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Mathematics at the Frontier of Astronomy

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the different types of measurements used in astronomy. In this space science lesson, students explain the relationship between planets' orbits and distance from the sun using Kepler's Laws. They discuss how math aides in...
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Lesson Plan
Voyage Solar System

Round and Round We Go — Exploring Orbits in the Solar System

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Math and science come together in this cross-curricular astronomy lesson plan on planetary motion. Starting off with a hands-on activity that engages the class in exploring the geometry of circles and ellipses, this lesson plan then...
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Curated OER

Exploring the Sky: Reading Maria's Comet

For Teachers K - 4th
Discover the science behind astronomy. After reading the book Maria's Comet, which is about a young woman who breaks new ground by becoming a female astronomer, young learners practice reading comprehension with worksheet questions about...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Orbital Dynamic Variables are Responsible for Earth's Weather?

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students explore the changing of the seasons. In this astronomy and seasons lesson, students construct a model of the revolution of the sun and the moon. Students compare the recorded solstice/equinox orbital positions and explain the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Sky Clock

For Teachers 4th - 8th
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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Curated OER

OUT OF THIS WORLD AND INTO OUR CLASSROOM

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners create projects on Astronomy using math concepts and use of Internet resources.
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Curated OER

And a Star to Steer Her By: A Field Trip Guide for the Planetarium Show

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
In this field trip study guide for the planetarium show lesson, young scholars construct a model of the Earth and describe the relative positions of the continents using latitude and longitude. Students construct a star chart to find...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Expanding Universe

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students explore the expanding universe.  In this science lesson, students use balloons to model the expansion of the universe. Students take measurements of the balloon expansion and answer questions directed to develop their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Kepler And His Laws

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students engage in an overview of the story of Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler, and of Kepler's laws. Each of Kepler's laws be studied separately in more detail in later lessons. They examine Kepler's 3rd law.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Distance in Space

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore space science by measuring distances between planets. In this solar system instructional activity, 6th graders view a Bill Nye video and discover the conversion between the metric system and imperial measuring...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Algebra: Mirror, Mirror on the Universe

For Teachers 6th - 9th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Kepler's Second Law

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Graphs And Ellipses

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Astronomical Scales

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students describe the different units of measurement. In this space science lesson, students calculate astronomical distances using a scale. They explain the significance of using scientific notation in expressing very small or very...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stellar Observations

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders study the uses of spectroscopy and the operation of the Hubble space telescope.  In this astronomy instructional activity students complete a lab activity that includes graphing star color and temperature.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stars and Slopes

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students use the slopes of various curves plotted on log-log graph paper to classify stellar objects as binary stars, supernovae, or active galaxies.The data used in this lesson were obtained from X-ray astronomy satellites.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

PROBLEMS/SOLUTIONS

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students choose an interesting problem related to space travel and then design a plan to solve the problem. They present their solution to the class.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Big Bang Theory

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students will use scientific reasoning to formulate ideas about the formation of the universe using the Big Bang Theory. The use of critical thinking skills is part of the activity and the foundation of the scientific method will serve...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Solar Cycle

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students research the solar cycle. In this Science lesson, students use the internet to investigate the solar cycle. Students produce a spreadsheet and graph from the information collected.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Big Is That Star?

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Aspiring astronomers study stars. They compare stars and explain the relationship between radius, mass, and diameter. By creating a star simulation, they discover how a binary star system's orbit can cause changes in the observed...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Time That Period

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Physical science starters play with a pendulum in order to experience periodicity. Detailed procedures and a worksheet are included for day one. For day two, learners will use a graphing calculator to help them plot orbit data from a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stars and Slopes

For Teachers 10th - 12th
More of a math lesson plan than physics or space science, high schoolers take a set of data and plot it on a log-log coordinate system. The write-up for day two was never completed, but day one, "Stars and Slopes," is complex and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Get the Picture!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Astronomers practice downloading data from a high-energy satellite and translate the data into colored or shaded pixels. As a hands-on activity, they use pennies to simulate high-energy satellite data and they convert their penny...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"A Slice of the Cone"

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Here is a set of lessons that explore conics in a number of different ways. Starting with modeling how a conic is produced by the way a plane cuts the cone, to solving complex word problems, algebra learners progress through a series of...

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