As science extension activities, this book of problems introduces students to mapping the shape of the Milky Way galaxy, and how to identify the various kinds of galaxies in our universe. Students also learn about the shapes and sizes of other... (View More) galaxies in our universe as they learn how to classify them. The math problems cover basic scientific notation skills and how they apply to working with astronomically large numbers. It also provides exercises in plotting points on a Cartesian plane to map the various features of our Milky Way. (View Less)

The Cosmic Times Gallery Walk and Cosmic Times Jigsaw lessons serve as extensions to the Cosmic Times suite of curriculum support materials. They are intended to provide an introduction to Cosmic Times as a whole, giving students the larger picture... (View More) of how our understanding of the universe has changed over the last century. During the Gallery Walk lesson, students peruse the Cosmic Times posters to answer open-ended questions. During the Jigsaw lesson, students work in cooperative teams to understand the primary scientific advances over the past century that have contributed to our current understanding of the universe. (View Less)

This lithograph features an image from the Hubble Space Telescope, showcasing the well-known features of NGC 3982, a face-on spiral galaxy. The accompanying activity, In Search Of...Spiral Galaxies, is a curriculum support tool designed for use as... (View More) an introductory inquiry activity. In this activity, students will use the lithograph image and text to generate questions about spiral galaxies, and then research the answers to those questions. Students will then create a presentation to demonstrate their understanding of the material. (View Less)

This book introduces students to some of the most unusual places in our galaxy outside of our solar system. Answering the question, "How many stars are in the sky?" introduces students to basic counting, tallying, and grouping techniques, as well as... (View More) allowing for the use of simple proportions. (View Less)

This news story highlights Hubble's infrared image of the Horsehead Nebula. Students will discover why astronomers are interested in this nebula and how they study the nebula using infrared light. The reading identifies and defines vocabulary that... (View More) may be new to students. Discussion questions help to focus student attention on important information and to challenge students to more deeply explore star formation. (View Less)

This lithograph features an image from the Hubble Space Telescope, showcasing a colorful view of the star-forming nebula N90, located in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The accompanying activity, In Search of...the Electromagnetic Spectrum, is a... (View More) curriculum support tool designed for use as an introductory inquiry activity. In this activity, students will use the lithograph image and text to generate questions about the electromagnetic spectrum, and then research the answers to those questions. Students will then create a presentation to demonstrate their understanding of the material. (View Less)

This book presents 49 space-related math problems published weekly on the SpaceMath@NASA site during the 2011-2012 academic year. The problems utilize information, imagery, and data from various NASA spacecraft missions that span a variety of math... (View More) skills in pre-algebra and algebra. (View Less)

In this activity, students learn that infrared light is reflected in the same manner as visible light. Students align a series of mirrors so that they can turn on a TV with a remote control when the remote is not in a direct line with the TV. As a... (View More) result of their experiment with reflection, students deduce that infrared light is another form of light and is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Section 1 of the activity guide includes teacher notes, information on materials and preparation, student misconceptions and a student pre-test. Each activity section also includes teacher notes, student activity sheets, and answer keys. This activity requires a TV and remote control. It is the third of four activities in Active Astronomy, which are designed to complement instruction on the electromagnetic spectrum, focusing on infrared light. (View Less)

In this lesson, students will read about and research the major historical events that occurred throughout the year 1919. They will use different readings and articles to understand and describe what life was like during this time. In addition, the... (View More) students will present their case as to whether or not Albert Einstein should be voted "Man of the Year" for 1919. This activity is from the Cosmic Times teachers guide and is intended to be used in conjunction with the 1919 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)