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Moon Journal
Pupils review the planets and major moons in the Solar System. In groups, they research and describe the various phases of the moon. They record their observations of the moon phases over a specific period of time and use the internet...
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Exploring the Night Sky: Fall/Winter
Learners explain how moon phases occur. They explain three ways that the night sky has been used through history. Students locate some of the constellations in the night sky. They discuss stories and myths surrounding stars.
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Season's Greetings
Students explore Earth's seasons using an interactive website. In this earth science lesson, students watch video segments and explain Earth's seasonal milestones. They discuss the factors that causes seasonal changes.
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Lunar Language
Students use a Lunar Language Graphic Organizer to draw and describe the phases of the moon. They explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.
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Patterned Paragraphs
Young scholars reinforce the importance of being specific while dealing with events of a sequential nature, such as the phases of the moon.
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I'm Being Followed By a Moonshadow
Students explore solar and lunar eclipses and how the sun, Earth, and moon cause them.
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Tides
Pupils discover how the position of the Sun, Moon and Earth affect tides. In this science lesson, students view a presentation about the tides. Pupils discuss the different types of tides.
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Dark Matter In The Universe
Students investigate the concept of dark matter and how it occurs in the universe. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Students use the information by reading at least two articles about dark matter. They also generate...
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Our Sky Clock
Students explore space science by completing a worksheet in class. In this astronomy lesson, students discuss and identify star patterns in the night sky and relate these patterns to the approximate time they appear. Students complete an...
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World In Motion Curriculum
Students explore the night sky and its solar system. Using a Digitarium planetarium system, students observe four constellations. They discover the phases of the moon and eclipses. Students recognize the difference between normal and...
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Tides - The Ins and Outs of Tides
Get your junior oceanographers to generate tidal prediction graphs on an interactive website. They will feel like experts in the field, or shall we say, experts in the ocean! This is a brief, but worthwhile activity that could be used to...
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3rd Rock from the Sun's Baby Rock
Seventh graders have a chance to actively see each phase of the moon and make connections to what they see in the sky when you show how the moon goes through each of the phases.
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Constellations
Students explore the major constellations. After reviewing the Earth's basic motions and their significance, students discuss the moon's orbit and revolutions. Using a Digitarium Alpha portable planetarium projector, they observe at...
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Charting Seasonal Changes
Learners research the Earth's patterns of rotation and revolution, create a chart and graph of these patterns and use them to explain the causes of night and day and summer and winter.
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Tides
Students graph 40 days of high and low tide data for a site in Baja, Mexico near the Wetlands & Fisheries Live! research center. They identify patterns in the data and finally to make a connection between tidal heights and the phase...
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Sky Watching
Students explain how our knowledge of the sky has been enhanced by telescopes. They make their own night-sky observations, diagram and describe what they see, and examine pictures taken by telescopes.
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Sky Watching
Students complete night-sky observations to understand how our knowledge of the sky has been enhanced by telescopes. Students complete a timeline worksheet giving the history of telescopes. Students then then make their own observations...
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Retrograde Motion
Students study the motions of the heavenly bodies. In this space lesson students use models to show a variety of schemes explaining the motions.
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The Life Cycle of a Star
Students investigate the life cycle of a star through research. Once research is complete, students prepare posters and present findings to class. Flash animation is included to help students visualize life cycle of star researching.
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Sky Watching
Young scholars examine telescopes and understand how they have helped us better understand the sky. In this astronomy lesson students complete a worksheet and a lab activity.
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Space, the Final Frontier...
Learners study a common theory on how the solar system was formed and examine the relative scale of the size and distances among the bodies of the Solar System.
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Let the North Star Tell You Where You Are
Young scholars create an astrolabe and locate the North Star in the night sky. They determine the latitude of the North Star, and calculate an average latitude based on class results.
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Let the North Star Tell You Where You Are
Students participate in activities in which they find the Big Dipper and locate the North Star in the night sky, examine the relationship between the angle to Polaris and latitude, and determine latitude by using an astrolabe.
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Extensions - Astronomy Review Unit
Students participate in a review unit in Astronomy using the Layered Curriculum. This allows them to take charge of the type of assessment that is given. The method also allows better differentiation of instruction to occur.