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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Our Universe: Always Moving, Always Changing

For Teachers 3rd
Students explore the main concepts of astronomy through the eleven lessons of this unit. The past, present, and future methods of studying the science are examined in this unit.
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

The Four Seasons with "Charlotte's Web"

For Teachers 2nd
Students explore the characters and plot of the story, "Charlotte's Web" through the twenty-two lessons of this unit. Characters, facts, and details of the story are recalled and discussed and form the basis of several activities in this...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Observing Mars in the Night Sky

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers compare and contrast the orbits of Earth and Mars, locate the planet Mars, and diagram its retrograde motion.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Can a Spacecraft Always Face the Sun?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students determine the correct orbital path for a satellite that collects data about the sun so that its view of the sun never be obstructed by the Earth.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Far Away is SOHO?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students create a scale model of the Earth and the sun that demonstrates where the SOHO satellite is in relation to the Earth.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Kepler's Third Law

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use Kepler's third law to derive the velocity in a circular orbit of any radius, and identify the Earth escape velocity.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Planet Earth

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students explore the planet Earth, outer space, and Earth's axis. They demonstrate reading comprehension skills, including literal meaning, inference and critical analysis.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Precession

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explain how Hipparchus, around 130 BC, used a shift in the predicted location of a lunar eclipse to detect a slight shift in the path of the Sun around the sky. They examine the elliptical orbit in which the Earth travels around...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bouncing Sunlight

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders use flashlights and balls to demonstrate how the light bounces off of the sun and reflects onto the moon. They record their observations in a journal.