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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Galileo's Battle for the Heavens Plotting Sun Spots

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this activity, students follow in Galileo's footsteps as they examine the nature of sunspot cycles, define solar minimum and solar maximum, and graph data for a solar cycle. Then they will predict the next solar maximum and when the...
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Handout
Other

The Folly of Giordano Bruno

For Students 9th - 10th
A scholarly and thorough essay, complete with biographical and philosophical information.
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Activity
Other

Institute of Physics: Practical Physics: Motion of a Ball Rolling Down a Plank

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a version of an experiment devised and carried out by Galileo. He used it to discover and demonstrate that motion was subject to quite simple, and beautiful, mathematical description.
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Article
Other

Catholic Educator's Resource Center: The Galileo Affair

For Students 9th - 10th
Online essay concerning the battle between Galileo and the Catholic Church over the issue of heliocentrism, or, whether the sun or the earth is at the center of the universe.
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Handout
Other

2020 Site: Galileo Galilei

For Students 9th - 10th
Great information about Galileo's life and work. From this index page, explore his early life, observations and inventions, problems with the church, and interesting facts about him.
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Graphic
NASA

Nasa: Astronomy Picture of the Day: Jupiter's Clouds 3 D

For Students 9th - 10th
Every day is a cloudy day on Jupiter, the Solar System's reigning gas giant. This 3-dimensional visualization presents a simplified model view from between Jovian cloud decks based on imaging and spectral data recorded by the Galileo...
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Graphic
NASA

Nasa Space Science Data Archive: Galileo

For Students 9th - 10th
NASA offers three images taken by the Galileo spacecrart capture the faces of Ganymede and Io. Files, with detailed caption can be downloaded in GIF format.
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Handout
The Environmental Literacy Council

Environmental Literacy Council: Temperature

For Students 9th - 10th
The difference between heat and temperature is explained, followed by a discussion of temperature and its relation to global climate change. Gallileo Galilee, Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, Anders Celsius, and Carl Linnaeus are mentioned in...
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History: Galileo Galilei O Logy Card

For Students 3rd - 8th
Turn over this interactive OLogy card to investigate the life and career of Galileo Galilei.
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Handout
Nine Planets

The Nine Planets: Venus

For Students 9th - 10th
In-depth information site on Venus, complete with a thorough glossary, links to a wide array of related sites, thumbnail picture files linked to larger images, and even a short audio file from a classic symphony.
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Handout
University of St. Andrews (UK)

University of St. Andrews: Galileo Galilei

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the University of St. Andrews contains biographical information about Galileo's life and studies.
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Website
BBC

Bbc: History: Galileo Galilei

For Students 9th - 10th
A great account of Galileo's life, including his various experiments which were used to disprove opinions at the time.
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Activity
National Earth Science Teachers Association

Windows to the Universe: Origin of Jupiter's Rings

For Students 9th - 10th
University of Michigan and Windows to the Universe offers information showing that with the help of the Galileo spacecraft, scientists figured out that the rings are made from dust that was kicked off of the small moons surrounding...
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Handout
Georgia State University

Georgia State University: Hyper Physics: Refractive Telescopes

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from Georgia State University Physics Department gives a discussion of the manner in which light is refracted by refractive telescopes. Discusses the Galielean telescope and the astronomical telescope.
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Handout
NASA

Nasa: Comet Shoemaker Levy 9 Collision With Jupiter

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from NASA provides information on the Shoemaker-Levy collision which, even though the impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter happened in 1994, it continues to make news. Read the latest information related to the...
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Lesson Plan
Discovery Education

Discovery Education: Physical Science: Gravity Gets You Down

For Teachers 6th - 9th
In this lesson, students make predictions about falling objects of different sizes and masses to learn about gravity and air resistance. Includes audio vocabulary list and extension activities.
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Interactive
Children's Museum

Children's Museum: Field Guide to the Universe: Astronomers

For Students 9th - 10th
Read brief biographies of astronomers who are grouped by time period.
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Handout
Children's Museum

Field Guide to the Universe: Space Craft

For Students 9th - 10th
Pictures and descriptions of the robot spacecraft that have explored the planets and outer space since the 1960s.
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Website
University of St. Andrews (UK)

University of St. Andrews: Galileo Biography

For Students 9th - 10th
A detailed report of Galileo's biography by the University of St. Andrews. Bibliography information is given, as well as other websites with additional information.
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Handout
University of Maryland

Optics Highlights: The Telescope

For Students 9th - 10th
Part of an anecdotal history of optics and the study of light. Extremely thorough treatment of the invention of the telescope. Includes a short biographical sketch and discusses the work of Isaac Newton which focuses on his contribution...
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Article
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Galileo: His Place in Science

For Students 9th - 10th
Einstein called Galileo the "father of modern physics." This media-rich essay from the NOVA Web site looks at Galileo's quest to understand the mathematics of motion.
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Website
Space Telescope Science Institute

Hubble Site: Telescope History

For Students 9th - 10th
The Hubble Space Telescope site takes a look back through time at the history and discoveries of telescopes.
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Unit Plan
NASA

Nasa: Io: Overview: Volcanic Moon

For Students 9th - 10th
Find out about most volcanically active world in the Solar System, Jupiter's moon named Io.
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Handout
University of Chicago

University of Chicago: Reflector and Refractor

For Students 9th - 10th
From the Yerkes Observatory Virtual Tour web site. Compares and contrasts reflecting and refracting telescopes. A link from the page leads to a second page which explains why most modern research telescopes are reflecting telescopes.