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Hands-On Astronomy Activities « Astronomical Society

Hands-On Astronomy Activities « Astronomical Society
Related:  Astronomy

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.

Birthday Moons Students become familiar with lunar phases by locating and then graphing the Moon phase of their own birthdays. After listening and discussing lunar myths and legends they create their own Birthday Moon Stories. The learner will: generate a birthday moon for his/her birth date this year and the previous year using various web sites. National Mathematics Education Standards Materials and Technology Scientific Background Activity 1: Cut and paste the eight phases of the Moon. Activity 2: Use "moon cards" to enable students to become familiar with lunar phase sequences and patterns. Activity 3: Find out what the Moon looked like on each student's birthday. Activity 4: Students each draw a picture of their birthday moons on a blank card along with their birth date, year, and name of lunar phase. Activity 5: Students classify their pictures according to the Phases of the Moon. Activity 7: Students write a story about their birthday moon. 1. 2. 3. 5. 6. How many pictures are in each phase? 9.

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.

Stargazers 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).

Science Teaching Junkie: Clearest Way to Teach Moon Phases...EVER! This moon phase board was fairly easy to make. After making a run to the Dollar Tree and rummaging through our science storeroom to collect the needed supplies to make this, it was pretty inexpensive and so worth every penny! Essentially, this Moon Phase board allows students to visualize and better understand the cause of moon phases and comprehend the 2 different views that are often given on a diagram (view from space and view from the Earth). Up to this point, I've done a Lunar Lollipop Investigation, which I thought was great, but this beats it by a long shot! A large majority of my students don't really understand why the lit part of the moon doesn't face the sun on part of the view as seen from Earth on every moon phase diagram (see below). Even though I give many different examples and explanations, I still see a puzzled look on several of the students' faces. Followed by the waxing crescent. The first quarter. Then waxing gibbous. Full moon Waning gibbous And finally, waning crescent.

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 Reason for the Seasons - National Geographic Society 1. Activate prior knowledge about seasons and sunlight.Explain to students that the Earth orbits an ideal distance from the sun, and this affects the weather we experience here on Earth. Ask: What are the different seasons? 2. 3. 4. 5. Does the sun shine more directly on the person on the top half of the Earth, or the person on the bottom half? 6. 7. When it is winter on the top (north) of the Earth, what season is it on the bottom (south) of the Earth?

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

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