the tutorial is available.
Website
National Earth Science Teachers Association

Windows to the Universe the Milky Way Galaxy

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn what Milky Way galaxy is made of and what it looks like, as well as how it relates to other known galaxies. Read "Questions and answers about the Milky Way" for further information.
Website
NASA

Nasa: Imagine the Universe: "Burst Behind the Sun"

For Students 9th - 10th
Site provides the article, "Burst Behind the Sun Reveals Magnetic Charm of Distant Explosion," that details on a gamma-ray burst that occurred on December 6, 2002. Provides graphics and links to learn more about gamma-ray bursts.
Website
Space Telescope Science Institute

Nasa: Hubble Space Telescope: Universe

For Students 9th - 10th
At this site from HubbleSite you can discover the universe by taking a look back toward the beginning of time. Site contains links to information on planets, stars, galaxies, and much more.
Website
NASA

Nasa: Imagine the Universe: X Ray Binary Stars

For Students 9th - 10th
Site provides a brief introduction to binary stars. Additional resources for students and teachers on this topic are offered as well as related topics.
Website
NASA

Nasa: Imagine the Universe: "Nasa Detects One of Closest"

For Students 9th - 10th
Site provides the article, "NASA Detects One Of Closest And Brightest Gamma Ray Bursts." Provides links to learn more about gamma rays and black holes as well as other resources.
Website
Other

Astromador: Astronomia Para Amadores

For Students 9th - 10th
This resources focuses exclusively on astronomy. It's packed with historical facts about space exploration, famous people who pioneered the study of stars and planets. It features chronological list of space exploration, current news,...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History: O Logy: What Do You Know? Astronomy

For Students 3rd - 8th
Take this ten-question self-scoring quiz to test your knowledge of astronomy facts: age of the universe, why stars and planets are spheres, where other life might exist in the outer space, the Milky Way, and more.
Interactive
PBS

Pbs Nova Online: Spin a Spiral Galaxy

For Students 9th - 10th
PBS site provides various views of spiral galaxies. (Quick Time required) With this technology, you can manipulate the image to spin it around and look at it from various angles.
Website
University of California

University of California Berkeley: Classifying Galaxies

For Students 9th - 10th
Find out how galaxies are classified and then see if you can apply that knowledge to identify the different types of galaxies. In addition to explaining Hubble's galaxy classification system, the site has links to Hubble Space Telescope...
Handout
University of Cambridge

University of Cambridge: Cosmology: Galaxies

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the Cambridge Relativity provides a brief description of the structure of the Milky Way galaxy. The parts described are the disc, bulge, and halo.
Interactive
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Spin a Spiral Galaxy

For Students 9th - 10th
This interactive activity from NOVA Online lets you spin a spiral galaxy, including our own Milky Way. It demonstrates that what you can learn from visible light observations of a galaxy is largely determined by the angle from which you...
Website
Space Telescope Science Institute

Hubble Site: Secret Lives of Galaxies

For Students 9th - 10th
This site is provided by HubbleSite from NASA. "Telescopes around the world are beginning to harvest new clues to the origin and evolution of the universe's largest building blocks, the galaxies." Site offers links to images, video,...
Website
Other

University of Leicester: Spiral Galaxies

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides a general overview of spiral galaxies, including descriptions of the different classes of spiral galaxy.
Website
NASA

Nasa: Astronomy Picture of the Day: Edwin Hubble 1889 1953

For Students 9th - 10th
Part of the NASA website, this is a reprint of an article in the Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada about Edwin Hubble's life and accomplishments, stressing his role in the development of modern astronomy.
Graphic
Curated OER

Astro Lab: Space, a Contemporary Vision of the Universe

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore how our contemporary understanding of the universe came to be. This overview looks at the history of three main areas of study, namely space, time, and the arrangement of matter.
Unit Plan
Texas Education Agency

Texas Gateway: Introduction to Motion

For Students 9th - 10th
What do you think of when you hear the word motion? Are you moving right now? You may not think so, but you are. Remember, the Earth is moving around the Sun, and the Sun is moving around the Milky Way Galaxy. Everything in the universe...
Website
Other

Paper Plate Education: Serving the Universe on a Paper Plate

For Students 3rd - 8th
Excellent resource for "paper-plate" activities that help simplify various astronomy topics. Learn how to build a "Moon Finder" and "Planet Pointer," and create a paper-plate model that explains the Transit of Venus.
Interactive
Space Telescope Science Institute

Space Telescope Science Institute: Hubble Site

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore the universe and celestial phenomena made visible by Hubble. High-quality photos of planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies, complete with individual descriptions, can be viewed online and downloaded for printing and personal use.

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