This is the second module in the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) Project Suite curriculum. Each activity is self-directed by students or student teams and uses online videos, data from the SDO satellite and hands-on activities to explore, research... (View More) and build knowledge about how and why studying the Sun's electromagnetic energy and magnetic fields help scientists better understand the Sun's activity and space weather. Students build knowledge and vocabulary, apply or demonstrate learning through real world connections and create resources to use in investigations. Both a teacher and student guide is included with sequential instructions and embedded links to the needed videos, tutorials and internet resources. In Activity 2A: The Sun and the EM Spectrum students learn how SDO uses key parts of the Sun's electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) to research regions of the Sun, create an interactive foldable to describe the different wavebands of the EMS, then use real-time SDO image data and the Helioviewer online tool to explore the Sun's regional activity. Tutorials for using Helioviewer and making the EMS foldable are included. Activity 2B: Solar activity and Magnetism has students use information in online videos and slide presentations to demonstrate concepts of magnetism and the relationship between the Sun's variable magnetic fields and sunspots. Activity 3B: Solar Research in Action! Build a Spectroscope has students create a spectroscope to observe the different wavebands of visible light, demonstrate how the Sun emits varying EMS energies, and explain how this information helps scientists understand the composition and activity of both our nearest star, and other stars in the universe. A computer for student-teams and a connection to the Internet are needed to complete this module. See related and supplementary resources for link to full curriculum. The appendix includes an alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). (View Less)

This afterschool curriculum includes six lessons plus supplementary materials (e.g., videos, PowerPoint presentations, and images) that explore how light from the electromagnetic spectrum is used as a tool for learning about the Sun. The curriculum... (View More) is designed to be flexible to meet the needs of afterschool programs and includes recommendations for partial implementation based on time constraints. It was specifically designed to engage girls in science. (View Less)

This is an activity about the basic properties of magnets and magnetism. Learners explore concepts such as magnetic fields and polarity, which form the basic ingredients of a study of Earth's magnetic field and the technology of magnetometers.... (View More) Materials needed include bar magnets and paper clips. This is Activity 1 of Exploring Magnetism: A Teacher's Magnetism Activity Guide. (View Less)

This is an activity about the properties of electromagnets, which is a crucial underpinning for understanding how magnetic fields are generated in nature, in the surface of the Sun, and in the interior of Earth. Learners will create an electromagnet... (View More) by letting an electric current flow through a wire to generate a magnetic field, which is then detected using a compass. This activity requires a thin insulated wire, pencil, battery, compass and paper clips. This is Activity 2 of the Magnetism and Electromagnetism teachers guide. (View Less)

In this activity, students will demonstrate the generator effect, which is due to electromagnetic induction when a conductor (a long metal wire) moves through a magnetic field. Materials required to this activity include: a 100-foot extension cord... (View More) with ground prong, current or voltage galvanometer, two lead wires with alligator clips on at least one end, and one compass. This activity must be done in an open space large enough to swing a 100-foot cord as a jump rope, such as a gymnasium or outdoor field. This is activity three of "Exploring Magnetism." The guide includes science background information, student worksheets, glossary and related resources. (View Less)

This iOS app for iPhone, iPad and iTouch, allows families and educators to investigate and learn about the Sun at home, at school, or anywhere. It provides 13 free, easy to use, hands-on activities, plus live images of the Sun from NASA's SDO... (View More) satellite, videos of the Sun, and more. Each activity includes material lists, step-by-step instructions, and detailed explanations. Some of the activities and media pieces are also available on the project website. The activity materials are widely available and inexpensive. (View Less)

This is a lesson about the magnetic field of a bar magnet. The lesson begins with an introductory discussion with learners about magnetism to draw out any misconceptions that may be in their minds. Then, learners freely experiment with bar magnets... (View More) and various materials, such as paper clips, rulers, copper or aluminum wire, and pencils, to discover that magnets attract metals containing iron, nickel, and/or cobalt but not most other materials. Next, learners experiment with using a magnetic compass to discover how it is affected by the magnet and then draw the magnetic field lines of the magnet by putting dots at the location of the compass arrow. This is the first lesson in the first session of the Exploring Magnetism teacher guide. (View Less)

This is a lesson about how magnetism causes solar flares. Learners will set up an electrical circuit with magnets to examine magnetic fields and their similarities to magnetic fields seen on the Sun. Learners should have a conceptual understanding... (View More) of magnetism prior to exploring this lesson. This activity requires special materials including a galvanometer, copper wire, and sandpaper. This is Activity 2 in the Exploring Magnetism in Solar Flares teachers guide. (View Less)

This is a lesson about magnetism and solar flares. Learners will evaluate real solar data and images in order to calculate the energy and magnetic strength of a solar flare moving away from the Sun as a coronal mass ejection. This is Activity 3 in... (View More) the Exploring Magnetism in Solar Flares teachers guide. (View Less)

This is an activity about magnetic induction. Learners will induce a flow of electricity in a wire using a moving bar magnet and measure this flow using a galvanometer, or Am meter. Through discussion, this activity can then be related to magnetic... (View More) fields in nature. This activity requires use of a galvanometer, bar or cow magnet, and wire. This is the fifth lesson in the second session of the Exploring Magnetism teacher guide. (View Less)

This is a lesson to demonstrate magnetic field lines in 2- and 3-dimensions. In the first activity, learners sprinkle iron filings over a magnet underneath a paper and record their observations. The second activity involves building a 3-D magnetic... (View More) field visualizer using a clear plastic bottle, a cow magnet and iron filings. This is the second lesson in the first session of the "Exploring Magnetism" teacher guide. (View Less)

This is an activity about electromagnetism. Learners will set up a simple circuit using a battery, wire, and knife switch, and then use a compass to map the magnetic field lines surrounding the wire. Next, they will add a coil of wire to the simple... (View More) circuit and map the magnetic fields again. This is the second lesson in the second session of the Exploring Magnetism teachers guide. (View Less)

This is an activity about electromagnetism. Learners will use a simple circuit powered by a battery source to investigate the strength of the magnetic field produced by a coil of wire in the circuit. The strength will be indicated by the deflection... (View More) of magnetic compass needles and by the distance a coil of wire was moved by the action of the circuit. This activity requires coils or spools of wire, a knife switch, three magnetic compasses, a source of electricity such as 3 D-cell batteries or an AC to DC power adapter, alligator-clipped wire, and a bar or cow magnet. This is the fourth lesson in the second session of the Exploring Magnetism teachers guide. (View Less)

This is a lesson about measuring magnetic field directions of Earth and in the environment. First, learners go outside, far away from buildings, power lines, or anything electrical or metal, and use compasses to identify magnetic North. Next, they... (View More) use the compasses to probe whether there are any sources of magnetic fields in the local environment, including around electronic equipment such as a CD player and speakers. This is the first lesson in the second session of the Exploring Magnetism teacher guide. (View Less)

This is a lesson about magnetism in solar flares. Learners will map magnetic fields around bar magnets and investigate how this configuration relates to magnetic fields of sunspots. This activity requires compasses, bar magnets, and a equipment for... (View More) the instructor to project a PowerPoint or pdf lecture presentation. This is Activity 1 in the Exploring Magnetism in Solar Flares teachers guide. (View Less)

This is an activity about electromagnetism. Learners will use a compass to map the magnetic field lines surrounding a coil of wire that is connected to a battery. This activity requires a large coil or spool of wire, a source of electricity such as... (View More) 3 D-cell batteries or an AC to DC power adapter, alligator-clipped wire, and magnetic compasses. This is the third lesson in the second session of the Exploring Magnetism teachers guide. (View Less)

This activity demonstrates Lenz's Law, which states that an induced electromotive force generates a current that induces a counter magnetic field that opposes the magnetic field generating the current. In the demonstration, an empty aluminum can... (View More) floats on water in a tray, such as a Petri dish. Students spin a magnet just inside the can without touching the can. The can begins to spin. Understanding what happens can be explained in steps: first, the twirling magnet creates an alternating magnetic field. Students can use a nearby compass to observe that the magnetic field is really changing. Second, the changing magnetic field permeates most things around it, including the aluminum can itself. A changing magnetic field will cause an electric current to flow when there is a closed loop of an electrically conducting material. Even though the aluminum can is not magnetic, it is metal and will conduct electricity. So the twirling magnet causes an electrical current to flow in the aluminum can. This is called an "induced current." Third, all electric currents create magnetic fields. So, in essence, the induced electrical current running through the can creates its very own magnetic field, making the aluminum can magnetic. This is activity four of "Exploring Magnetism." The guide includes science background information, student worksheets, glossary and related resources. (View Less)

This is an activity about magnetism and magnetic forces. Learners will explore objects to which a magnet is attracted or repelled and record information in a learning log. Additionally, learners will identify magnetic devices or phenomena they... (View More) encounter at home, at school, in nature, and in other locales. This is the first activity in the Magnetic Math booklet; this booklet can be found on the Space Math@NASA website. (View Less)

This is an activity about magnetism and magnetic forces. Learners will explore objects to which a magnet is attracted or repelled, and investigate the attractive and repulsive forces of two like and two unlike magnetic poles. This is the first... (View More) activity in the Exploring the Earth's Magnetic Field: An IMAGE Satellite Guide to the Magnetosphere educators guide. (View Less)

This is an activity about vectors and velocity. It outlines the addition and subtraction of vectors, and introduces the application of trigonometry to describing vectors. The resource is designed to support student analysis of THEMIS (Time History... (View More) of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) Magnetometer line-plot data. Learners will complete worksheets consisting of problem sets that allow them to work with vector data in magnetic fields. This is activity 15 from Exploring Magnetism: Earth's Magnetic Personality. (View Less)

This is an activity about magnetism. Learners will experiment using horseshoe and bar magnets along with various materials in order to identify the effects of magnets on each other and on other materials. This is the third activity as part of the... (View More) iMAGiNETICspace: Where Imagination, Magnetism, and Space Collide educator's guide. Instructions for downloading the iBook educator's guide and the associated Transmedia book student guide are available at the resource link. (View Less)

This is an activity about like and unlike charges. Learners will use plastic tape strips to investigate how charges interact. This is the second activity as part of the iMAGiNETICspace: Where Imagination, Magnetism, and Space Collide educator's... (View More) guide and student guide. Instructions for downloading the iBook educator's guide and the associated Transmedia book student guide are available at the resource link. (View Less)

This is an activity about the properties and characteristics of Earth’s magnetic field as shown through magnetometer data and its 3D vector nature. This resource builds understanding of conceptual tools such as the addition of vectors and... (View More) interpreting contour maps displaying magnetic signature data. Learners will make several paper 3D vector addition models, watch podcasts on how to analyze magnetometer data, and employ 3D vector plots to create a model of the 3D magnetic field in the location of the magnetometer closest to their town. This is a multi-step activity with corresponding worksheets for each step. The activity uses data from the THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) GEONS magnetometer, and requires the use of a computer with internet access and speakers, 2-inch polystyrene balls and bamboo skewers. This is activity 16 from Exploring Magnetism: Earth's Magnetic Personality. (View Less)

This is an activity about Earth's magnetic field. Learners will construct a soda bottle magnetometer, collect data, and analyze the results to detect magnetic storm events. Ideally, learners should collect data for at least a month. If several... (View More) months are available for data collection, this is ideal. This is the first activity as part of the iMAGiNETICspace: Where Imagination, Magnetism, and Space Collide educator's guide. Instructions for downloading the iBook educator's guide and the associated Transmedia book student guide are available at the resource link. (View Less)

This is an activity about magnetic fields. Learners will use various magnets, magnetic film, and a compass to see and illustrate what magnetic fields look like. This is the fourth activity as part of the iMAGiNETICspace: Where Imagination,... (View More) Magnetism, and Space Collide educator's guide. Instructions for downloading the iBook educator's guide and the associated Transmedia book student guide are available at the resource link. (View Less)

This is an activity about magnetism. In this activity, polystyrene spheres and several strong neodymium magnets are used to represent the Sun and Earth and their distinct magnetic fields. Participants construct and use a field detector to predict... (View More) where the magnetic fields are on the Sun and Earth, and use field bits, which is the term used in the lesson plan, made from the closed staples to form loops and trace the invisible magnetic fields of the Sun and Earth. The activity is designed to be used in an informal public outreach setting, for example as a stand-alone station in a family science day event. It can also be modified for use as a simple classroom demonstration. There are background information sheets provided that can be printed to go along with the activity station. This activity requires two polystyrene spheres, 8 neodymium magnets, epoxy adhesive, wire clippers, needle nose pliers, and acrylic paints, along with other easily obtained materials. (View Less)

This is an activity about electromagnetism. Using a battery and a length of wire, learners will construct an electromagnet and investigate the number of paperclips the electromagnet can hold for an electromagnet with twenty loops of wire versus one... (View More) with forty loops of wire. A six to twelve volt battery, a large nail or metal rod, and insulated wire are required for this activity. This is the fourth activity in the Exploring the Earth's Magnetic Field: An IMAGE Satellite Guide to the Magnetosphere educators guide. (View Less)

This is an activity about depicting magnetic fields. Learners will observe two provided drawings of magnetic field line patterns for bar magnets in simple orientations of like and unlike polarities and carefully draw the field lines for both... (View More) orientations. This is the third activity in the Magnetic Math booklet; this booklet can be found on the Space Math@NASA website. (View Less)

This is an activity about magnetic fields. Using iron filings, learners will observe magnets in various arrangements to investigate the magnetic field lines of force. This information is then related to magnetic loops on the Sun's surface and the... (View More) magnetic field of the Earth. This is the second activity in the Magnetic Math booklet; this booklet can be found on the Space Math@NASA website. (View Less)

This is an activity about magnetic induction. Learners will induce a flow of electricity in a wire using a moving bar magnet and measure this flow using a galvanometer, or Am meter. This is the fifth activity in the Exploring the Earth's Magnetic... (View More) Field: An IMAGE Satellite Guide to the Magnetosphere educators guide. (View Less)

This is an activity about Earth's magnetosphere. Learners will use a magnet, simulating Earth's protective magnetosphere, and observe what occurs when iron filings, simulating the solar wind, blow past and encounter the magnet's field. This is the... (View More) sixth activity in the Magnetic Math booklet; this booklet can be found on the Space Math@NASA website. (View Less)

This is an activity about depicting magnetic polarity. Learners will observe several provided drawings of magnetic field line patterns for bar magnets in simple orientations of like and unlike polarities and carefully draw the field lines and depict... (View More) the polarities for several orientations, including an arrangement of six magnetic poles. This is the fourth activity in the Magnetic Math booklet; this booklet can be found on the Space Math@NASA website. (View Less)

This is an activity about mapping magnetic fields. Learners use a test magnet to create a map of the magnetic field region around a bar magnet. A Magnaprobe, or other similar test magnet, is required to do this activity. This is the third activity... (View More) in the Mapping Magnetic Influence educators guide. (View Less)

Students use a dipole magnet and compass to model and map Earth's magnetic field. They then induce a magnetic field to represent a Ring Current in order to observe the response to a fluctuating electric current caused by a solar storm. The lesson... (View More) includes background information, procedures, worksheets, answer keys and graphics. Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are listed. (View Less)

This is an activity about satellite design. Learners will create a satellite model to determine which shape will provide a steady minimum current output from solar panels, given a fixed position light source. After, as a group, they will assess... (View More) whether their satellite model would work in real life and how their actions were similar to what engineers do. This is the fifth activity as part of the iMAGiNETICspace: Where Imagination, Magnetism, and Space Collide curriculum. Instructions for downloading the iBook educator's guide and the associated Transmedia book student guide are available at the resource link. (View Less)

This is an activity about depicting the relative strength of magnetic fields using field line density. Learners will use the magnetic field line drawing of six magnetic poles created in a previous activity and identify the areas of strong, weak, and... (View More) medium magnetic intensity using the density of magnetic field lines. This is the fifth activity in the Magnetic Math booklet; this booklet can be found on the Space Math@NASA website. How to Draw Magnetic Fields - II in the Magnetic Math booklet must be completed prior to this activity. (View Less)

This is an activity about magnetic fields. Using iron filings, learners will observe magnets in various arrangements to investigate the magnetic field lines of force. This information is then related to magnetic loops on the Sun's surface and the... (View More) magnetic field of the Earth. This is the second activity in the Exploring the Earth's Magnetic Field: An IMAGE Satellite Guide to the Magnetosphere educators guide. (View Less)

This is an activity about Earth's magnetosphere. Learners will use a magnet, simulating Earth's protective magnetosphere, and observe what occurs when iron filings, simulating the solar wind, blow past and encounter the magnet's field. This is the... (View More) third activity in the Exploring the Earth's Magnetic Field: An IMAGE Satellite Guide to the Magnetosphere educators guide. (View Less)

This is an activity about using models to solve a problem. Learners will use a previously constructed model of the MMS satellite to determine if the centrifugal force of the rotating MMS model is sufficient to push the satellite's antennae outward,... (View More) simulating the deployment of the satellites after launch. Then, learners will determine the minimum rotational speed needed for the satellite to successfully deploy the antennae. This is the seventh activity as part of the iMAGiNETICspace: Where Imagination, Magnetism, and Space Collide educator's guide. Instructions for downloading the iBook educator's guide and the associated Transmedia book student guide are available at the resource link. (View Less)

Students will test various materials to determine if any can shield their "magnetometer" (compass) from an external magnetic field using their own experimental design. If no suitable material is available, they will devise another method to protect... (View More) their instrument. Includes background science for the teacher, worksheets, adaptations and extensions. Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are also identified. (View Less)

This is a collection of outreach resources about the Sun that are meant to be used in informal education settings. This toolkit was originally designed for NASA Night Sky Network member clubs and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific's Astronomy... (View More) from the Ground Up network of museum and science center educators. The toolkit includes background information about the Sun, magnetic fields of the Earth and Sun, and space weather, activity suggestions, and detailed activity scripts. The themes of this toolkit address both the constant nature of the Sun as a reliable source of energy and the dynamic nature of the Sun due to its changing magnetic fields. The activities and related materials in this collection include The Sun in a Different Light - Observing the Sun, Explore the Sun cards, Magnetic Connection, the Space Weather PowerPoint, Protection from Ultraviolet, and Where Does the Energy Come From cards. These activities can be done separately or as a group as part of an informal education event. Institutions that are not part of the Night Sky Network will need to acquire the various materials required for each activity. (View Less)