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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stations of Light

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Student groups rotate through four stations to examine light energy behavior: refraction, magnification, prisms and polarization. They see how a beam of light is refracted (bent) through various transparent mediums. Students investigate...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Internet Quest: Weatherman Walt-Why the Sky is Blue

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars analyze atmosphere and light. In this earth science instructional activity, students are introduced to an investigation about why the sky is blue. Young scholars complete a WebQuest to answer the question.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Capturing the Sun's Warmth

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore the variety of ways to use solar energy. They investigate the thermal energy storage capacities of different test materials to determine which to use in passive solar building design. They explain how passive solar...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Indoor Environment: A Magazine Publication Project

For Teachers 1st - 8th
Students demonstrate knowledge of Indoor Air Quality by creating a class magazine. A link to order a free Action Kit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is provided so teachers can build background knowledge. Performance...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's Crackin' Under New Zealand

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students construct a model of the Earth using clay and oranges. For this earth science lesson, students explain the causes of earthquakes and volcanic activity. They write their findings in their science journal.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Drawing From Nature

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students observe similarities and differences of natural objects. In this observation lesson, students use a magnifying glass to identify the details of objects.
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Make a Terrarium

For Students 6th - 12th
Scholars read a brief overview of what a terrarium is and how it creates the greenhouse effect, then click on a link to discover the materials and 10 steps they need to build their own.
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Activity
Consortium for Ocean Leadership

Measure for Measure

For Teachers 5th - 8th
How does your class measure up? Young scientists create a scale drawing of the JOIDES Resolution in a collaborative activity. The lesson incorporates mathematical principles with deep-sea exploration to focus on enhancing measurement...
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Activity
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Lunar and Planetary Institute

Oreo Moon Phases

For Teachers 2nd - 7th Standards
Learning about the moon has never tasted delicious! Using the popular Oreo cookie as a model, young scientists carve out the cream filling to represent the different phases of the moon.
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Wherefore Art Thou, Albedo?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
In the sixth activity in a series of 21, scholars use NASA data to graph and interpret albedo seasonally and over the course of multiple years. This allows learners to compare albedo trends to changes in sea ice with connections to the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Moon, Mars, and Beyond-Mission Briefing

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students complete this introductory lesson in which they find out about the scenario for a simulated online space mission. They review vocabulary and complete a review sheet to reinforce the details of the mission and its goals.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Magnetopause and Solar Storms

For Students 8th - 10th
In this magnetopause instructional activity, students use a given equation to find the distance from the Earth where the solar wind pressure and the Earth's magnetic field pressure are equal. Students are given 5 different solar storms...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

IBEX Creates an Unusual Image of the Sky!

For Students 9th - 11th
In this IBEX satellite worksheet, students read about the Energetic Neutral Atoms that are detected by the IBEX satellite. Students use a given hypothetical data string to determine the number of particles detected and create an 'image'...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Do We Explore Strange Environments?

For Teachers K - 4th
Students identify and label the different parts of a robot, rover, or a spacecraft. They discuss and record all of the features their robot will need to accomplish its mission and be able to explain why they chose these features to...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Solar and Auroral Events

For Students 8th - 10th
In this solar and auroral events worksheet, students answer 5 questions about a coronal mass ejection that traveled to the Earth. They find the time it took to arrive and they determine the speed of the coronal mass ejection in...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

SDO: Measuring the Speed of an Eruptive Prominence

For Students 9th - 12th
In this eruptive prominence worksheet, students read about a plasma ejection from the sun measured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Students solve 3 problems using the given diagrams of the ejection. They determine the scale of the...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

How Hot is that Planet?

For Students 9th - 12th
In this planet worksheet, students read about finding the temperature of a planet using the distance to its star, its reflectivity and the luminosity of the star. Students use a given equation to determine the surface...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Solar Surface Details

For Students 7th - 10th
In this solar surface learning exercise, students use a photograph taken by the Swedish Vacuum Telescope to answer 6 questions about the solar features in the photograph. Students determine the scale of the image, they determine the...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Changing Perspectives on the Sun's Diameter

For Students 8th - 10th
For this sun's diameter worksheet, students use a photograph taken by the SOHO satellite of the sun showing a change in diameter from one month to another. Students find the average diameter of the sun, they determine the percent change...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mass Spectrometer

For Teachers 9th - 12th
In this mass spectrometer worksheet, students read about how a mass spectrometer determines the elements in gases around Earth. Students answer 3 questions and identify the elements in a graph found by a mass spectrometer.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Causes and Effects of ENSO

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze monthly sea surface temperature data from the Pacific Ocean to determine if the period is an El Nino or a normal year. They recognize signs to see if there are any patterns that signal either occurrence. Satellite images...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

NASA Juggles Four Satellites at Once

For Students 9th - 12th
In this NASA satellites activity, students read about the Magnetosphere Multi-Scale satellite constellation that NASA will launch in 2013. They solve 4 problems including finding the volume of the MMS constellation, finding how long it...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Waterdrops Water Cycle

For Students 3rd - 6th
In this earth science learning exercise, students read an article about the water cycle. Then they continue the story about the travels of a water droplet through time and space. Students also complete sentences by writing in the correct...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Kepler Spies Five New Planets

For Students 9th - 11th
In this discovering new planets worksheet, students read about how the Kepler spacecraft detects new planets by observing the dimming of light emitted by stars as the planets pass in front of them. Students solve 2 problems using a...