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Our Solar System
Learners investigate the coincidental parade of planets and witness dramatic views of the solar system by researching websites and participating in online activities. They write about their findings.
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The Solar System and the Forces Behind It
Sixth graders discover why planets stay in orbit. In groups, they use everyday materials to examine the effect of gravity of objects and calculate how mass changes based on gravitational pull. To end the activity, they discuss how...
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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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(S-4) The Many Colors of Sunlight
Learners observe and explore the characteristics of light.
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(S-1A) Weather and the Atmosphere
Students discuss the way vertical convection transports heat from the surface upwards, and associated pressure and temperature profiles of the atmosphere.
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Mass
High schoolers participate in a qualitative discussion of the distinction between weight and mass, followed by a description of astronaut mass measurements in a zero-g environment.
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The Best of the Solar System (Grades 4-7)
Students explore planetary research and become familiar with the planets and their characteristics. They compare and contrasts planets and moons.
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Comparing the Satellite and Broadcast Radio Landscapes
High schoolers 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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Red Shift, Blue Shift
Pupils demonstrate how stellar spectra measures a star's motion relative to Earth along the line of sight.
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The Best of the Solar System (Grades 6-8)
Learners are introduced to planetary research and become familiar with the planets and their features. They view images of the planets, and fill in an information chart which is imbedded in this plan.
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Our Home in the Milky Way
Young scholars gain appreciation of the vastness of our galaxy by viewing an applet about the Milky Way. Students hypothesize about how long it would take to get from Earth to Pluto.
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A Model of the Sun's interior
Young scholars create a three-dimensional model of the sun. In this solar system activity, students design a scale model of the sun using plasticine.
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Studying Shadows
Young scholars measure shadows and explore the altitude of the sun. In this sun lesson students will graph the length of shadows and solar altitude against time.
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Make it Yourself Constellation Finder
Young scholars identify constellations with and without a constellation finder. In this creating constellations lesson students construct a constellation finder to help them to identify the constellations.
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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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Are There Other Neighborhoods Like Our Own?
Learners investigate the possibility of life existing on other planets. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The lesson includes an overview that is used for classroom discussion practices. They tell the teacher how to...
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The Phases of the Moon
Students view an applet to study the phases of the Moon in relation to the orientation of the sun, moon, and Earth.
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Magic Wand
Students observe how an image falling on a CCD array is divided into individual pieces, by the property of persistance of vision.
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Liquid Crystal IR Detector
Students experiment with one method of detecting infrared radiation. They simulate the detection of infrared radiation using a liquid crystal sheet.
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Binary Numbers
Students explore how a battery-powered light box demonstrates how to transmi timages.
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Constellations
Learners explore constellations. They read trade books about constellations and write notes including their locations, origins, and names. They research and report on one constellation in the Northern Hemisphere and share their report...
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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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Colored Shadows
Sixth graders explore how three colored lights can be combined to produce a wide range of colors.
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Powers of 10
Students explore universe, and examine how big it really is and how scientists measure the distances or sizes of things by estimating sizes of different objects and reading and writing numbers in scientific notations.