Astronomy
This topic is broken into units to help in formulating cohesive, effective lessons. Clicking on each unit title below will display appropriate activities, lesson plans, or labs.
Unit materials are a subset of all possible materials available for this topic, selected especially with the new physics teacher in mind. You may instead browse all materials for this topic here .
Physical Sciences K-8 Astronomy Units
Astronomy (literally, "law of the stars") is the science of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the Earth's atmosphere, such as stars, planets, comets, galaxies, and cosmic background radiation. It describes the physical and chemical properties of celestial objects with calculations of their motions. Astronomical observations provide essential information for the verification of fundamental theories in physics and to explain astronomical phenomena.
Lesson Plans:
Activities to do in thhe physical science classroom
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How to measure mass in a weightless environment
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Activities:
A unique method to gauge and evaluate astronomical distances
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Hands-on activity that shows the scope and shape of the magnetosphere
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This java applet models the motion of planets in the solar system, demonstrating Kepler's Second Law.
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This website is a NASA-sponsored learning center for Grades 1-9. Included are materials about the solar system, the Milky Way galaxy, and extra-galactic astronomy. Materials are divided into two levels: K-8 and high school physical science.
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Studies document the difficulty elementary school children have understanding why days and nights vary in length and why the seasons change. In this inquiry-based activity, children construct a simple sundial to track the position of the sun and measure the shadows cast by the sun's light. An explanation of the results is included along with links to a related site for further investigation.
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A terrific interactive tutorial that integrates activities, graphs, quizzes, and animations to trace a star's life from protostar stage through "old age" and death. Appropriate for grades 7-8, with teacher guidance.
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Lesson Plans:
Appreciate the origins of astronomical objects.
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Activities:
Core values: What would an apple be doing in space?
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A history and appreciation of the development of calendars
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References and Collections:
How teachers are facilitating teaching strategies and leading innovation in science teaching
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Content Support For Teachers:
Student Tutorials:
Lesson Plans:
More than 20 interactive Java science labs for grades 6-9 with downloadable simulations. Half of the simulations are related to Astronomy and half pertain to general topics in physical science. Each interactive lab is attractive and fun, yet mentally challenging for adolescents. Materials include complete lesson plans which were authored collaboratively by teachers and research scientists.
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References and Collections:
K-12 classroom activities and educational resources on infrared astronomy. Sponsored by NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, find lesson plans for elementary and secondary teachers, games, image sets and videos of infrared and UV phenomena.
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This web site exists to engage students at all levels in NASA's missions of discovery and to help educators gain access to the products and practitioners of NASA research. JPL education resources are organized by grade level for K-12 teachers and learners. There is a wealth of information and activities about the Earth, solar systems, stars and galaxies.
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See virtual images of each planet and its moons as seen from Earth, the Sun, or from any other planet in the solar system. Time parameters may be set from 1990-2025 to enable virtual viewing at certain dates.
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This comprehensive NASA website, intended for grade 7-12 teachers and learners, explores the evolution of the universe. Included are many creative resources, such as "Ask an Astrophysicist", "You Be the Astrophysicist", "Satellite Showcase", and the Cosmic Times newsletter.
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Lesson Plans:
In this middle school lesson plan, students use colored pencils, adding machine tape, and file folders to create their own electromagnetic spectrum and analyze how wavelength and frequency are related. An online student tutorial on the same subject can be linked below in the Student Tutorial section.
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Here are ten standards-aligned lesson plans developed for grades 7-12 on space science and the evolution of the universe. Some are specifically designed for middle school, including Electromagnetic Spectrum and satellite data analysis.
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Activities:
Full lesson plan for middle school science and math that helps students construct an understanding of the vast scale of the universe.
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References and Collections:
A comprehensive set of images of all the planets with accompanying video, statistics, and NASA exploration information. Appropriate for middle school. The images would be enriching for an upper elementary classroom.
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Student Tutorials:
A fun and readable tutorial on the electromagnetic spectrum appropriate for middle school students. It was also developed by the Imagine the Universe project through NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Try using this with the lesson plan above: "What's The Frequency, Roy B. Giv?"
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Three simple and engaging animations with kid-friendly explanations of Kepler's Laws. Appropriate for middle school classrooms with teacher guidance.
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