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Habitable Zones
Students focus on stellar luminosities to estimate size of habitable zones, map out habitable zone around hot light bulbs that serve as models of stars, investigate how size of model "habitable zone" around light bulbs depends on...
Journey Through the Universe
Is There Anyone Out There?
What is an alien's favorite game? All-star baseball! Scholars start defining living and non-living. Then, they conduct experiments to research if life exists, keeping in mind that life could be in many forms, not just human.
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The Earth, Sun Mood and Stars Unit (Planets too!)
Fifth graders prepare five activities to do then show their energy saving skills. In this investigative lesson students create five projects then participate in an energy saving demonstration.
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Colonizing the Stars
Middle schoolers compare and contrast the size, composition and surface features of the nine planets of our solar system with the possible sizes and compositions of extra -solar planets.
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A Star Party
Students explore the parts and function of a telescope. In this investigative lesson students gain an understanding of a telescope and identify planets and constellations.
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Astronomy: A Star Party
Students explain the functions of a telescope. They name the parts of the telescope. After previously learning the planets and constellations, students identify and view them during a star party.
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See the Stars
Students explore the nighttime sky. In this space science lesson, students read the book Maria's Comet and and investigate the sky using their naked eyes. Students compare the view of their naked eyes to the view of a telescope.
EngageNY
The Motion of the Moon, Sun, and Stars—Motivating Mathematics
What does math have to do with the behavior of the earth and sun? Learn how the movement of celestial bodies has influenced the development of trigonometry. Scholars connects the details in mathematics to their real-world meaning.
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Our Changing View of the Solar System
Students identify and name the eight planets and the five dwarf planets in our solar system. In this space science lesson, students view a slideshow of the planets and label them on an included Solar System chart.
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Heavens Above
Middle schoolers study the stars and their positions. In this astronomy lesson students see how scientists can predict the positions of the stars and can tell how they would have appeared in the past.
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Planetary Mobile
Students receive pre-cut templates of cardboard with appropriate diameters of each planet and the sun. They use multi-colored construction paper, scissors, yarn, and other art supplies to create their own models of planets. When students...
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Planets or Not, Here We Come!
Students, working in groups, research planets in terms of the size, temperature, number of moons, and potential for life. They use packets and worksheets as guides for their research. Students may role-play as aliens visiting their...
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Outer Space Creature
Students read poems by Shel Silverstein about planets and outer space. As a class, they compare and contrast his descriptions to actual facts which have been discovered through explorations. They write a description of an outer space...
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The Undiscovered Planet
Learners find a planetary object using star fields. In this investigative lesson students determine the distance to an object using trigonometric parallax.
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An Interview with Mr. Sol
Students explore the sun, the galaxy, and planets. As an introduction to a class discussion of the sun, students perform a skit. They discuss the elements that make up the sun, stars and planets.
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Sky Quest
Students identify constellations in the evening sky. In this Sky Quest lesson, students create their own star patterns using a star map worksheet. Students explain how different celestial bodies in space are viewed through a telescope.
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What's Up? Astronomy Curriculum
Students study astronomy. In preparation for a field trip to a planetarium, students discuss the stars, planets, and light. They explore the importance of the north star and constellations. The Digitarium system is used to assist the...
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Glowing Glimpses of Our Universe
Students will complete hands-on space activities. In this space science instructional activity, students will create a glow-in-the-dark model of the solar system, visit a planetarium, make star pictures, and paint constellations....
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Physics The Earth and Beyond
Fourth graders will explore our solar system. In this physics instructional activity students create a model of the solar system to explore the movement of Earth, the Sun, and stars.
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Solar System Unit
Learners probe an interdisciplinary unit on our solar system. Distances between planets, their characteristics, and applications to student's personal lives are analyzed in this experience. The unit contains seven lessons.
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What's Up?
Students compare and contrast the various heavenly bodies found in the sky at night. They identify the moon and stars in the sky as well as how the stars form pictures called constellations. Students also experiment with reflection and...
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The Solar System
In this science worksheet, pupils learn the names of the 9 planets in our solar system (Pluto is still included here) and locate them in a word search. Students answer 9 questions about the planets--their positions and attributes.
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Interstellar Real Estate - Defining The Habitable Zone
Students explore the orbital characteristics a planetary home needs to support Earth-like life forms. They develop an understanding of critical planetary mass to determine which newly discovered planets might be capable of supporting life.
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Stellar Magnitudes
Students analyze the stellar magnitude scale. In this stellar magnitude lesson, students examine the stellar magnitude scale. Students predict the Sun's magnitude from various planets.