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Comets And Meteor Showers
Students fill in a diagram of a comet. They listen to a short lecture, view flash animation descriptions of comets and meteors and then use the presented information to complete a worksheet.
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TE Activity: A Roundabout Way to Mars
Students investigate Hohmann orbit transfers using cardboard and string while focusing on the orbits of Earth and Mars. They look at the planets orbits around the sun and transfer orbit form one planet to another to determine what a...
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The Lesson: Space Exploration
Learners explore space. In this current events instructional activity, students visit selected websites to learn about NASA, Mars, the Seti Institute, and space exploration terminology. Learners make space glossaries and their own...
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What's Up?
Students compare and contrast the various heavenly bodies found in the sky at night. They identify the moon and stars in the sky as well as how the stars form pictures called constellations. Students also experiment with reflection and...
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SETI WebQuest and the Drake Equation
Students complete a WebQuest where they research the Internet for extraterrestrial intelligence. In this extraterrestrial lesson plan, students also explore how the Drake Equation can predict the occurrence of life elsewhere.
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Decoding a Mystery Message from Space
Students examine a message sent from outer space and do their best to interpret its meaning. In this problem solving lesson plan, students investigate a code sent to them from "outer space." The students collaborate with their classmates...
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Great Explorations: To the End of the Earth and Beyond
Students analyze the factors that affect exploration such as religion, trade, territorial expansion, and science. In this Great Explorations lesson, students determine the names of famous explorers as well as their routes and...
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Whose Water Is It?
Students role-play as San Francisco residents in 1908 who support or oppose the building of a dam in Yosemite National Park. They create posters and write letters to representatives defending their positions.
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Star Frames
Fourth graders study constellations. In this space science instructional activity, 4th graders discover what makes stars, how bright stars are, and why constellations were created. Students make their own constellation using Saran...
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Our Home in the Milky Way
Learners gain appreciation of the vastness of our galaxy by viewing an applet about the Milky Way. Students hypothesize about how long it would take to get from Earth to Pluto.
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The Weather Classroom: Atmosphere
Students explore the planets and their atmospheres online. They write the story of "Goldilocks and the Nine Planets" to explain how each planet's atmosphere differs from Earth's. They design a viable life form.
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The Vocabulary of Space
Students build their knowledge and understanding of vocabulary related to space. In this space lesson, students discuss four categories of words and phrases related to space.
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Last Year on Pluto
Students examine the astronomical concept of a year. They relate the passage of time on planets to historical events in the USA.
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St. Andrew Bay Story
Fourth graders produce a front page newspaper story about St. Andrew Bay (Fl) after completing a field trip to St. Andrew State Park (Fl) and viewing two videos about the bay system. They use a word processing computer program to...
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Shine On, Moon
Students explore space science by conducting an experiment in class. In this Moon instructional activity, students define a list of space science vocabulary and read the book The Moon. Students utilize shoeboxes and string to conduct a...
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Mission Planning: Earth/Mars Comparisons
Students compare and contrast conditions on Mars to those on our own planet, specifically, their local or regional environments. The physical characteristics, the atmosphere, and other astronomical data is considered.
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Moon, Mars, and Beyond-Mission Briefing
Students complete this introductory lesson in which they find out about the scenario for a simulated online space mission. They review vocabulary and complete a review sheet to reinforce the details of the mission and its goals.
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Earth to Saturn, Earth to Saturn!
Students compare and contrast the characteristics of Earth and Saturn. They practice writing analogies using those characteristics. They complete a worksheet to end the lesson.
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Taking Risks: Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Students discuss a video about drug and alcohol abuse and their connection to risk-taking. They answer questions on a risk factor sheet about the use of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol. They discuss long and short term goals and how not...
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Physical Science Project-Atom
Fifth graders investigate atoms. In this atom lesson, 5th graders investigate the parts of an atom. Students explore atom numbers and determine the number of electrons is in each atom.
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The Path of the Sun, the Ecliptic
Students are introduced to the ecliptic, the zodiac and the apparent motions of the Sun, Moon and planets across the sky.
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Stink-O-Rama
Students participate in activities that require them to follow clues. In this clues lesson, students do different activities that involve looking and thinking about clues to get them to their answer.
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Soil Comparison and Analysis
Students perform tests on different soil samples. In this earth science lesson, students classify the soil into groups according to test results. They write a lab report following a certain criteria.
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Astronomical Scales
Pupils 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...