Lesson Plan
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Deep Blue: Exploring the Deep Ocean

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students examine landforms. In this social studies lesson, students bounce a beach ball around in order to discover that seventy percent of the Earth is covered in water. Students
Lesson Plan
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Materials, Let's Do the Life Cycle

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils examine environmental and social impacts of products that consumers buy. In this environmental stewardship instructional activity, students play a game that requires them to consider real costs of products. Pupils consider the...
Lesson Plan
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Solar System Hall Model

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Not novel, but fun, this lesson gets your space science learners to model the size of the planets and the solar system along your school's hallway. Scaled measurements as well as actual distances are provided for both planet diameters...
Lesson Plan
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Tide Types

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students record hourly reading for water height for 24 hours and determine whether a location experiences diurnal, semi-diurnal or mixed tides. Links are present for the information. Students predict high and low tide, and answer a set...
Lesson Plan
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Out of This World

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders animate their own planets.  In this solar system lesson, 5th graders use smartphones and the software, GoKnow Sketchy, to create images for presentations on their created planets that appear to be animated when played...
Lesson Plan
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Our Place in Space

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders identify the different planets that make up the solar system. For this space science lesson, 3rd graders construct a scale model of the major planets. They explore their different unique features and dress up as planets.
Lesson Plan
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World In Motion Curriculum

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the night sky and its solar system. Using a Digitarium planetarium system, students observe four constellations. They discover the phases of the moon and eclipses. Students recognize the difference between normal and...
Lesson Plan
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Voyage of Discovery

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students develop a sense of the scale of our solar system by creating a one to ten billion scale model. They calculate the relative sizes and distances for the planets and asteroid belt using a guiding worksheet. To create the model they...
Lesson Plan
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You Are Here

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers determine the relative size and distance of the planets in the solar system. They use ratios in their mathematical calculations to make models of the planets after discussing the relative sizes of the planets. They keep...
Lesson Plan
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Designing "Green" to Save Our Green Planet

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students design an environmentally friendly home.  In this middle school math/science lesson, students watch videos on creating green design.  Students work in collaborative groups to determine what makes a house green and to...
Lesson Plan
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The Life Cycle of a Star

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students investigate the life cycle of a star through research. Once research is complete, students prepare posters and present findings to class. Flash animation is included to help students visualize life cycle of star researching.
Lesson Plan
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Biomes of the World (and Canada)

For Teachers 2nd - 7th
Students explore environments by analyzing food chains. For this biome identification lesson, students define a list of environmental vocabulary terms such as tundra, rain-forest and desert. Students create a fictional self sustainable...
Lesson Plan
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Galaxies Galore, Games and More

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students practice skills used in scientific investigation while studying the three main types of galaxies. Students identify Earth as part of Milky Way galaxy, the parts of galaxies, and the types of galaxies, as well as classify...
Lesson Plan
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Predicting the Future

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students examine how scientists predict the effects of global climate change. In this environmental science lesson, students participate in a discussion about using computer generated data to create climate predictions. Students examine...
Lesson Plan
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Exploring the Solar System

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students are introduced to the nine planets and countless moons of the solar system. Using the internet, they research one of the planets to determine if a manned mission to the planet would be possible. They share their information...
Lesson Plan
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Introduction to Earth's Dynamically Changing Climate

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students identify the most common causes of global warming. In this earth science instructional activity, students use an interactive website to explore changes over time in sea ice, sea level, carbon emissions, and average global...
Lesson Plan
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How Many Days Are in a Year?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students create a calendar for an imaginary planet. In this earth science lesson, students analyze the errors on the different calendars used on Earth. They present their work in class.
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Asteroids

For Teachers K - 12th
Students 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.
Lesson Plan
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How High Does the Atmosphere Go?

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students explain how relatively thin the atmosphere is, compared to the size of the planet, and determine the relative extent of the four major atmospheric layers.
Lesson Plan
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Flying Through the Solar System

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students create a model of the solar system out of candy. They write a book about their travels through the Solar System, beginning at age ten and reaching Pluto at age seventy.
Lesson Plan
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Predicting the Configuration of the Satellites of Jupiter

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students plot the positions of the planet Jupiter while predicting what the configuration system looks like from Earth. For this configuration of satellites lesson, students photograph Jupiter and its moons to record the motions of...
Lesson Plan
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Determining the Age of Fossils

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the concept of radioactive dating. In this radioactive dating lesson, students investigate how to determine the ages of fossils and rocks as they learn about half-life radioactive decay.
Lesson Plan
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Rock Around the World

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Students take pictures and write a paragraph about a rock they have found. In this rock lesson plan, students also send their information to the Mars Space Flight Facility.
Lesson Plan
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Seasons' Journey : Putting it All Together

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders complete a diagram of the revolution of the earth around the sun and write a one paragraph explanation of the factors that cause seasons.