Jewels of the Night The Jewels of the Night is a hands-on, teacher-tested activity for middle school and older students. Students measure the color and brightness of stars in the Jewelbox Cluster from a color image. They determine the age of the cluster by plotting their measurements in a color-brightness diagram. The activity develops classification and graphing skills and fosters observation, communication, and cooperative learning skills. The activity is designed to be printed for use in the classroom. The Jewels of the Night activity was developed by NOAO astronomers working together with Tucson teachers. National Optical Astronomy Observatories, 950 North Cherry Avenue, P.O.
Why Should We Care About Exploding Stars? Why Should We Care About Exploding Stars? Activity Corner Astronomy in the Marketplace by Dennis Schatz, Pacific Science Center The allure of astronomy is so strong that many companies have named products after astronomical objects. Objectives 1. Projects 1. Automobiles: Ford Taurus, Mercury Comet, Dodge Aries, Ford Galaxie, GM Astrovan, Nissan Pulsar, Toyota Corona, Chevy Nova, and Subaru (which means Pleiades in Japanese; the Subaru logo at the front of each car actually shows a number of the stars in the Pleiades star cluster.) Other Products: Comet cleanser, Milky Way and Mars candy bars, Pulsar watches, Quasar televisions, and Galaxy carpets (with a spiral galaxy as a logo). 2. 3. 4. You might note that astronomers themselves have chuckled about these product names over the years. (c) 1987 Dennis Schatz Dennis Schatz is the Associate Director of the Pacific Science Center in Seattle and is the leader of the A.S.P.' Resource Corner Supernovae For more background information on supernovae, see:
Exercises Using the SalsaJ software (download here), students and teachers can make the Universe their laboratory. The hands-on exercises below are designed to allow students to use real astronomical data to find a new planet, explore volcanos on the moons of Jupiter, classify stars, or weigh a galaxy! Each exercise comes complete with real astronomical data and detailed instructions for how to display, analyze, and interpret the data using the SalsaJ software. This software is free, and is multi-platform and multi-lingual (languages supported include English, French, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Greek, Portuguese, Swedish, Northern Sami, Arabic, and Chinese). At your convenience, a single package containing all the data and files (but not the guides!) Simply download the software, choose an exercise and you are ready to explore the Universe!
STEM Lesson Plans | Mars Education The Mars Education lesson plans section is here to serve as a resource for educators, grades K-12 to download and utilize in formal classroom settings. These lessons are free and made to be fully accessible and downloadable PDF documents that can be saved or printed. All of the Mars Education Program lesson plans include elements of inquiry-based learning that are aligned to the National Science Education Standards, Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards as well as problem-based learning and the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) 5-E instructional model. The STEM lessons included in this section of the website are the very lessons that we apply throughout our educator conferences and professional development training sessions. For questions on the Mars Education Lessons please contact us.
Paul Elliott's WebQuest | Introduction | Task | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion | Notes to Teachers | Introduction Even with the best of planning structural failures can occur. Check out the video clip and photos of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster. Click for Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse Task Have you wondered why this WebQuest is called "Spaghetti EarthQuake? Process Select an individual from your team to fulfill each of the following roles: Architect (responsible for making an architectural drawing of structure) Treasurer (responsible for financial matters for the team) Technology Director (responsible for collecting / presenting internet research data) Project Manager (responsible for obtaining / managing building materials and clean - up.) Special Note: Taking on any of the roles above does not mean that you do all of the work. 2. Special Note: You must provide the name(s) or URL's of the websites that you visited in your final presentation. 3. 4. Insurance Restrictions: 5. 6. Resources 3. 1.
The Universe at Your Fingertips 2.0 DVD-ROM: AstroShop A Collection of Activities and Resources for Teaching Astronomy (on a DVD-ROM) Edited by Andrew FraknoiPublished by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific Wholesale and international orders please contact service {at} astrosociety.org or call customer service at 1-800-335-2624. This DVD-ROM is the most comprehensive resource and activity guide for teaching basic concepts and activities in space science ever published. 133 field-tested hands-on activities, from programs and projects around the US,17 topical guides to to the best sources of information in print and on the web,52 background articles on astronomy and education,12 short videos with instructions for doing some of the most often-used activities, and10 recommended sequences of activities to help students learn some of the topics most often found in the K-12 curriculum. Themes and topics include: Click here for the full table of contents (pdf file).
Lesson Plan: Global Warming . NOW Is human activity bringing about alarming global warming scenarios and related catastrophes? Or is such thinking a myth brought about by flawed or incomplete science? Finding the answers to these questions has turned global warming into a highly politicized and contentious issue. Use the NOW Classroom standards-linked lesson on global warming to help students research and form credible opinions. This lesson is designed for social studies, debate, language arts, government/citizenship, and current events classes, grades 9-12. » View the full lesson plan [pdf] Also feel free to show NOW on PBS programs related to global warming to inspire discussion, critical thinking, and debate. Visit NOW Classroom for more skill-based teaching materials that allow you to choose your own NOW programs. Other NOW resources Quiz: Energy Efficiency Take our quiz to find out what you can do to make your life more energy efficient.
Astrobiobound | Mars Education Astrobiobound! NEW - NGSS and CCSS Designed and Aligned! Students learn systems engineering by engaging in a mission planning simulation that mirrors the search for life in our solar system. Students create a mission that has to balance the return of science data with mission limitations such as power, mass and budget. In this advanced and exciting activity, students in grades 3-12 will become NASA project managers and have the opportunity to plan their own NASA mission. The NASA App for Smartphones and Tablets Application Description The NASA App showcases a huge collection of the latest NASA content, including images, videos on-demand, NASA Television, mission information, news & feature stories, latest tweets, ISS sighting opportunities, satellite tracking, Third Rock Radio and much more. The NASA App is available free of charge on the iOS App Store from Apple or on Google Play for Android. Features › Get the NASA App for iOS on the App Store → › Get the NASA App for Android on Google Play →
Seeing in the Dark . For Teachers When kids are asked for their favorite topics in science, astronomy (along with dinosaurs) is always high on the list. As a "gateway" to science education, astronomy is essential to the curriculum in many states and school districts. But even where astronomy is not required, it can often be a wonderful way to approach required science principles and ideas. As you explore the Seeing in the Dark website, be sure to take a look at the how-to videos for stargazing, print out a custom star chart of the night sky where you live, and read and watch special effects videos of fascinating astronomy topics. An enormous amount of research has been done during the last few decades on how students learn most effectively, and the consensus is that doing activities and discovering ideas on your own is far better than passive listening. You can also find great astronomy related activities in the PBS Teachers website. Seeing in the Dark Activities Other Activities on the Web Constellations and the Night Sky
Stellarium