In this activity, students create a scale model depicting the vertical distance from Earth’s surface to various features and objects, including Earth’s atmospheric layers, the Van Allen Radiation Belts, and geocentric satellites. Students also... (View More) compare the vertical distances to these features and objects with distances from their classroom to other common points on the ground. Includes background science information; student reading, handouts and worksheet; teacher information; and suggested extensions and adaptations for students with vision impairment. (View Less)

This is an activity about scale. Participants will arrange imagery of Earth and many other space objects in order of their size from smallest to largest, their distance from Earth's surface, their temperature from coolest to hottest, and/or their... (View More) age from youngest to oldest. By manipulating these images and discussing their ideas, children and adults represent and confront their own mental models of space and time. (View Less)

The 9-session NASA Family Science Night program emables middle school children and their families to discover the wide variety of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics being performed at NASA and in everyday life. Family Science Night... (View More) programs explore various themes on the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, and the Universe through fun, hands-on activities, including at-home experiments. Instructions for obtaining the facilitator's guide are available on the Family Science Night site. (View Less)

This is a lesson about the electromagnetic spectrum. Learners begin by arranging a set of picture cards; in the discussion afterwards, this activity is related to the electromagnetic spectrum as an arrangement of energy waves. Next, using a... (View More) clothesline to model a logarithmic scale, they add in the electromagnetic spectrum. Finally, learners conduct several simple tests to detect other types of radiation. This activity requires access to a sunny outdoor location and the use of ultraviolet light-sensitive beads. (View Less)

This is an activity about perspective. Learners will examine pictures of objects up close and far away to try and figure out what they are. Then, given an image of a star and the Sun and through discussion about the differences and similarities of... (View More) seeing objects up close, learners will use the concept of perspective to relate our nearby Sun to the stars that appear as small points of light in our sky. (View Less)

This is an activity about size and scale. Learners will create and walk through a distance scale model of the size of the Solar System. This activity requires a straight line distance of approximately 295 meters (300 yards).

This is an activity about the size and scale of the Sun, Earth and Moon. Learners will collectively paint and label a model of the Sun and determine the comparative sizes of these three bodies. Learners can then complete a worksheet to further... (View More) explore the mathematical concepts of less than, greater than, and equal to. This activity will require various materials of specific measurements to ensure accuracy. This is Activity 3 of a larger resource entitled Eye on the Sky. (View Less)

This is an activity exploring the concept that distance affects how we perceive an object's size, specifically pertaining to the size of the Sun and the Moon as seen from Earth. Learners will complete a hands on activity where two balls of differing... (View More) sizes stand in for the Sun and the Moon. By moving the balls away from each other, students will determine how far the larger ball needs to be in order to make the two seem similar in size. They will also use the balls to demonstrate a solar eclipse. Lastly, learners will complete a worksheet explaining their findings. This is Activity 12 of a larger resource entitled Eye on the Sky. (View Less)

This is an activity to reinforce concepts learned about the Sun, the Sun, Earth, and Moon system and eclipses. Learners will communally discuss their knowledge of these concepts briefly, and will then complete a series of worksheets and writings to... (View More) demonstrate grasp of content. This is Activity 15, the final activity of a larger resouce entitled Eye on the Sky and is meant to follow the preceding 14 activities in the resource. These worksheets and writings would ideally be added to students' portfolios accumulated throughout this suite of lessons and can serve as a summative assessment of student work throughout the lesson suite. (View Less)

This is an activity about shadows and how the Sun's location affects the direction of a shadow. Learners will first identify what they already know about shadows and will be asked to share any questions they may have. Then students will be taken... (View More) outside to observe and trace a classmates shadow. From this tracing, students will complete a worksheet by drawing their partner, his or her shadow, and the location of the Sun. Two to three hours later, this observation and tracing process will be repeated, allowing students to witness the movement of shadows as a result of the Earth's rotation. This activity requires a sunny day with plenty of outdoor space to trace the shadows of all students. This is Activity 4 of a larger resource entitled Eye on the Sky. (View Less)