Curated OER
Labs from YSI 95: Telescopes
Students build a telescope and give quantification of its magnification and field of view while making observations regarding images. In this telescope activity, students use a simple lens to project a scene and examine various telescope...
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Sky Watching
Students explain how our knowledge of the sky has been enhanced by telescopes. They make their own night-sky observations, diagram and describe what they see, and examine pictures taken by telescopes.
Science Friday
Pinhole Viewer
Take a peep into optics. Pupils watch a video about a large Polaroid camera before building pinhole viewers. The scholars then create different types of viewers and compare them to determine which provides the best image.
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The KAO 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.
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Sky Watching
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...
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Sky Quest: Exploring the Constellations
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...
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Algebra: Mirror, Mirror on the Universe
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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Galactic Inquiry
High schoolers view NASA images of galaxies and develop a galaxy classification scheme. They compare and contrast their classification scheme with that developed by Edwin Hubble. They recognize that galaxies are collections of billions...
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Compare Topography of Earth and Mars with a Worldwide Telescope
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.
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "In the Next Galaxy" by Ruth Stone
Imagine what life might be like in a different galaxy. That's the challenge young scientists take on in a warm-up activity designed to prepare them for a close reading of Ruth Stone's poem "In the Next Galaxy." After class members share...
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Sky Quest
Learners identify constellations in the evening sky. In this Sky Quest lesson, students create their own star patterns using a star map worksheet. Learners explain how different celestial bodies in space are viewed through a telescope.
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Investigating the Dynamic Martian Polar Caps
Students download NASA Hubble Space Telescope images of the Martian polar ice caps in summer and winter, and measure and compare various images of the changing Martian and Earth polar ice caps.
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Sky Watching
Learners examine telescopes and understand how they have helped us better understand the sky. For this astronomy lesson students complete a worksheet and a lab activity.
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To Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before
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...
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Seeing Interference Fringes with a Telescope
Students 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.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Galileo: Revealing the Universe
To gain an understanding of the significance of Galileo Galilei's revolutionary ideas, class members watch the short video "Stargazing Before Galileo," and conduct a close reading of Galileo's Sidereal Messsenger. They then...
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What are Metamorphic Rocks and How are They Formed?
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...
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Scale/Ratio
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...
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See the Stars
Students explore the nighttime sky. In this space science lesson, students read the book Maria's Comet and and investigate the sky using their naked eyes. Students compare the view of their naked eyes to the view of a telescope.
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Volcanoes in Space
Students research volcanoes on the Internet to compare/contrast the volcanoes on Earth to the ones found on Io, a moon of Jupiter. Students list the similarities and differences in science journals, and illustrate pictures of the volcanoes.
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Christopher Columbus
Help first graders gain an understanding of the beginnings of our nation by learning more about Christopher Columbus. They begin by listening to a read aloud of Christopher Columbus and His Voyage to the New World (another title...
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Magnify It!
Students view objects of various sizes from several viewing distances to discover that their visual field is limited. They record what they see and compare their observations with classmates. They conduct more structured experiments.
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FOLLOW THAT WATER
Learners 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...
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Planets in Proportion
Students 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 units...