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Our Solar System
Students explore the solar system on the internet and video programs. They investigate the names of each planet and their places in the solar system. They chose their favorite planet and design an advertisement to sell a vacation to...
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Asteroids
Young scholars examine the different types of asteroids and how they enter the atmosphere. In this space lesson students use mashed potatoes to create an asteroid they can eat.
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Gross Motor Development
Fourth graders participate in a game reflecting the solar system, stars, and rockets. They simulate how space invaders move and hit stars and rockets. They discuss how scientists study the stars and planets.
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Behind the Mission To Mercury
Students assess the goals, benefits, success, and limitations of technology (instruments) on a space mission.
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Earth
Fourth graders have a spatial awareness of the plants by orally discussing what they saw after they stepped out the model of the solar system. They recognize the similarities and differences between Earth and the other planets by being...
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Star Child Astronomy
Students gain understanding of the relationship of Earth within the Solar System. They increase knowlegde of the planets, sun, moon, meteoroids, asteroids and comets.
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"Oh Deer!"
Students play a game where half of them are deer and the others are components of habitat: food, water, shelter and space. They signify their needs by hand gestures and take what they need to their side of the game. They discuss real...
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Earth, Moon, Mars Balloons
Students demonstrate size and orbits of Earth, Moon, and Mars. For this space science lesson plan, students will use balloons to show how the size and distance between the planets and satellite compare.
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Types of Galaxies
Eighth graders take a quiz to review the different objects in space. As a class, they define terms related to galaxies. In groups, they make a model of the Milky Way galaxy using materials provided to them by their teacher. To end the...
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Beyond The Earth Part I
Students explore the solar system. In this space science lesson plan, students take notes on the solar system provided by their instructors. Students then collaborate to design a computer-generated drawing of the solar system.
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Solar Relatives
Students examine the solar system by creating a model representation. In this space science lesson, students research our solar system and the distances between planets. Students create a model solar system in their gymnasium...
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The First Manned Mission To Mars
High schoolers plan the first manned mission to Mars. They discuss, in small groups, some of the information that the group might have heard regarding the red planet and decide which types of occupations should be included in a crew for...
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Habitat Mural
Young scholars build a collage of an ecosystem. The goal is for them to understand interactions in a community, plant and animal adaptations, and how all life depends on plants. This activity is based on Wump World and students describe...
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Antarctica
Students explore why Antarctica is so important to the planet. They investigate the physical characteristics. Students create their own unique treaty of governance for Antarctica and discuss how laws are enforced in Antarctica.
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Earth and Beyond!
High schoolers investigate one or more of the following topics and develop a plan for the future regarding it: global warming, lunar exploration, space travel, Mars exploration, or terraforming. They disucss the audio files and the...
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Exploring the Constellations, a WebQuest Activity
Young scholars explore space science by participating in a class WebQuest. In this constellation identification lesson, students view star charts based on the four seasons and identify the changes our sky goes through in the course of 12...
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Sky Pictures
Students investigate constellations. In this space science lesson plan, students view transparencies of constellations and identify the zodiac constellations. Students research the legends connected with the constellations.
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Properties of Air
Students conduct investigations to demonstrate and learn that air takes up space, and puts pressure, or pushes, on everything around it. They conduct experiments to learn about feeling air pressure and measuring air pressure. Prior to...
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An Invisible Pull
Fifth graders explain why objects thrown upward falls back to Earth. In this earth science lesson plan, 5th graders identify the forces acting on objects. They discuss why planets do not float in space.
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Earth and Sun's Distance
Students consider the shape of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. They view the first segment of Science Court video and use Timeliner software to construct a scale of the distance between the Earth and the Sun.
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Global Climate Change
Second graders investigate the effect of melting glaciers to sea level. In this earth science lesson, 2nd graders simulate the process in the lab by conducting an experiment using ice cubes and clay. They explain the consequences of...
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Star Frames
Fourth graders study constellations. In this space science lesson, 4th graders discover what makes stars, how bright stars are, and why constellations were created. Students make their own constellation using Saran Wrap and a frame.
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Making a Crater
Students examine the characteristics of craters. In this crater lesson, students discover how meteors form craters on planets and moons as they make their own craters and respond to observational questions regarding the...
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Rock Around the World
Students take pictures and write a paragraph about a rock they have found. For this rock lesson plan, students also send their information to the Mars Space Flight Facility.