Curated OER
A Star to Steer Her By
Students determine their latitude using a protracdtor and/or cross-staff to find the altitude of Polaris.
Curated OER
How to be a Great Navigator!
Students, through teacher lecture and class discussion, explore historical methods of navigation: dead reckoning and celestial navigation.
Mr. Roughton
Pawn Stars: Africa
What element was worth more during the growth of empires in West Africa: gold or halite? After examining various pieces of evidence of primary and secondary source documents placed around the room, your class members will each make a...
ABCya
Super Santa Junior
Can you help Santa collect all the presents in time for Christmas Eve? A fun, clicky game prompts players to get Santa through the dangerous candy canes and into the safe path of floating gifts and stars.
Curated OER
Stellar Navigation Curriculum
Students investigate the concept of star mapping and how it is used in space navigation. They conduct various activities to see the effect of mapping. Also the teacher uses models and demonstrations in order to communicate the main...
Curated OER
SkyServer Scanvenger Hunt
Students discover the variety and beauty of objects in the sky and the ability of a research telescope to obtain quantitative information about these objects. They use the SkyServer Navigation Tool to identify objects and record...
Curated OER
Navigation
Students study the basic methods for finding one's position on Earth. Latitude can be deduced from the height above the horizon of the pole star or of the noontime Sun, while longitude requires an accurate clock giving universal time.
Curated OER
Star-Spangled Banner Interview
Fourth graders, working in pairs, interview either Dr. Beanes, Francis Scott Key, or General Robert Ross about the events that led to Francis Scott Key being aboard the ship during the bombing of Fort McHenry. One person interviews the...
Curated OER
Swinging on a Star
Students explore the issues that might arise if humans were to go on an interstellar space mission. They synthesize their understanding of interstellar travel by writing scenes from a science fiction novel that would depict such a mission.
Curated OER
Remembrance of Things Past
Engage critical and social thinking by exploring the value of language and word choice. The class considers the article "The Silence of the Historic Present" and analyzes several presidential speeches. They engage in class discussion,...
Curated OER
Stars and Bars Forever?
Students investigate icons, monuments and places that serve as symbols of American history, assessing how and why the meanings of these historic symbols evolve through time to acquire new or different significance.
Curated OER
Star Politics
Students discuss the advantages of a celebrity running for a public office. After reading an article, they examine the results of the California governor recall vote. In groups, they research the aspirations and career of a celebrity...
Curated OER
Make Your Own Compass
Students explore magnetism. In this "magnets" science lesson plan, students make a compass with common household items and explain the relationship between what a compass does and the earth's magnetic fields.
Curated OER
An Introduction to the Night Sky and Movement Astronomy
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...
K12 Reader
Absolute Location
Where in the world are we? As a reading comprehension exercise, kids read a short passage about navigation using latitude and longitude, and then respond to a series of questions based on the article.
Curated OER
Azimuth and Altitude
Students use a compass and their hands to find positions of stars and planets in the night sky or of the sun during the day.
Curated OER
Student Opinion: Who Inspires You?
Inspire your class to write about role models and personal heroes with this resource from The Learning Network. Class members read a New York Times article excerpt about basketball star Jeremy Lin and how he inspired the author. After...
Curated OER
On 'Punched Out': Looking at Brain Trauma and Other Risks of Violent Sports
The tragic story of Derek Boogard, a hockey star whose sports-related brain injuries eventually lead to his death, is told through a series of videos. There are also articles that can be read. This poignant instructional activity gets...
Curated OER
Lin at Home and Abroad
What is so amazing about Jeremy Lin? Read the following New York Times article and find out. The article and 13 comprehension questions regarding this basketball super star are awaiting your eager readers.
Curated OER
Scavenger Hunt
Students study a research telescope to obtain quantitative information about these objects. They use the SkyServer Navigation Tool to identify objects and record celestial coordinates. In addition, they associate star brightness and...
Curated OER
War In Iraq Comparison
Fifth graders use the internet to research the Silver Star given to those who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Using the information, they write a short report on one of the recipients of the Silver Star. In groups, they visit a...
Curated OER
Orienteering
Young scholars study navigation skills when a compass is unavailable. They are timed as they move quickly through a predetermined arrangement of numbered traffic cones . They straddle over the cone and read the bearing found on the...
Curated OER
Seeing Stars
Students explore the history of planetariums and the features of the Hayden Planetarium as a springboard to planning, developing and displaying their own planetarium exhibits.
Curated OER
Chandra X-Ray Observatory
Students tour Chandra's top galactic X-ray images. For this Chandra X-Ray Observatory lesson, students play games and complete puzzles based on the Chandra Mission and X-Ray Astronomy. Students listen to pod casts, question an...