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Activity
NASA

How Far Away Is Space?

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Space is about 60 miles from the surface of Earth. Pupils make calculations to model that distance by stacking coins the appropriate height using scale. They then explore the distance to objects in space such as satellites and the space...
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Instructional Video21:33
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Flipped Math

Points, Lines, and Planes

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Geometry is more than just vocabulary. Pupils learn the basic geometric definitions and how to identify and name points, lines, and planes. Though the first lesson is packed with related vocabulary, scholars experience four postulates...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Cultural Diplomacy and Propaganda During the Cold War

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
There's a fine line between diplomacy and propaganda. Young historians consider that boundary by examining documents from the Cold War, including memorandum about the lunar program and Peace Corps in addition to a propaganda film. Using...
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Website
American Museum of Natural History

Journey to the Stars

For Students 6th - 12th
Fifteen detailed pictures and informative captions delve deep into the exploration of stars—their life cycle and importance in the universe. 
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Are YOU Cut Out for Mars?

For Students 6th - 12th
A brief, 6-question quiz identifies whether or not a scholar is ready for a mission to Mars.
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Website
American Museum of Natural History

Being an Astronomer: Neil deGrasse Tyson

For Students 6th - 12th
An interview delves deep into the life of famous astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson. 
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Cosmic Cookies

For Students 6th - 12th
Scholars read about each planet then bake a plate of cosmic cookies—no-bake cookies decorated to look like the planets; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Space Travel Guide

For Students 4th - 8th Standards
Scholars showcase their narrative writing skills with a science fiction writing assignment. Six pages present writers with a question to answer accompanied by a detailed picture to draw. All together, pages create a space-travel guide.
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Website
American Museum of Natural History

One-on-One With The Sun

For Students 6th - 12th
Follow along as Stella Stardust interviews the sun. A fun and informative interview provides scholars with information about the sun. 
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Landing a Man on the Moon: President Nixon and the Apollo Program

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Take the small step for man and giant leap for mankind with the Apollo astronauts using primary sources. Young historians explore the documents related to the American space program up through the lunar landing, including presidential...
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Space Jell-O

For Students 6th - 12th
A tasty treat lends its curious substance to space exploration. Mimicking the discoveries of Albert Einstein, young astronomers beginning by making a batch of Jello-O, then four hours later, scholars place edible objects that act like...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Apollo-Soyuz: Space Age Detente

For Teachers 6th - 12th
The Space Race saw the Soviet Union and the US go from competitors to partners. Scholars read a letter regarding the first docking of the US and Soviet space craft. Young historians also complete a written assignment and participate in...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Challenger Explosion Photograph Analysis

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young historians turn into detectives in a thought-provoking activity on the Challenger Explosion. The activity uses an image of President Reagan watching the Challenger explode on live TV to help academics practice historical analysis....
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Analyzing a Photograph of Sally Ride

For Teachers K - 2nd
Sometimes, a picture really does say it all. The activity uses a picture of astronaut Sally Ride to help elementary academics make observations and form conclusions. Young historians study the picture, complete short written prompts, and...
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Activity
Las Cumbres Observatory

Return to Earth: Build a Lander

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Earth to all instructors: Here's a resource to use about spacecraft. After learning about gravity and air resistance, scholars create landers with padding to help capsules land safely on Earth. They test their creations by placing a raw...
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Interactive47:50
American Museum of Natural History

Field Trip: Space Flight

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Take a virtual trip to infinity and beyond. Pupils watch a space visualization that leaves Earth and heads to the ISS and then follows the Apollo missions to the moon. Scholars view detailed images of the space station and its different...
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Thinking in the Three Dimensions

For Students 6th - 12th
Discover different dimensions with paper folding. Pupils first read about zero, one, two, and three dimensions, and then learn about the fourth dimension, time. They then use origami to create models of shapes in three dimensions and use...
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Investigating the Atmosphere - Air Takes Up Space

For Students 1st - 5th Standards
How do you know there is air? Can you see it, smell it, feel it? To begin the investigation, learners watch a video and discuss what they know about air and the atmosphere. Then, they participate in five different hands-on, inquiry-based...
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

What is a Constellation

For Students 1st - 5th Standards
Why do some stars in a constellation appear brighter than others? Using a get-up-and-move astronomy activity, scholars explore perspective and the appearance of constellations in the sky while developing an understanding of the...
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

The Big Bang Theory: An Evidence-Based Argument

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
What evidence supports the big bang theory? Individuals analyze scholarly resources about the the theory and develop arguments backed by evidence. They brainstorm, share ideas, watch a video, and read articles to complete a graphic...
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Interactive
School Science

The Big Bang Time Machine

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Scholars take off on an interactive spaceship to explore a historical timeline of the big bang theory. They learn about the evolution of mammals and humans, the formation of stars and planets, and the chemical composition of the early...
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PPT
Glynn County School System

Light, History, Gravity, Distance, Relativity, and Space-Time

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Let the star's color be the guide! The color of a star indicates its temperature and its mass and distance affect the gravitational force. The lesson presentations address these concepts as well as how the theory of special relativity...
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Interactive
PBS

NASA's Eyes on the 2017 Eclipse

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
How did the 2017 eclipse look in Los Angeles—or Chicago? Experience both views, plus many more, using a lesson from PBS's Space series for middle schoolers. Scholars follow the movements of the sun, moon, and Earth during the most recent...
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Activity
Colorado State University

How Far Away Is Space?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Outer space may be a lot closer than you think! Science scholars model the layers of the atmosphere using transparencies to gain insight into the scale of space. The resource includes ideas to tailor the activity to the skill level of...