This experiment is about contaminiation. Learners will go through a series of steps in which they will test and observe how detergent breaks up contamination in a guided inquiry. Following this they will complete an open inquiry in which they ask... (View More) questions about variables in washing dishes and design and conduct a test to answer these questions. Includes a teacher's guide and students handouts. Video and audio clips are provided. This lesson 4 of 10 from the Dynamic Design: The Cleanroom module. (View Less)

This experiment is about contaminiation. Learners will model the process of verifying clean on a macroscopic level by using a small Secchi (se-key) disk and will read about how the Secchi disk is used in environmental science and compare this with... (View More) the liquid particle counter that is used in the Genesis cleanroom. Includes a teacher's guide and students handouts. This lesson 5 of 10 from the Dynamic Design: The Cleanroom module. (View Less)

This is a lesson about infrared radiation. Learners will investigate invisible forms of light as they conduct William Herschel’s experiment and subsequent discovery of infrared radiation. They will construct a device to measure the presence of... (View More) infrared radiation in sunlight, explain that visible light is only part of the electromagnetic spectrum of radiation emitted by the Sun, follow the path taken by Herschel through scientific discovery, explain why we would want to use infrared radiation to study Mercury and other planets, and explain how excess infrared radiation is a concern for the MESSENGER mission. This is activity 1 of 4 at the Grade 5-8 band of "Staying Cool." (View Less)

This is an activity about photosynthesis. Learners will use the basic principle of photosynthesis and investigate how light intensity diminishes as a function of distance from the light source. Questions help them connect these two ideas to... (View More) determine if photosynthesis could occur at Saturn. (View Less)

This is a lesson about the connection between meteorites and asteroids, focusing on remote-sensing techniques using light. Learners will make and record observations and measurements; analyze data and draw analogies; compare samples; measure and... (View More) record the brightness of spectral light; discover the composition of white light; participate in introductory quantitative spectroscopy experiments; set up, conduct and analyze a reflected light experiment; and recognize/discover that different materials reflect different proportions of incident light. Activities, vocabulary words, and experimental extensions are included. This is lesson 5 of 19 in Exploring Meteorite Mysteries. (View Less)

This lesson is about meteorites. Learners will experiment with simulations that illustrate how chondrites and asteroids formed in the early solar system. It is intended for learners to observe and describe the meteorites in the Meteorite Sample... (View More) Disk. Includes a teacher guide, student guide, and blackline masters. This is lesson 10 of 19 in Exploring Meteorite Mysteries. (View Less)

This is a lesson about planet formation. Learners will observe and describe differentiated samples in the Meteorite Sample Disk (or photographs), conduct experiments to model the separation of light and heavy materials within a planetary body,... (View More) relate meteorites to the core, mantle and crust of asteroids, and model the break-up of differentiated planetary bodies to expose the interior layers. Materials lists, and advanced preparation and procedural tips are included. This is lesson 11 of 19 in Exploring Meteorite Mysteries. (View Less)

This is a lesson about the important materials brought to Earth by carbonaceous chondrites. Learners will conduct experiments that simulate how the carbon material and water from carbonaceous chondrites may have helped early life on Earth, grow... (View More) yeast in mediums that represent carbonaceous chondrite material, and recognize that carbonaceous chondrite meteorites contain amino acids, the buildng blocks of life. Advanced preparation and procedural tips are included. This is lesson 12 of 19 in Exploring Meteorite Mysteries. (View Less)

This is a lesson about impact craters; the relationships between crater size, projectile size and projectile velocity; and the transfer of energy in the cratering process. Learners will create plaster of Paris or layered dry impact craters and... (View More) conduct controlled experiments using mass and velocity as the independent variables. Energy calculations for advanced classes, and vocabulary words are included. This is lesson 6 of 19 in Exploring Meteorite Mysteries. (View Less)

This is an activity about lava flows on the Moon. Learners will understand some of the geological processes and the structures that form as lava flows across planetary landscapes by using mud as an analog for lava. This activity is in Unit 2 of the... (View More) "Exploring the Moon" teachers guide, which is designed for use especially, but not exclusively, with the Lunar Sample Disk program. Note a large piece of plexiglass or other non-porous surface is required. (View Less)