Curated OER
Chemical and Physical Changes
Eighth graders investigate different gas behaviors. In this chemistry lesson, 8th graders describe how changing volume and temperature affect gas particles motion. They collect data and make a generalization about these variables'...
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Timekeeping by the Sun
Learners measure shadows to learn about the Sun-Earth relationship. In this astronomy lesson, students create a shadow stick of a Pokemon character and record measurements of its shadow in a data chart. Follow-up discussions guide...
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The Sun Does What?
Students examine why the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. In this sun lesson, students explore the sunset and shadows. Students prove that the sun's position changes during the day. Students investigate what causes a shadow....
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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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Sampling Rocks
Students investigate rocks. In this earth science lesson, students collect rocks from the schoolyard and describe each of the rocks. Students measure and weigh each rock and record the results. Students create a rock guide for the...
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Lunar Cycle
Learners recognize that the eight phases of the moon repeat. For this lunar cycle lesson, students experiment to understand the phases of the moon. Learners make observations and complete a "the Moon I See" worksheet. Students record on...
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Cosmic Wheels
Students build a scale model of the Solar System and determine the time other planets take to travel around the Sun in comparison to the time of the Earth's revolution. The velocity of the planets are also determined in this lesson.
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Three D Constellations
High schoolers address a major misconception in astronomy, the understanding of scale. The instructional activity is designed to introduce students to both celestial coordinates and to the first rung on the distance determination...
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Moon
Learners discover scientific facts about the Moon and how
some American Indian Tribes used the moon to measure time.
They accomplish this by listening to stories and poetry, writing
stories, communicating with an astronaut,...
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What Shape is the Moon Tonight?
Students understand that the moon appears differently throughout the month. In this phases of the moon lesson, students observe and record the phases of the moon.
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The Mystery Constellation
Students decipher two teacher chosen mystery constellations a month. They listen to stories, explain what they know about constellations and name the mystery constellation.
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Underground Travelers
Students are introduced to new vocabulary associated with the Underground Railroad. Using primary sources, they evaluate the railroad's impact on society in the past and today. They also make a judgment about the morality of the railroad...
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Scavenger Hunt
Students study a research telescope to obtain quantitative information about these objects. They use the SkyServer Navigation Tool to identify objects and record celestial coordinates. In addition, they associate star brightness and...
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Mystery Constellations
Fourth graders predict constellations each month. In this astronomy instructional activity, 4th graders are presented with two constellations every month, and guess what they are as clues are given.
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Aurora Borealis
Students discuss what causes the northern lights and the folklore attached to them. They discuss magnetic fields, and use various common materials to discover if ions conduct electricity.
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Weightlessness Demonstration
Students explore the concept that free-fall eliminates the local effects of gravity. They discuss what an Earth-orbiting spacecraft experience is like as well as the terminology of weightlessness. Their lab experiment commences.
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Weightlessness Demonstration
Students investigate gravity. In this weightless lesson plan students complete a lab activity about how a free fall might effect how one perceives gravity.
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Your Address in the Galaxy
Students create a business card after researching their location in space and determining their Galactic Address.
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What's Your Sign? The Science Behind The Zodiac
Students investigate the concepts dealing with the motions of celestial objects, the ancient origins of the Zodiac and the science behind the Zodiac.
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What Do You Know!
Students experiment using a compass for navigation and consider how various instruments affect how we travel.
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Exploring the Interstellar Medium
Pupils investigate the Interstellar Medium and the Local Bubble that the Sun is inside. They read and discuss a handout, answer discussion questions, observe a demonstration of light scattering, and conduct an experiment on the...
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Moon Journal
Fourth graders observe Moon and its features, and record results both in written form and in a drawing on the given template.
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Sundials: Observing and Using Shadows
Students build sundials and observe changes in shadows over the course of one or more days. They identify patterns in the shadows and discuss how shadows may be used to tell time.
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Countdown to Disaster
Students discover the potential dangers of weather in their hometown. In this environmental lesson plan, students research Hurricane Hugo and the devastation it caused South Carolina in 1989. Students record weather data from their...