Focusing on the size of our solar system, these two short videos address both its vastness and the measurement of its distances. Part One defines the limits of the solar system; Part Two introduces the Astronomical Unit (AU) and applies it to... (View More) distances within the solar system. Both videos are part of the NASA eClips education series. These videos inspire and engage students, helping them see real world connections and opening their eyes to potential STEM career fields. (View Less)

Carl Sagan once claimed that the most important lesson we learn from studying the stars is perspective. To address this concept, this activity offers a scale model of the solar system to be evaluated. There are many versions of solar system scale... (View More) models available; this one is unique for its large scale chosen, the quality of the scaled objects, and the supplementary materials and information provided. The model is extended to include interaction and discovery on the part of learners, and suggested extensions. The set of materials includes a book about the solar system, developed from NASA's "From Earth to the Solar System" (FETTSS) imagery, and appropriate for use with the model. (View Less)

This is the first module in the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) Project Suite curriculum. Activities are self-directed by students or student teams using online videos and data from the SDO satellite to explore, research and build knowledge about... (View More) features of the Sun. Students build vocabulary, apply or demonstrate learning through real world connections, and creating resources to use in their investigations. Each activity comes with both a teacher and student guide with sequential instructions and embedded links to the needed videos and internet resources. Activity 1A: Structure of the Earth's Star takes students through the features and function of the Sun's structures using online videos, completing a "Sun Primer" data sheet using information from the videos, and creating a 3D origami model of the Sun. Students use a KWL chart to track what they have learned. Activity 1B: Observing the Sun has students capture real solar images from SDO data to find and record sunspots and track their movement across the surface of the Sun. Activity 1C has students create a pin-hole camera to use in calculating the actual diameter of the Sun, and then calculate scales to create a Earth-Sun scale model. Students reflect on their learning and results at the end of the module. An internet connection and access to computers 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 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 is the fourth and culminating module in the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) Project Suite curriculum. Student teams use information and resources from the other three modules in the project suite to create a 3D interactive solar exhibit to... (View More) educate others about the Sun and how SDO informs scientists about the Sun's activity, structures and features, and Earth-Sun interactions. Students then self-evaluate their team's solar exhibit. Both a teacher and student guide are included, as well as tools for students to self-direct and track project process, and record reflections and information. 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)

Designed to help students learn about NASA's missions currently studying the sun and its effects on Earth, this second of two storybooks in the series focuses on the importance of collaboration in data acquisition and analysis. Through a series of... (View More) activities, students mine pre-existing data, find trends and patterns in that data, and collect and share related data. The guide concludes with a data challenge for students to design their own experiment using NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) satellites. The book contains teacher companions/guides with instructions and tips for classroom implementation (see Related & Supplemental URLs). (View Less)

This is an online lesson associated with activities during Solar Week, a twice-yearly event in March and October during which classrooms are able to interact with scientists studying the Sun. Outside of Solar Week, information, activities, and... (View More) resources are archived and available online at any time. This is an activity about measurements of solar activity. Learners will observe an image of the Sun and sketch major features, plot data to begin to recognize patterns of solar activity, look for long-term patterns in graphed data, compare X-ray and visible light images of the Sun to find solar features common to both sets of images, and make a prediction of what the Sun will look like in a visible light image after observing an X-ray image taken on the same day. This activity is scheduled to occur during Monday of Solar Week. (View Less)

This iOS app for iPhone, iPad and iTouch, allows families and educators to investigate and learn about the Sun at home, at school, or anywhere. It provides 13 free, easy to use, hands-on activities, plus live images of the Sun from NASA's SDO... (View More) satellite, videos of the Sun, and more. Each activity includes material lists, step-by-step instructions, and detailed explanations. Some of the activities and media pieces are also available on the project website. The activity materials are widely available and inexpensive. (View Less)

This series of laboratory lessons and activities uses authentic solar imagery and data to introduce students to solar science. Students are asked to explore details in imagery, including how to deal with the issues of noise and resolution, and... (View More) understand scale. They are introduced to the concept of space weather and how that affects both observing instruments and the Earth. Students learn about spectra, how helium and coronium were discovered, and go on to explore real spectra from the Sun. Most activities are mathematically based, and targeted for grades 9-10. Imagery is included from NASA/ESA's SOHO mission, NASA's SDO mission, and Japan's Hinode satellite. (View Less)