Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tracking Satellites Using Latitude and Longitude

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students, viewing an Internet site, plot the path of several satellites using latitude and longitude over the course of an hour. They learn the four basic types of satellites and their purpose.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sweet Candy Comets

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders use candy to make a comet. In this instructional activity, 4th graders examine the role comets have played throughout history, students watch NASA videos about comets and complete the instructional activity by making an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sucking Students into an Understanding of Air Pressure and Vacuums

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students develop and test their ideas about air pressure and vacuums by conducting several investigations into the movement of fluids in tubes.
Lesson Plan
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How Old Is Mike?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars examine the absolute dating of fossils, they use a list of names and ages to determine the difference between relative age and absolute age. They explore the relative age and absolute age of people and of fossils.
Lesson Plan
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Volcanoes in Space

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Pupils research volcanoes on the Internet to compare/contrast the volcanoes on Earth to the ones found on Io, a moon of Jupiter. Students list the similarities and differences in science journals, and illustrate pictures of the volcanoes.
Lesson Plan
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Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Fact Sheet

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
In this space worksheet, students will read facts about Mars and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Students will also find 24 space related words in a word search.
Lesson Plan
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Mission Planning: Geography

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students investigate the use of latitude and longitude to locate specific locations on Earth and evaluate that location as a potential landing site for researchers, terrestrial or alien space missions.
Lesson Plan
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Mars

For Teachers 1st
First graders listen as the teacher reads a copy of the WEEKLY READER that talks about Mars and ask questions accordingly. They again listen as a section about Earth is read from the magazine. Now, the class orally compare and contrast...
Lesson Plan
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Oceans

For Teachers 1st
First graders recognize that nearly three quarters of the Earth is covered by ocean. They locate the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Antarctic oceans on a map. They describe the difference between ocean water and fresh water.
Lesson Plan
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Kepler's Third Law

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use Kepler's third law to derive the velocity in a circular orbit of any radius, and identify the Earth escape velocity.
Lesson Plan
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Sedimentary Structures- An Adventure in Painting and Collage

For Teachers K - 6th
Students identify and interpret concepts about how the Earth was formed and convey some of these ideas in a painting. Students experiment with different types of paints and paint applicators to achieve a variety of visual textures....
Lesson Plan
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Roaming Biomes

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Students use the Internet to research the capabilities of earth-observation satellites. Using the information, they write a report on how remote-sensing technology is used to measure the impact of climate change. They identify the...
Lesson Plan
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Animating Motion

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Learners apply what they recall about objects in motion by animati ng sequences of pictures that model a set of physical conditions. They animate the orbital motions of the Earth, the space shuttle, and the Moon based on calculations of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Glaciers and How They Form lands

For Teachers 4th
As a whole class, the students define glacier and perform an experiment involving glaciers. The students brainstorm ideas of what a glacier is, and narrow the ideas down to a definition. The students then participate in an activity that...
Lesson Plan
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Dig This

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore the work of paleontologists and the life of dinosaurs and create a sculpture of the bones of a Stegosaurus. The sculpture was then buried and used by other classes for a dig.
Lesson Plan
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Weights of Objects

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students differentiate between the weights of an object on different planets. In this geometry lesson, students investigate different weights and graph their results as it relates to the different planets. They appreciate the design of...
Lesson Plan
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Land of Plenty, Land of Want

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students view a video about the state of the environment. They discover the topic of sustainable agriculture. They identify problems and how to solve them.
Lesson Plan
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Spacing Out

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore environmental and geological conditions on other planets in our solar system, comparing their findings to information about Earth. They propose technologies that might assist in supporting human life on those planets.
Lesson Plan
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Creating Craters

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars explore parts of an impact crater and compare and contrast craters found in Earth, the Moon, and Mars. Crater formation is modelled and the relationship of mass, velocity, and size of the projectile to the crater formation...
Lesson Plan
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Environment: Rivers of Destiny

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students investigate the results of human intervention with the Mekong. Mississippi, and Amazon rivers. After watching a video about the status of the three rivers, they complete experiments demonstrating the effects of erosion and...
Lesson Plan
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Solar Matters II

For Teachers 4th - 11th
Students research solar energy. In this solar energy activity, students construct a KWL chart and research solar energy through various websites and related readings. Students complete a science journal page as an assessment.
Lesson Plan
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Study of Fossils

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders dig for fossils. In this fossil lesson, 5th graders read about the oldest found fossils and discuss the process of fossilization. They dig for their own fossils in a fossil box made of several dirt layers. 
Lesson Plan
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Life Underground

For Teachers 1st
First graders build a terrarium in order to observe animal and plant life dynamics. In this biology lesson, 1st graders compare how organisms survive in different environments. They write their observations and analysis in their journal.
Lesson Plan
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Astronomy Merit Badge

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore astronomy through the Starry Night Constellation Adventure software. They print star charts and identify constellations. They sketch the Big Dipper and describe the Milky Way. They list the five most visible planets and...