Learners will brainstorm ideas to be developed into a team skit, work cooperatively to assign duties and write a team skit, and collaborate with team members to complete the Mars Rover Manual. The lesson uses the 5E instructional model and includes:... (View More) TEKS Details (Texas Standards alignment), Essential Question, Science Notebook, Vocabulary Definitions for Students, Vocabulary Definitions for Teachers, three Vocabulary Cards, the Manual Template, and a presentation writing Mini-Lesson. This is lesson 14 of the Mars Rover Celebration Unit, a six week long curriculum. (View Less)

This is a reading strategy guide in a series of guides that utilizes articles from the Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) program. These strategy guides provide teachers of middle school students with a reading strategy (in this case,... (View More) Teaching How Scientists Use Models) and supplemental resources, background information on that strategy, connections to standards, classroom implementation techniques, tips for utilizing this strategy with students with dyslexia, and a two-page reading based on a particular space science concept. The reading incorporated into this strategy guide, WHAT MAKES UP MOST OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM, introduces students to the idea that most of the Solar System is made up of empty space. This strategy guide is also mapped to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts Literacy in Science & Technical Subjects, Grades 6-8. (View Less)

This is a reading strategy guide in a series of guides that utilizes articles from the Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) program. These strategy guides provide teachers of middle school students with a reading strategy (in this case,... (View More) Roundtable Discussions) and supplemental resources, background information on that strategy, connections to standards, classroom implementation techniques, tips for utilizing this strategy with students with dyslexia, and a two-page reading based on a particular space science concept. The reading incorporated into this strategy guide, "Seasons on Mars," introduces students to key concepts about seasons on other planets by comparing the seasons on Earth to those on Mars. This text includes two illustrations and a data table. This strategy guide is also mapped to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts Literacy in Science & Technical Subjects, Grades 6-8. (View Less)

This is a reading strategy guide in a series of guides that utilizes articles from the Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) program. These strategy guides provide teachers of middle school students with a reading strategy (in this case,... (View More) Teaching Science Vocabulary) and supplemental resources, background information on that strategy, connections to standards, classroom implementation techniques, tips for utilizing this strategy with students with dyslexia, and a two-page reading based on a particular space science concept. The reading incorporated into this strategy guide, "The Shape of a Moon's Orbit," describes the orbital path, or trajectory, of Dione, one of Saturn's many moons. Through description and diagrammatic models, the article demonstrates how Dione orbits Saturn in a wavy path, rather than in a perfectly circular pattern, as a result of the gravitational pull of the Sun. This strategy guide is also mapped to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts Literacy in Science & Technical Subjects, Grades 6-8. (View Less)

This is a reading strategy guide in a series of guides that utilizes articles from the Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) program. These strategy guides provide teachers of middle school students with a reading strategy (in this case,... (View More) Teaching Scientific Comparison Writing) and supplemental resources, background information on that strategy, connections to standards, classroom implementation techniques, tips for utilizing this strategy with students with dyslexia, and a two-page reading based on a particular space science concept. The reading incorporated into this strategy guide, "Pluto and Charon," compares the dwarf planet P PLUTO AND CHARONluto with its relatively large moon Charon. Like other moons in our Solar System, Charon orbits Pluto. Unlike other moons, however, the size and mass of Charon make it orbit Pluto in an unusual way. Because Charon is so large compared to Pluto, the two Solar System objects are described as orbiting a spot between them, rather than around a spot in the center of the planet. In contrast, most planets are more massive than their moons, so the orbital center is the center of the planet. This strategy guide is also mapped to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts Literacy in Science & Technical Subjects, Grades 6-8. (View Less)