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Earth
First graders define what a planet is and study the planet earth. They examine the effects of the sun on the earth and make a model.
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Sun too close? We'll just change Earth's orbit
Pupils study an article and discuss what would happen if the Earth's orbit changed. In this Earth's orbit lesson students answer a list of questions and complete an activity.
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Earth's Place in the Solar System
Students study and discuss the planets. They create a visual representation of the layout of the solar system and color it. They also write an informative/narrative summary report on the cultural relevance of the Sun.
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Where Does Earth's Heat Come From?
Students try to determine how the Earth is heated by the sun and other sources. In groups, they identify the other sources of energy and discover why different parts of the world are heated differently during the year. They complete an...
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The Tilting Earth
Fourth graders use a styrofoam ball on a stick to represent earth and a light bulb in the center of the room to represent the sun. They walk around the light, holding their sticks at an angle to show the tilt of the earth's axis. They...
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Parametric Functions and Substitutions
For this solar winds activity, students determine the strength of magnetic storms in terms of the size of the change they make in the Earth's magnetic field. This worksheet has 3 problems to solve.
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Don't Marry the Mole!
Third graders examine the power of solar energy. In groups, they create their own pizza box solar oven to discover the power of the sun and how it is a source for heat and light. To end the lesson, they use the internet to examine...
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Measuring the Diameter of Our Star
Students conduct an experiment to measure the diameter of the sun. In this astronomy lesson, students construct a simple equipment to collect scientific data. They calculate the sun's diameter using a given formula.
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Earth/Globe (poles & equator)
First graders create his/her own paper mache earth and label the poles and equator. The land masses can be added and labeling of specific bodies of water. The paper mache earth can then be used to discuss the sun, moon, and the earth and...
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Unit VIII: Worksheet 3 - Central Force
Beginning physicists imagine being aerospace engineers by solving seven centripetal force problems. They calculate the work, speed, time, and acceleration of objects in orbit: a satellite around Earth, and Earth around the sun. This is a...
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Scientific Notation
Review conversion of decimal numbers into SN form with these examples of common astronomical applications and quantities. Young learners rewrite those numbers with scientific notation and with the correct units. The answers are available...
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Fast Fact-Finding
Ever wonder why the sky changes color so often? Readers examine an informational excerpt from John Farndon's How the Earth Works. They underline key points as they read and then answer five response questions. Prompts review main...
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Solar System Lab
In this solar system worksheet, 8th graders make a scale model of the solar system, answer 5 questions and write a conclusion.
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Hello, Is Anybody Out There? (cont.)
In this space science worksheet, students read an informative passage about radio waves and the possibility of sending messages in space. The passage describes a "Sounds of Earth" record on the Voyager satellite which contains messages...
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Water Conservation
Open learners' eyes to the challenge of finding safe drinking water – something we often take for granted in our country. The PowerPoint presentation includes images, graphs, diagrams, and even a video to stimulate discussion on how we...
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It's A Meteor
Students complete a webquest to find Earth's relationship to the sun. In this webquest lesson, students complete tasks to understand the effect of the sun on weather and time. Students create a multimedia presentation as an...
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Circle of Life
Here is a well-designed science lesson plan that shows learners that everything that organisms do in ecosystems, including running, breathing, burrowing, growing, requires energy. After a thorough discussion of their own eating and...
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Exploring Mars
Students, working in small groups construct scale models of the planets and solar system. They examine images of Mars and discuss what might have caused the features. They record facts about their planetary research in their journals and...
Colorado State University
Can Energy Be Created or Destroyed?
Energy doesn't come out of nowhere! An engaging lesson has learners investigate energy as it transforms from one type to another. They collect data to prove that energy is not lost as it changes.
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Sky Watching
Students explain how our knowledge of the sky has been enhanced by telescopes. They make their own night-sky observations, diagram and describe what they see, and examine pictures taken by telescopes.
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Season Tiles: Ceramics Lesson
Each color holds its own feeling and these feelings are used to describe the four seasons. Youngsters create a color palate based on the four seasons, assigning various colors to each season. They each create four clay tiles, painting...
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Space Science: Adventure is Waiting
These full-color handouts feature two activities. The first is a reading on comets, meteors, and meteoroids. Your space science learners will examine ten phrases and determine which of the three each characterizes. The second activity...
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Classroom Planetarium
Learners work in groups to create the planets of the solar system. For this planets lesson, students create a hanging solar system taking into account the size, shape and position of the planets. Learners discuss the gravity...
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Plate Tectonic Cycle
Students explore the Earth's movements by completing worksheets. In this plate tectonics lesson, students define such natural disasters as volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and mudslides and discuss their connections to plate tectonics....