Journey Through the Universe
Is There Anyone Out There?
What is an alien's favorite game? All-star baseball! Scholars start defining living and non-living. Then, they conduct experiments to research if life exists, keeping in mind that life could be in many forms, not just human.
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "In the Next Galaxy" by Ruth Stone
Imagine what life might be like in a different galaxy. That's the challenge young scientists take on in a warm-up activity designed to prepare them for a close reading of Ruth Stone's poem "In the Next Galaxy." After class members share...
University of Minnesota
C. elegans and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Introduce the topic of astrobiology in a unit that's out of this world. Biology scholars examine the search for extraterrestrial life by culturing roundworms, a species that has been key in helping researchers understand the challenges...
University of Colorado
Is There Life on Earth?
To find life on another planet, scientists look for gases (atmosphere), water, and temperatures that are not extreme. In this activity, groups of pupils become "Titan-ians," scientists who want to explore Earth for possible life forms....
NASA
Introduction to Astronomy
Welcome to your new job as an astrophysicist, astrobiologist, engineer, or research scientist at NASA. Your job is to search for alien life in our solar system! Throughout a unit of activities, learners search the galaxy through...
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
Life on Mars
Through reading and discussion, aspiring astronomers consider the question of whether or not there was ever life on the planet Mars. Throughout the process, they review how scientific investigations are carried out, examine the...
Curated OER
Is Anyone Out There? Examining Astrobiology and the Value of SETI
Blow their minds with a lesson on the search for life outside of our planet! A brief video proposes the question of how to define life. A couple of articles investigate the possibility of alien existence. Finally, the class is divided...
Curated OER
Investigative Case - Los Angeles and the Future of Mono Lake
Students use this WebQuest to be able to comprehend the natural history and biological diversity of the Mono Basin, an environment directly affected by the needs of humans. They explain what makes Mono Lake unique, including the extreme...
Curated OER
Is Anybody Out There?
Students focus on the tremendous public interest in the potential of extraterrestrial life. They read and discuss an article about the search for alien life. They divide into small groups and discuss the issues and implications of this...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Ingredients for Life: Water
This video segment adapted from NOVA goes on a whimsical journey in search of life forms thriving in extreme conditions on Earth and in outer space. Animations show ice on Jupiter's moon, Europa, and signs that water once existed on...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Activity: Is There Really Life on Mars?
This Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) activity explores the controversy over whether or not there is life on Mars. Part of the Mysteries of Deep Space Program that originally aired in April 1997, the activity includes instructional...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Introduction to Exobiology
Featured is a tutorial on exobiology and the origins of life. The tutorial covers the nature of prebiotic Earth, the Miller-Urey experiment, possible sites for the origin of life, the search for extraterrestrial life, politics in...
Space Telescope Science Institute
Space Telescope Science Institute: Hubble Space Telescope
Find out how astronomers are conducting extensive observations to estimate how many planets in our Milky Way galaxy might be potential abodes for life.
NASA
Nasa: Nasa's Carl Sagan Fellows to Study Extraterrestrial Worlds
NASA announces the new Carl Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowships in Exoplanet Exploration, created to inspire the next generation of explorers seeking to learn more about planets, and possibly life, around other stars.
PBS
Nova: Signs of Life
Can you find planets that will support life? This activity will give you data for different planets and challenge you to find one that supports life.
PBS
Nova: Alien Evidence
The Nazca desert of Peru has some very unusual designs. There are two explanations that you can investigate, which explain the origin of these lines.