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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Navigation in the Ancient Mediterranean and Beyond

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
Ancient texts, like Homer's Odyssey, mentions navigating ships by observing constellations.Ā Pupils learn about the link between history and astronomy as they relate to navigation in the Bronze Age. Scholars complete two hands-on...
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PPT
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Curated OER

Ancient River Valley Civilizations

For Students 7th - 9th Standards
Ziggurats, cuneiform writing, the Tower of Babel, hieroglyphics, pyramids, the Great Wall. Launch a unit on ancient cultures, with a presentation that introduces viewers to ancient Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Sumer, Egypt, Indus, and China....
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

What is Astronomy?

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Go study the universe. Pupils learn seven aspects about astronomy and astronomers. They begin to learn about constellations; distance and motion between objects; gravity; the electromagnetic spectrum; dark matter and energy; and teams of...
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PPT
Curated OER

Astronomy - Ancient Philosophies

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Combine science and social studies with this collection of notes on ancient astronomy. Ideas propagated by early scientists influenced the way people viewed life and our place in the universe. Examine the philosophies of Aristotle,...
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Navigating with the Kamal

For Teachers 8th - 11th Standards
Historians have proven that as early as 1497 skilled navigators were using a kamal to sail across oceans. Scholars learn about navigation tools and astronomy before building their own kamals. They then learn how to use it to determine...
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Lesson Plan
American Institute of Physics

African Americans in Astronomy and Astrophysics

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
A two-part lesson focuses on the contributions to the fields of astronomy and astrophysics of two African Americans: Benjamin Banneker and Dr. George Carruthers. In part one, scholars learn about Benjamin Banneker by examining his...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sky Watchers: Ancient Astronomers

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars close their eyes and picture the sky. They are asked to brainstorm things they may see in the course of a night and day, such as the movement of the sun, moon, and stars. Students work in groups to coduct their research....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Time Line of Astronomy Events and Discoveries

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students work in groups to present a segment of a timeline of events and discoveries in astronomy. In this astronomy lesson plan, students teach their classmates about their section of the timeline.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Introduction to the Night Sky and Movement Astronomy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Basically, this is an interactive exploration of educational astronomy software and an app. Young astronomers discover how the apparent motion of the sky relates to Earth's movements and the position of the observer. It is out of this...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

20th-Century Astronomy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine and explain how the distance to nearby stars can be measured by the parallax method, discuss the role of women in the history of American astronomy, form their own opinions of the importance of Harlow Shapley and Edwin...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History of Astronomy

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students participate in assessments regarding the history of astronomy. They listen and take notes, draw a time line, draw a solar sytem designed by Ptolemy and create flashcards. They write an essay on Galileo, watch a video, take a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mathematics at the Frontier of Astronomy

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners 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
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Curated OER

Exploring the Sky: Reading Maria's Comet

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

The Sun Compass of the Vikings

For Teachers 7th - 10th Standards
Evidence shows the Vikings likely navigated by using a simple sundial to find their course. Videos, a short story, and discussion help bring this time period to life as they study European history with a hands-on experiment. Scholars...
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PPT
Glynn County School System

Light, History, Gravity, Distance, Relativity, and Space-Time

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Let the star's color be the guide! The color of a star indicates its temperature and its mass and distance affect the gravitational force. The lesson presentations address these concepts as well as how the theory of special relativity...
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Activity
Las Cumbres Observatory

Measure the Age of Ancient Cosmic Explosions

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Supernova explosions mark the end of a star's life. Guide the class through an investigation that uses data to calculate the age of a supernova remnant. Using provided data and online software, they analyze data to determine the radius...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History of Saturn Discoveries

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students interpret how scientists have explored Saturn. In this NASA based astronomy lesson, students create a timeline depicting the study of Saturn from 1610 until 2010. Each student will write a letter to Galileo discussing how the...
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Lesson Plan
NASA

Let's Investigate Mars

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Take your science class on a hypothetical field trip to Mars with anĀ engaging astronomy lesson. After first learning about NASA's Mars rover missions, young scientists plan their own scientificĀ investigationsĀ of Earth's nearest neighbor.
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Activity
It's About Time

The History and Scale of the Solar System

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Take scientists beyond our earthly reach and into the solar system. Pupils create a model of the solar system and discuss strengths and weaknesses of their model. They calculate distances in light years, discuss the nebular theory, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Do We Know?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the history of astronomy and how the study of constellations has evolved since the dawn of ancient civilization. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The teacher uses demonstrations to model how the...
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Lesson Plan
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University of Colorado

Astro-Chronology

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Class members play a version of the game Chronology to determine when certain scientific events occurred in history. Teams play until someone has 5-10 events in the correct order.
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Britannia Rule the Waves

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
Could you determine longitude based on measuring time? Early explorers used a longitude clock to do just that. Scholars learn about early exploration and the importance of the invention of the clock. Then pupils build their own longitude...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Observing the Sky

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore astronomy. In this astronomy lesson, students discuss the history of the movement of celestial bodies and then communicate with other middle schoolers regarding the movements that they observe in the sky nightly....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Three D Constellations

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students address a major misconception in astronomy, the understanding of scale. The lesson is designed to introduce students to both celestial coordinates and to the first rung on the distance determination ladder, parallax.

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