You are here
Home ›Narrow Search
Now showing results 1-9 of 9
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 is the third module in the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) Project Suite curriculum. Each activity is self-directed by students or student teams and utilizes online videos, data from the SDO satellite and hands-on activities to explore,... (View More) research and build knowledge about how the Sun's varying activity impacts Earth and space weather. Each activity provides opportunities to 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 are included with sequential instructions and embedded links to the needed videos, tutorials and internet resources. In Activity 3A: Sun-Earth Interactions, students gather information from online videos and create a 3D model to demonstrate the relationship to Earth's place in space and the affect of Earth's axial tilt on our seasons, then film a short video explaining the reasons for the seasons. Activity 3B: Space Weather, students use online videos to gather information on what space weather is, and its causes and effects, to create a concept map. They then use real-time SDO data to forecast space weather. Activity 3C: Solar Research in Action! Make a Magnetometer has students view information in online videos about to Earth's magnetosphere and the impacts of space weather, then create a magnetometer to detect and visualize changes in the Earth's magnetic fields to monitor solar storm impacts. A computer for student-teams and access to the internet are needed for 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 lesson plan uses the 5E learning cycle and is designed around an essential question: How do I know when I’ve found important information in my reading? Learning objectives include: identify important details in informational texts; learn and... (View More) or review summarizing skills, work collaboratively to locate important information about Mars such as terrain, climate, and atmosphere; understand the rationale and importance of note-taking; develop effective note-taking strategies; and apply note-taking skills to record key information in students' science notebooks. The lesson plan has a number of appendices, including standards alignment. This is Lesson 4 of the elementary school version of the 6-week Mars Rover Celebration curriculum. (View Less)
This lesson plan uses the 5E learning cycle and is designed around an essential question: How do I know when I've found important information in my reading? Learning objectives include: identify important details in informational texts; learn and or... (View More) review summarizing skills, work collaboratively to locate important information about Mars such as terrain, climate, and atmosphere; understand the rationale and importance of note-taking; develop effective note-taking strategies; and apply note-taking skills to record key information in students’ science notebooks. The lesson plan has a number of appendices, including standards alignment. This is Lesson 4 of the middle school version of the 6-week Mars Rover Celebration curriculum. (View Less)
In this lesson, learners will first use computers to research and learn how solar panels convert sunlight into electricity. Next, they will calculate the surface area of solar panels board a satellite and their total power generated in various... (View More) positions of the satellite, given the dimension of the panels. After, learners will organize and write a report summarizing the information about the MMS mission satellites. This activity requires student access to internet accessible computers. This is lesson four of the MMS Mission Educator's Instructional Guide, which uses examples from the mission to introduce mathematics (focusing on geometry) in a real-world context. The lessons use the 5E instructional cycle. Note: MMS launched March 12, 2015. For the latest science and news, visit the MMS Mission Website under Related & Supplemental Resources (right side of this page). (View Less)
Learners will investigate probes and rovers to learn how they are built, learn about the propulsion, navigation, controls and daily handling of spacecraft, gather, and analyze data from multiple sources on the internet, and understand how rovers... (View More) communicate with Earth. The lesson uses the 5E instructional model and includes: TEKS Details (Texas Standards alignment), Essential Question, Science Notebook, Vocabulary Definitions for Students, Vocabulary Definitions for Teachers, two Vocabulary Cards, a Vocabulary Toolbox and four workstation handouts. This is lesson 9 of the Mars Rover Celebration Unit, a six week long curriculum. (View Less)
The goal of this lesson is for students to understand how to plan a mission to another world in the solar system. They begin by discussing the path of a spacecraft traveling between planets, examining the journey from the Earth to Mars as an... (View More) example. In Activity 1, students determine the pros and cons for different ways we can explore another world, either by observing from the Earth or by sending a spacecraft to fly by, orbit, or land on the world. In Activity 2, the students plan a complete mission to explore another world in the Solar System. By the end of the lesson, the students come to understand that what scientists want to learn about an object determines how they plan the mission, but real-life constraints such as cost and time determine what actually can be accomplished. Note: The MESSENGER mission to Mercury that is mentioned in this lesson ended operations April 30, 2015. For the latest information about MESSENGER and NASA's solar system missions see the links under Related & Supplemental Resources (right side of this page). (View Less)
This is a lesson/briefing about the Dawn mission and the significance of its ion propulsion system. Learners will consider cases of science fact versus science fictions, study the challenges of the Dawn mission, and apply the "History Frame"... (View More) strategy to investigate the who, what, when and how in the history and development of ion propulsion. This is activity 1 of 5 in Structure and Properties of Matter: Ion Propulsion. (View Less)
This is an activity about scale model building. Learners will use mathematics to determine the scale model size, construct a pattern, and build a one-fourth size scale model of the IMAGE (Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration)... (View More) satellite, the first satellite mission to image the Earth's magnetosphere. This is the third activity in the Solar Storms and You: Exploring Satellite Design educator guide. (View Less)