Sunspots, solar flares, coronal mass ejections ... why is the sun so stirred up? Scholars watch animations of the interaction between moving plasma and magnetic fields and discuss the sun's behavior. The activity, part of NOVA's sun unit, contains printables and teaching tips.

Concepts

the sun, plasma, magnetic fields, magnetic poles, coronal mass ejections, solar flares, sunspots

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Launch a solar storms lesson with the activity
• Introduce pupils to the solar weather forecast by showing them the official website
  

Classroom Considerations

• Consider stopping the video at key places and having the class answer the discussion questions as they come up
  

Pros

• Helpful animations illustrate how the sun's magnetic field influences the solar cycle
• The discussion questions help show the link between magnetic fluctuations and solar activity
  

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.6.2 SL.7.2 SL.9-10.2