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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Galaxy Adventure

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Working in groups, learners create a mnemonic device, give an oral presentation, and create a pictorial representation of the correct sequence of the planets and asteroid belt from the sun. An assessment rubric is included in the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lining up the planets

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Pupils follow cue cards in order to order the planets in the correct order in the solar system. In this planets lesson plan, students work in groups to make a 2D model of the planets.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Discover Magazine: Size and Scale

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research measurements of the moon and Earth as well as the distance between the two in order to create scale models of the Earth-moon system. With a marble to be used as the moon, they must determine how large to make Earth...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sweet Candy Comets

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders use candy to make a comet. In this lesson, 4th graders examine the role comets have played throughout history, students watch NASA videos about comets and complete the lesson by making an edible model of a comet. This...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A View Of Home From The Front Door and From Space

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students discover how distance can change how our view of an object. Students build a representative model of where their home is located from different distances. They create three drawn models of their home from various elevations as...
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Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

GEEBITT (Global Equilibrium Energy Balance Interactive TinkerToy)

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
Students use the GEEBITT excel model to explore how global average temperatures are affected by changes in our atmosphere in part two of this series of seven lessons. Working in groups, they discuss, analyze graphs, and enter data to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Transpiration

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students interactively explore the term transpiration. In this science/ecology instructional activity, students discuss what they would do if they were thirsty while conducting research in Brazil. Additionally, students write descriptive...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Beaufort Scale: A Local Model

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students study the Beaufort Scale and use it to study wind in their community. In this wind study lesson, students watch a DVD about climate change and learn about the Beaufort Scale. Students complete a worksheet for the topic.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sun in Our Lives

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders identify the different parts of the sun. In this astronomy lesson, 3rd graders examine how the sun's energy drive life processes on Earth. They construct a model of a solar system using large rolls of toilet paper.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Those Changing Theories.

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students investigate the developing theories towards a heliocentric models of the solar system.  In this science based instructional activity students explore how science theories change over time based on evidence. Students view...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Junior Solar Sprint Series: Gears and Drive Belts

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Activate middle schoolers' minds with this physical science activity. Learners vary the diameter of gears and the number of teeth on them to find how energy output is affected. This writeup features well-developed background information...
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Lesson Plan
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University of Colorado

Using Spectral Data to Explore Saturn and Titan

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Saturn's rings are made of dust, ice, and solid chunks of material. Individuals use spectrographs in this final installment of 22 lessons to determine the atmospheric elements. They analyze spectrums from Titan's atmosphere and Saturn's...
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Lesson Plan
Polar Trec

Identifying Sea Ice

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Sea ice contains 17 sub-types based on age and various characteristics. Scholars observe ice floating in a simulated ocean and record their observations. Then, they view photographs of different types of sea ice and learn to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Being Nosy About Our Neighbors

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers use the scientific method to explore the effect of size on impact cratering. They compare images of landforms on Earth to those of other planets to compare surface processes. Students infer the geologic history of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Motion of the Sun and Earth: Using a Classroom Model to Explore Rotation and Revolution

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students use a concrete model of the Sun and Earth to observe and manipulate a 3-D model of the Sun and Earth.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Electrolysis of Water

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders examine the electrolysis of water by completing an experiment.  In this water instructional activity students will explain how hydrogen can be extracted from water and how energy flows through an electrolysis system. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scientific Notation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the concept of expressing numbers in scientific notation. In this scientific notation lesson, students understand the importance of using scientific notation by finding real world examples where scientific notation is...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Day and Night

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders investigate the Earth's rotation and revolution and the moon's orbit around the Earth. They participate in a class discussion about how night and day occur, and take notes. Next, they watch a video about the solar system...
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Oceans as a Heat Reservoir

For Teachers 7th - 11th Standards
Oceans absorb half of the carbon dioxide and 80 percent of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. Scholars learn how and why the oceans store heat more effectively than land and how they help mitigate global warming. Pupils...
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Water is a Heat Sink

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
One of the key objectives of Europe's Copernicus Earth program is to monitor the temperatures of the oceans and seas on Earth. Young scholars learn the effects of different heat capacities through two experiments. These experiments...
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Lesson Plan
Mascil Project

Closed Greenhouses

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Controlling the efficiency of a greenhouse is a mathematical task. A collaborative project challenges learners to create an efficiency plan for a closed greenhouse. Using algebraic equations, they consider a set of constraints, design...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cosmic Wheels

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students build a scale model of the Solar System and determine the time other planets take to travel around the Sun in comparison to the time of the Earth's revolution. The velocity of the planets are also determined in this...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water, Weather, and the World

For Teachers 4th - Higher Ed
Students in a special education classroom examine the role of weather and water in their lives. Each day, they add a symbol for the weather outside and identify the proper activities for the weather on that day. In groups, they...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Distance in Space

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students discover the vocabulary used for distances in space and review measurement units and instruments before creating a scale model of the planets. They determine how to calculate the relative distances between the planets using a...