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Astronomy and Me: Moons Over New Haven
Third graders study the features of different moons orbiting the planets. In this astronomy lesson, 3rd graders explore the different phases of the moon using an interactive online website. They compare and contrast the features of the...
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Mercury
Students study the planet Mercury and develop an understanding of the planet's composition, geology, and other important characteristics. They explore a Web resource on the planet Mercury which is the central focus of this lesson.
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Space Science
Eighth graders study the objects in our solar system. In this space lesson students identify and describe planets, then classify them as terrestrial or gaseous.
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Meteorites
Students model how meteors fall to the surface of planets. In this space science lesson, students identify different types of meteorites using an interactive online website. They investigate the relationship between a meteorite's size...
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Space Science: Journey Through the Solar System
Students explore the Solar System and examine the characteristics of al the planets. Through research and discussion, they create catalogs of the Solar System's components. Next, students use their findings to create Powerpoint...
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Mathematics at the Frontier of Astronomy
Students explore the different types of measurements used in astronomy. In this space science lesson, students explain the relationship between planets' orbits and distance from the sun using Kepler's Laws. They discuss how math aides in...
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Voyage: A Journey through our Solar System
Learners build the Voyage scale model of the Solar System on a playground and "travel" to each planet. They recognize that the Sun and planets are tiny worlds in a vast space, giving them a new perspective on the Solar System, and...
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Stellar Discoveries That Are Out of This World
Students hear of the recent discovery of a group of planets orbiting the star Upsilon Andromedae. Each student create a page about an element of the universe,
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It's Alive! Or is it...?
Students apply their knowledge of the characteristics of living things to unknown creatures to determine whether they can be considered "alive." They watch a Star Trek episode, then describe the characteristics of life.
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Taking a Voyage away from Home
Students experience and participate in a journey through a "Voyage" exhibition of the Solar System and the frontier it covers. They build a dynamic model of the Earth and Sun. Descriptions are given on the relative sizes of the Sun and...
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Observing Mars in the Night Sky
Students compare and contrast the orbits of Earth and Mars, locate the planet Mars, and diagram its retrograde motion.
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Solar System Fun Facts
Students read facts about the Solar System. In this solar system lesson plan, students read facts on the dimensions, planets, and workings of the solar system. There is a big emphasis on Saturn.
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Searching For Protoplanetary Disks
Learners download NASA Hubble Space Telescope views of star-forming regions in nebulae and look for evidence of planetary systems forming beyond our own solar system. They hypothesize about mysterious objects in NASA HST images.
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The Sun in Our Lives
Third graders identify the different parts of the sun. In this astronomy lesson plan, 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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Take a Spin Through the Solar System
Second graders participate in a variety of activities to explore the Solar System in this unit.
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Sky Stories Curriculum
Students investigate the stories told by ancient cultures about the constellations. They listen to stories told by the Greeks and Romans. The classroom should have posters of constellations for the lesson and the teacher performs...
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Build a Space Shuttle
Students explore the concept of space. In this space lesson, students pretend to be aerospace engineers. Students build space ships out of cardboard tubes. Students discuss what aerospace engineers do. Students model their space ships...
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The Great Hubble
Students explain how Hubble telescope captures images from space. In this space science lesson, students use the internet to view space photos. They debate on an issue raised by the teacher.
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Planetarium- Identifying Constellations
Students explore the planetarium. In this space science lesson plan, students identify the different constellations in the sky. They make their own map of the constellations.
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The Solar Cycle
Students research the solar cycle. In this Science lesson, students use the internet to investigate the solar cycle. Students produce a spreadsheet and graph from the information collected.
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How Did the First Asteroid Come to be Discovered?
Learners examine asteroids including how and when they were discovered. In this asteroid lesson plan students view a PowerPoint presentation on asteroids.
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Planet/Constellation Mobile
Pupils, through small group discussion, identify and share a rationale for shapes and patterns in the construction of a mobile that represents the solar system that makes them think of the creation of our solar system.
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Star Gazing
Third graders investigate what an astronomer is and what he studies in the solar system.
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The Rare Earth - How Rare Is Earth-Like Life?
High schoolers systematically investigate the time frame for complex life to develop on Earth. They approximate how many other planets there may be harboring Earth-like complex life in our galaxy.