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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Our Universe: Always Moving, Always Changing

For Teachers 3rd
Students explore the main concepts of astronomy through the eleven lessons of this unit. The past, present, and future methods of studying the science are examined in this unit.
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Website
University of Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin: The Constellations and Their Stars

For Students 9th - 10th
An excellent site dedicated to the constellations and information about the objects which make them up. Contains a great deal of information about various stars, galaxies and other objects, as well as details on how best to observe them.
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: The Milky Way and Beyond: Globular Clusters

For Students 9th - 10th
Globular clusters, compact groups of about a million stars that move around together in galaxies, are among the oldest objects found in the universe. Since they are found most galaxies and since they've been around for so long, globular...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Find Center of Milky Way Galaxy Using Globular Star Clusters

For Students 9th - 10th
The Milky Way is the edgewise view of our home galaxy, a disk made up of billions of stars. The Sun resides on one of the spiral arms of the disk, 30,000 light-years from the thick hub of the galaxy. The actual center, with a black hole...
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Website
Other

Powersource: Cherokee Stories

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from Powersource gives links to many Cherokee myths, including the "Cycle of the Seasons" and "Rock House: Why the Sun Follows the Moon." These are both good examples of the Cherokee religious beliefs of creation.
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Unit Plan
Georgia Department of Education

Ga Virtual Learning: Galaxies, the Milky Way and Beyond

For Students 9th - 10th
In this interactive tutorial students will explore galaxies. Learn what the Milky Way Galaxy is like, how various galaxies are grouped into clusters and superclusters and why those particular galaxies clump together.
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Website
NASA

Nasa: Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Planet Quest: Exoplanet Exploration

For Students 9th - 10th
Constellation of articles, images, diagrams, posters, videos, and more on the subject of the search for planets, particularly Earth-like planets, outside our solar system.
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Unit Plan
Texas Education Agency

Texas Gateway: What Is the Universe?

For Students 9th - 10th
The following tutorial is an explanation of what the universe is composed of.
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Website
NASA

Nasa: Image Science Center: Ask the Space Scientist

For Students 9th - 10th
A NASA space scientist provides 98 questions and answers about the sun, the center of our solar system.
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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.
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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.
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Website
Enchanted Learning

Enchanted Learning: The Planets

For Students 3rd - 5th
This survey of the planets includes all the basics, size, mass, atmosphere, length of day, and the like. It features interactive activities and learning exercises and compares all of the planets in colorful tables.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Solar System Scale Model

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Teach the concept of scale models and the size of the solar system through this extensive lesson plan. Students will learn about scale models, estimate which objects to use to create a scale model of Earth and Sun, and figure out how far...
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Handout
BBC

Bbc: Uranus a Mission

For Students 9th - 10th
Very good narrative about Voyager's mission past Uranus. Details the difficulties of the voyage, as well as containing very good pictures of its moons.
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Handout
Cosmos 4 kids

Cosmos4 Kids: Galaxies

For Students 3rd - 8th
Learn the basic facts about galaxies. Brief, to the point text make this site most appropriate for younger students.
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Website
Cosmos 4 kids

Cosmos4 Kids: Galaxies: Milky Way

For Students 3rd - 8th
Learn the basic facts about the Milky Way. Brief, to the point text make this site most suitable for younger students.
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Website
PBS

Pbs: Nova: Hunting the Edge of Space

For Students 9th - 10th
Hour One of Hunting the Edge of Space, "The Mystery of the Milky Way," includes information on the Milky Way and chronicles the history of telescopes from Galileo's time to today's planet-searching telescopes. Hour Two, "The...
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Handout
Rice University

Galileo Project: Christopher Clavius

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from The Galileo Project of the Rice University provides a biography of Clavius including an excerpt from his writings. A picture is provided in this article along with links to additional information.
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Website
American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History: Ology: Milky Way Galaxy

For Students 3rd - 8th
How big is a billion? Find out some interesting facts about our galaxy, the Milky Way, and its billion stars.
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Unit Plan
Ministerio de Educación (Spain)

Ministerio De Educacion: Nuestra Galaxia, Llamada via Lactea Mod Vii Unit 1

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about our galaxy, their mass and the evolution of the various theories about their conception.
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Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: Democritus

For Students 9th - 10th
This encyclopedia entry surveys the life and thought of the 5th century BCE Greek philosopher Democritus, who proposed the existence of the atom.
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Website
Kidport

Kidport: Space Science

For Students 3rd - 5th
This complete resource will help students to improve their understand of space exploration. Includes images of the universe, galaxies, stars and planets.
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Lesson Plan
National Institute of Educational Technologies and Teacher Training (Spain)

Ministerio De Educacion: La Situacion De La Tierra en El Universo

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Throughout this unit you will make an imaginary journey that will transport you from the remotest infinity of the universe around us, to the surface of our planet. During this trip you will see the main features and components of our...
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Website
National Institute of Educational Technologies and Teacher Training (Spain)

Ministerio De Educacion: El Universo, La via Lactea Y El Sistema Solar

For Students 9th - 10th
Ministerio de Educacion: El Universo, la Via Lactea y el Sistema Solar.