In this lesson, students create a timeline of world events from 1905 until 2006. Students locate key dates from the Cosmic Times poster series and determine world events that fit into the three story strands of Cosmic Times, as well as, the... (View More) categories of Science, Culture, and World Events/Politics. The timeline allows students to see how the technology and data that scientists have used over the past 100 years have contributed to the cosmological knowledge and understanding that we have today. Students can also observe the historical significance of scientific discoveries over time, and place them within the context of world events. This activity is from the Cosmic Times teachers guide and uses all six Cosmic Times Posters. (View Less)

In this lesson, students create a fictional narrative on the beginning of time. They use their scientific knowledge of the Big Bang Theory and go back into time to when it occurred so they can make observations about it. Students can select from... (View More) four options for creating a final product that demonstrates their learning using the RAFT (Role, Audience, Format, and Topic) method. This lesson is from the Cosmic Times teachers guide and is intended to be used in conjunction with the 1955 Cosmic Times poster. (View Less)

This series of curriculum support materials and classroom activities explores how our understanding of the nature of the universe has changed during the past 100 years. Students examine the process of science through the stories of the people and... (View More) the discoveries that caused our understanding to evolve from a static universe to a universe whose expansion is accelerating. The series illustrates the nature of science by tracing the process of discovery from the confirmation of Einstein's theory of gravity, to Hubble's evidence for the expanding universe, to the detection of the microwave background, and finally to the discovery of dark energy. The series includes six posters, each resembling the front page of a newspaper from a particular time in this history with articles describing the discoveries. Each poster is accompanied by an online teacher guide and 4-5 downloadable, inquiry-based lessons. Downloadable newsletter versions of the poster are available for individual student use, with three editions for different reading levels (Early Edition for 7-8 grade readers, Home Edition for 9-10 grade readers, and Late Edition for 11-12 grade readers). Lesson plans can be found by following the link from Teacher Resources to Curriculum Tools to Sortable Table of the Lessons. (View Less)

This is an activity exploring the connections between astronomy and culture. Learners will design their own constellation pattern based on the stars representing Ursa Major and write a short story to go along with their design. Then, they will share... (View More) their pictures and stories to the group and discuss how other cultures around the globe have viewed the same group of stars and created their own myths to explain them. This is Actividad 12.1 as part of El Universo a Sus Pies, a Spanish-language curriculum, available for purchase. (View Less)

This is an activity about constellations. Learners will first draw familiar pictures and shapes within circles to introduce the concept of pattern recognition, then create their own unique constellation patterns from an arrangement of dots similar... (View More) to those of the constellation Cassiopeia. This is Actividad 6.4 as part of El Universo a Sus Pies, a Spanish-language curriculum, available for purchase. (View Less)