Students build a telescope and give quantification of its magnification and field of view while making observations regarding images. In this telescope lesson, students use a simple lens to project a scene and examine various telescope...

Students explore the basic principles of the operation of the NASA's KAO telescope. They construct a simplified model of it using film canisters and other everyday objects. Step by step directions are included in plan.

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...

Students examine constellations and planets through completing various activities. Students work individually and in groups to create drawings based on stars, compare and contrast the night sky with and without a telescope and learn...

Students assess how algebra, telescopes, space exploration and optics are so important in astronomy. They encounter studies on the Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble Deep Field and how algebra helps to determine the effects of contamination...

Students compare geography to topography. In this topography lesson, students examine the topography of the surfaces of the Earth. Students compare one feature of Earth to one feature of Mars and present in a PowerPoint.

Middle schoolers 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.

Students study pictures of space vehicles and make their own space vehicle. In this space vehicle lesson, students study pictures of the vehicles and compare and contrast the pictures. Students classify the space crafts and then create...

Learners construct an interferometer using a simple telescope. In this physics lesson, students explain how light waves create the fringe patterns. They observe patterns made by different objects in the sky and compare them.

Even though the student handouts are not included in the write-up, this lesson contains the instructions for terrific activities to use when teaching middle schoolers about metamorphic rocks. First, they compare granite to gneiss and...

Investigate the use of ratios in scale drawings. Learners scale objects up or down using ratios then find the actual size of something using ratios. They apply their knowledge of ratios as they make their own telescopes in science...

Students build simple stream tables and vary the angle of the stream tables in order to simulate different flow rates and compare the results. They observe various features formed in a stream table by flowing water and compare these to...

Young scholars apply estimation strategies and proportional reasoning to determine a scale comparing the planetary bodies to Earth. They convert measurements of time and distance using scientific notation. Both the metric and customary...

Students explore vision by experimenting with lenses in equipment. In this optics lesson, students define the different technology that enhances vision such as microscopes, telescopes and cameras. Students experiment with these devices...

Students identify the different uses of lenses. In this physics lesson, students compare lenses with different magnifications. They record data and discuss results in class.

Students compare and contrast the orbits of Earth and Mars, locate the planet Mars, and diagram its retrograde motion.

Experiment with optical resolution using an inquiry-based lesson. Young researchers calculate fellow classmates' optical resolutions. They apply the information to understand the inner workings of optical instruments.

Geology geniuses analyze sediment samples with a hand lens and sort according to physical characteristics. They also learn about the processes of cementation, compaction, and lithification within the rock cycle. The lesson plan is...

Geology beginners examine three different rock samples and determine their origin by their characteristics. By making and recording observations, they become familiar with features of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock types....

Students explain that there are limits to what the eye can see and that a magnifying glass can help extend those limits. They examine an object with the magnifying glass and draw the size and shape of what they see as accurately as they...

Students make a pinhole viewer to demonstrate how it inverts light passing through it which produces inverted images.