Preparing for an assessment? Here's an activity that will ensure that all class members have the background knowledge they need to demonstrate their skills on a performance task related to the solar system and the tools astronomers use...

Explore what it takes to service the Hubble telescope. In the set of three activities, groups investigate several aspects of the Hubble telescope, including robotic arms used during repairs, spacesuits, and extravehicular activity (EVA)...

Use a guide that provides safe ways for viewing the eclipse with a camera or telescope. The guide also includes tips and tricks for getting the best shot using a camera phone or SLR camera. You won't wanna miss this!

Why is star gazing easy on some nights and difficult on others? Pupils aim to quantify the answer in an enlightening astronomy lesson. After collecting images from an online robotic telescope, they measure the brightness of images using...

Ahoy, matey! Peer through a special telescope to explore the persistence of vision. The telescope has only a thin strip with which to view the world, but as it scans the area, your eye and brain work together to create a complete...

The spacecraft is drifting too far off course! Two games help explain how a spacecraft can use its thrusters to maintain its position. The games have pupils be the components of vectors in order to create and counteract the...

Just when is the universe's birthdate? Pupils use previously collected spectra data to find the redshift and radial velocity of supernovas. They then calculate the distance before finally creating a Hubble diagram. Finally, individuals...

Add a little color to the universe. Learners recreate images of the galaxies using real data and Photoshop software. They display their images in a Hubble tuning fork diagram by classifying and categorizing their shapes.

Solar energy is an amazing alternative ... but, not always particularly portable! Challenge young scientists to a folding solar panel build-off with an easy-to-execute activity. Scholars brainstorm around specific design needs, construct...

Find out if it's possible to travel to the edge of the solar system. Learners use a piece of string to model the distance between planets in the solar system. They then use the distances to calculate how long it would take to travel to...

Life is only a reflection of what we allow ourselves to see. The lesson includes three experiments on light reflection, light refraction, projection, lenses, and optical systems. Each experiment builds off the ones before and...

Satellites require rockets to launch, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand them. Future engineers learn about how satellites send data to Earth and how to interpret satellite images. They see how radio waves play a role...

An activity promotes reading comprehension. Readers analyze a text of their choice while activating prior knowledge and asking and answering questions. Scholars enforce multiple strategies to improve comprehension.

How does the color of the sky change from blue to reds and oranges to black? An illuminating lesson explains how light travels through different mediums using the sun's light as an example. By examining diagrams and illustrations, pupils...

An activity boosts self-management through goal setting and reflection. Scholars choose one goal they wish to obtain by the end of the week. Participants brainstorm ways to make their goal a reality then reflect on whether or not their...

Get kids interested in stargazing with a step-by-step guide. The guide begins with the do's and don'ts, what the defines a star, and introduces a journal. The page is linked to see stars if light pollution keeps stars away in your area.

Your eye is an amazing instrument--and so is the telescope! In this activity you will compare your eye's performance with that of a MicroObservatory online telescope. By the end of this lesson you will know exactly what your telescope is...

At this site students can make their own telescope and see how it works with this experiment. Out of a light, a pair of glasses, a magnifying glass and wax paper.

An activity for making a telescope using a cardboard tube and two lenses. Accompanied by an explanation of how the telescope works, and a link to an article about lenses.

Learn all about the Hubble Telescope and obtain vital statistics at the same time. Click on links to watch different movies about the Hubble.

This hands-on astronomy activity lets learners hunt for different objects in the night sky that contribute to stellar and planetary formation, using a Treasure List. They will learn how stars and their planets form and will find objects...

Site describes how to construct a telescope and what you can do with it. Also provides a simple explanation of how telescopes work.

Directions and suggestions for making a parabolic mirror out of epoxy for use in a reflecting telescope. Links provided for sources of epoxy.

This site has an activity to make a hand-held telescope. "The Hubble Space Telescope that's orbiting Earth right now is the size of a school bus, but you can make a model of it that you can hold in your hands!"