Curated OER
Spaced Out
Young scholars explore the transit of Venus and the information that this minieclipse provides about the distance between the Earth and the sun. They create their own astronomical units.
Curated OER
Kepler's 3rd Law
Students derive the velocity in a circular orbit of any radius. They derive the Earth escape velocity and prove Kepler's 3rd law for circular orbits # A simple formula for the orbital period in a circular Earth orbit of given radius.
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Comparing the Satellite and Broadcast Radio Landscapes
Students research the development of satellite technology over the last 50 years students explain how the enactment of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 changed the rules for corporate ownership of multiple media outlets.
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Multiculturalism Through African Folk Tales And Mayan Myths
Students study the myths of various African cultures and of the Mayan people. They identify unique characteristics of African myths and Mayan myths. They define and recognize the style and tone of the Mayan myths and create their own...
Curated OER
Teachers' Notes: Switch Gets Ready!
Students practice multiplication facts, answer simple math questions from two, five, and ten times-tables, explore concept of halves and quarters, complete worksheet containing range of shapes to make shape picture, and sort data and...
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Ptolemy vs. Copernicus
Students list differences in the diagrams of a geocentric universe and a heliocentric universe. They students describe the religious impact of this change on man's conception of the universe and man's place within it. Students describe...
Curated OER
Coordinate Graphs
Students use coordinate graphs in order to identify objects and their locations. They are shown how to plot the x and y coordinates and then are given values to be plotted during guided and independent practice. Students are assessed on...
Curated OER
Seeing Interference Fringes with a Telescope
Students construct an interferometer using a simple telescope. In this physics instructional activity, students explain how light waves create the fringe patterns. They observe patterns made by different objects in the sky and compare them.
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Taking Risks: Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Students discuss a video about drug and alcohol abuse and their connection to risk-taking. They answer questions on a risk factor sheet about the use of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol. They discuss long and short term goals and how not...
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Enslaved and Running
Pupils use runaway slave advertisements to discover how the language varies from the 18th to 21st century. Using primary source documents, they research the brutality of slavery and the desire of those in slavery to be free. They...
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Celestial Photography
Students practice photographic skills and gain an awareness of photography as a scientific tool.
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The Guest Investigator Puzzle
Students conduct a brief astrophysics lab matching the EUVE spectra of various kinds of "mystery" stars with the spectra of known stars taken at Extreme Ultraviolet and optical wavelengths to determine their type.
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The Path of the Sun: The Ecliptic
Learners investigate the celestial sphere and the paths it takes in the solar system.
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Soil Comparison and Analysis
Students perform tests on different soil samples. For this earth science lesson, students classify the soil into groups according to test results. They write a lab report following a certain criteria.
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The Vocabulary of Space
Students build their knowledge and understanding of vocabulary related to space. In this space lesson, students discuss four categories of words and phrases related to space.
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Collecting Electromagnetic Radiation
Students using different experiments and activities explore electromagnetic radiation and the effect on the Earth.
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The Chinese Zodiac
Students create their own personalized Zodiac page on a word processing
document after researching and discussing the origins of Zodiak signs. This lesson does include resource links and may be controversial.
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The Chinese Zodiac And The Western Zodiac
Students create individual horoscopes that contrast and compare Western and
Chinese views of their futures using poster boards and magic markers. In-class discussion is used to evaluate the use of the Zodiac in different cultures.
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Kepler's Third Law
Students use Kepler's third law to derive the velocity in a circular orbit of any radius, and identify the Earth escape velocity.
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Pinhole Viewer
Students make a pinhole viewer to demonstrate how it inverts light passing through it which produces inverted images.
Curated OER
Follow The Falling Meteorite
Middle schoolers investigate the supposed traveling path of a meteorite. They use sound in order to triangulate the path. The results of the experiment are written on a map to display the path of the meteorite. The culminating activity...
NASA
Nasa: Kepler: A Search for Habitable Planets: Transit Tracks
Classroom lesson for teaching astronomy uses PowerPoint presentations and illustrations of Kepler's light curves used to discover planets.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Learning Lab: The Universe, an Introduction
Start with the questions all students ask: How big is the universe, how far away are the planets and stars, how did they form and when, how do they move and why? Build on their natural curiosity. The Smithsonian, in cooperation with...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: A Puzzling Parallax
Did you know that ancient astronomers could measure the distance to other stars? They could also distinguish between stars and planets. How could they do that without modern technology of telescopes? See if you can discover the link...