Fifth graders analyze the Mayan culture. In this Mayan culture lesson, 5th graders study the Mayan culture noting similarities and differences between the Mayan culture and their own. Students examine hieroglyphic writing and the Mayan...

Eighth graders explore the area of astronomy. They explore Earth's neighboring planets. Students research a planet's characteristics. They develop a scale model of the solar system and a narrative about the planets.

Learners 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...

Ninth graders investigate how ancient cultures viewed their world in terms of astronomy. They read and discuss an informational handout, construct an astrolabe, and locate stars and constellations using star charts.

Middle schoolers brainstorm about what they know about the solar system. They study a planetary fact sheet and create a Venn Diagram with the information. They work in groups to examine the names of the planets and information regarding...

Students investigate the Earth and the Moon. They select activities from a menu of options including viewing videos, drawing magnetic fields and plate tectonics, creating vocabulary flashcards, observing the phases of the moon over a...

Go on a moon mining expedition from the safety of your classroom with this space exploration simulation. Using simple models of the moon's surface prepared ahead of time by the teacher, young scientists are challenged with locating and...

Did you know every state in the U.S. has at least one observatory? During the lesson, scholars research the cost of building and maintaining an observatory. They must present their information in a proposal to build a new observatory,...

The sun isn't just a ball of yellow! Young scientists learn about the features of the sun using a hands-on modeling activity. They build models of the sun using common household items to represent sunspots, solar prominence, and the...

Students model the tilt of the Earth as it orbits the Sun. They explain the meaning and characteristics of solstices and equinoxes. They explain that sunlight hits the Earth at different angles at different locations over the course of...

Young scholars decipher two teacher chosen mystery constellations a month. They listen to stories, explain what they know about constellations and name the mystery constellation.

Students investigate the stories told by ancient cultures about the constellations. They listen to stories told by the Greeks and Romans. The classroom should have posters of constellations for the lesson plan and the teacher performs...

Third graders author a book about the universe to be shared with a younger audience. After compiling an alphabetic list of words related to the universe, 3rd graders research a definition for each word and put them in book form. Books...

Students examine blackbody radiation and light wavelengths. Students research the various types of electromagnetic spectrum. Students examine any misconceptions they may have in light.

Students explore the concept of frames of reference in physics.

Students gain an understanding of Kepler's 2nd law--that planets (and satellites) move fastest at their closest approach to the center of attraction, and slow down when far away. They explore the concepts of "potential energy" and...

Students become acquainted with linear graphs, the parabola and the rectangular hyperbola. Also prepare tables of paired values as preparation for plotting a line. They study the cartesian equation of an ellipse, with a worked example.

Students are introduced to the celestial sphere, describing its apparent rotation and the special role of the pole star.

Young scholars receive an introduction to the sundial, its design and use.

Students examine how the link between the tilt of the Earth's axis to the ecliptic and seasons of the year--length of day, effectiveness of sunlight, polar day and night, and seasons south and north of the equator, as well as near it.

Students examine how the formal definition of Newton's 3rd law: forces always originate in pairs, equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. They also examine how the informal, qualitative version: Each action has an equal and...

Students explore uniform circular motion, and the relation of its frequency of N revolutions/sec with the peripheral velocity v and with the rotation period T. They examine how uniform circular motion is a type of accelerated motion.

Students learn the concept of frames of reference in physics. They examine how two frames of reference, each moving with respect to the other with a constant velocity v (constant speed, constant direction).

High schoolers learn the basic concepts about airplane flight. They learn the reason jetliner wings are swept back and why jet engines have replaced propellers in high-speed flight.