This is a lesson about size and scale of the solar system. Learners will review the structure, content and size of the Solar System. This lesson is designed using the 5E instructional model and includes: teacher training, unit pacing guides,... (View More) essential questions, a black-line master science notebook, a student presentation booklet, supplemental materials, and vocabulary for both students and teachers. This is lesson 1 as part of the Mars Rover Celebration Unit, a six week long curriculum. (View Less)

This is a lesson about how to learn about Mars. Learners will explore the features of Mars through a demonstration of Google Earth Mars, gather, and analyze data from multiple sources on the internet as well as print sources, develop and use... (View More) strategies for reading informational text to systematically find information, understand that Earth and Mars have similar geological features. 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, and a reading strategy supplement. This is lesson 3 as part of the Mars Rover Celebration Unit, a six week long curriculum. (View Less)

This is a lesson plan about the engineering design process. Learners will become familiar with and use the Engineering Design Process to sketch a reasonable drawing of the rover that will be built. The lesson uses the 5E instructional model and... (View More) includes: TEKS Details (Texas Standards alignment), Essential Question, Science Notebook, Vocabulary Definitions for Students, Vocabulary Definitions for Teachers, three Vocabulary Cards, and a concept map Mini-Lesson. teacher notes, vocabulary, student journal and reading. This is lesson 11 as part of the Mars Rover Celebration Unit, a six week long curriculum. (View Less)

This is a lesson plan about the engineering design process. Learners will identify, become familiar with and use the Engineering Design Process, use the Engineering Design Process to sketch a reasonable drawing of the rover that will be built, use... (View More) the steps of the Engineering Design Process to build a Mars Rover prototype, develop a concept map to communicate requirements and features of the rover. 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, three Vocabulary Cards, and a concept map Mini-Lesson. This is lesson 11 as part of the Mars Rover Celebration Unit, a six week long curriculum. (View Less)

Learners will take and then compare the images taken by a camera - to learn about focal length (and its effects on field of view), resolution, and ultimately how cameras take close-up pictures of far away objects. Finally, they will apply this... (View More) knowledge to the images of comet Tempel 1 taken by two different spacecraft with three different cameras, in this case Deep Impact and those expected/obtained from Stardust-NExT. This lesson could easily be adapted for use with other NASA missions. (View Less)

In this concluding activity, learners will design a culminating "celebration" display and event, based on their Saturn Discovery Logs and on products produced from their working knowledge of Saturn and Cassini. These final projects provide a way for... (View More) children with varying learning styles to consolidate and share their learning. Includes a glossary, information for families, and guidance for deepening the science. Consider ending this program unit with a parent event. Identify a time and place for the displays when parents can be invited to see their children's work and hear their presentations. This is lesson 8 of 8 in the Jewel of the Solar System: From Out-of-School to Outer Space, an adaptation for after school programs of the Cassini-Huygens educational product Reading, Writing, and Rings. (View Less)

This is a set of four activities about spacecraft design. Learners will think like engineers as they design, peer review, and then construct and present their spacecraft to travel to Saturn. Includes a glossary, information for families, and... (View More) guidance for deepening the science. This is lesson 5 of 8 in the Jewel of the Solar System: From Out-of-School to Outer Space an adaptation for afterschool programs of the Cassini-Huygens educational product Reading, Writing, and Rings. (View Less)

This is a lesson about the Discovery Program's exploration of the solar system. Learners will identify and communicate to others the varied space science explorations carried out by the Discovery Program and dig into one mission in depth. They can... (View More) then respond to a NASA Discovery Program Announcement of Opportunity (AO) to submit a mock proposal. Includes the award-winning video, "Unlocking Mysteries of Our Solar System." (View Less)

This is a unit in 11 sessions about the solar system. Learners will explore the terms planet and moon, they will sort and classify various solar system bodies into categories, and use this context to discuss if Pluto is a planet. They will also... (View More) research a particular solary system object and create a travel brochure for that object which they will use to help their classmates take a tour of the solar system. They will then construct an outdoor scale model of the inner and outer solar system. Finally they will create a human-powered orrery. This is Unit 3 of the GEMS Space Science Sequence for Grades 6-8, which is available for purchase (see related link). (View Less)

This is a lesson about living on the Moon. Learners will use cooperative learning skills to design a self-sufficient lunar station.