Big Kid Science
Eclipse Classroom Activities: Cultural Significance Project
What better way to celebrate eclipses than across cultures? Explore myths of solar and lunar eclipses from ancient cultures like the Chinese, Ancient Greek, Mesoamerican, Incan, Egyptian, Ancient Babylonian, and Middle Eastern. Learners...
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Technology of the Ancient World Lesson Plans
Technology of the ancient world lesson plans can open students' eyes to the influence of early innovations.
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Cultural Representation of Skeletons and Bones
Eighth graders study cultures and beliefs about the final life cycle. In this culture instructional activity students complete several activities on the origins of Halloween.
Ocean Explorer
Looking for Clues
Upper graders become "shipwreck detectives" by studying the debris field from a shipwreck in the Aegean Sea which took place in the 700s. A website is accessed that gives specific information about the debris field, and pairs of...
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Good Heavens
Students look at the history of science to identify some of the scientific ideas that different cultures have contributed to science throughout history. They describe using examples ideas developed by different cultures to explain the...
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Charting the Great Winds
Students examine winds and discover that, in ancient Greek cultures, they were named based on the direction from which they came. They, in groups, make a wind chart naming the winds and marking them on the chart.
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Science and Natural Philosophy Before the Seventeenth Century
Students complete a worksheet about some of the natural philosophers in history. They use graph paper and create a timeline with the dates of birth and names of a list of natural philosophers. They list four questions concerning life and...
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History of Mythology, Astronomy and Astrology
Ninth graders examine the relationships of science and technology and how it influences people's perceptions of places. In this mythology and astronomy lesson students view a PowerPoint presentation and complete a...
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Tutankhamen's Gift
Sixth graders identify the ancient "cradles of civilization." They compare cultures from different parts of the Eastern Hemisphere. Students describe various ways leaders are elected, appointed, or acquire power. They discuss ways...
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Sundials
Students investigate the different types of sundials and their history. In this shadows and time of day lesson students build their own sundials.
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This Old Ship
Junior archaeologists will be able to describe shipwreck artifacts and the information they reveal. They work in small groups to reasearch wreckage features of different period ships, making this not only a science lesson, but a social...
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My Wet Robot
After hearing about the 2006 PHAEDRA mission that explored the Aegean Sea, middle schoolers work in groups to create a robotic vehicle. They must consider power, propulsion, and other vital systems. Use the multitude of external...
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Where Am I?
Extensive background on marine navigation is provided for you as the teacher. Assign groups to research marine navigation techniques and construct astrolabes. Resource links are listed for extension ideas. If you are teaching an...
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My Friend, the Volcano
Working in cooperative groups, young scientists research and report on how undersea volcanic activity may benefit marine ecosystems. There are many links to websites that you can use to stimulate curiosity or for pupils to use for...
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The Volcano Factory
Collaborative groups work together to report on the volcanic activity leading to island formation and construct models to demonstrate the process. Consider having each group present their project to the rest of the class. There are many...
NOAA
I Can't Breathe!
The Gulf of Mexico dead zone, an area of low oxygen that kills marine life, costs the United States $82 million every year. Young scientists research anoxic ocean environments then come up with a hypothesis for the cause of the Gulf of...
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Mapping Constellations
Students become familiar with constellations. In this space science lesson, the teacher introduces constellations by showing students the star patterns and reading myths. Students, observe the stars nightly, then choose one constellation...
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I Robot, Can Do That
Students examine how underwater robots can be used to assist scientific explorations. They read and discuss an article, conduct Internet research, complete a worksheet, and present an oral report.
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Do You Have a Sinking Feeling
Students determine how marine archaeologists use historical and archaeological data to draw inferences about shipwrecks. Students plot the position of a shipwrecked vessel, and draw inferences about the shipwreck from artifacts that have...
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What's the Difference?
Students investigate volcanic processes at convergent and divergent
tectonic plate boundaries. They read and analyze diagrams, complete a worksheet, and write an essay.
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It's Written in the Stars!
Children create narrative accounts about their character traits, illustrate the constellation of each sign of the Zodiac, and write and illustrate their own creative myths about an original "Zodiac Sign". They use the computer as a...
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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.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Gems of Antiquity
The beauty of carved gemstones has captivated craftsmen, collectors, and connoisseurs since antiquity. Precious markers of culture and status, gems were sought by Greek and Roman elites, and are still valued by modern monarchs and...