This is a lesson about habitable planets. Learners will discuss what they know about the astronomical conditions of the planets they have found in earlier lessons and what they still need to know in order to determine if they are habitable to... (View More) humans. They research possible methods for answering these questions and write a proposal on how and why their planet should be further researched. The lesson models scientific inquiry using the 5E instructional model and includes teacher notes, prerequisite concepts, common misconceptions, student journal and reading. This is lesson 14, the concluding lesson, in the Astro-Venture Astronomy Unit. The lessons are designed for educators to use in conjunction with the Astro-Venture multimedia modules. (View Less)

This is an article about the color of the sky. Learners will read about and discuss the colors of the day- and night-time skies. They may sing the Top-down Black and Blues, a song about the sky; or they may write a poem, essay, or song about the... (View More) bluest sky or blackest night they have ever experienced. (View Less)

This is a lesson about the Cassini mission to Saturn. Learners will create their Saturn Discovery Logs. They will use the Saturn Discovery Log to chronicle their journey of discovery about Saturn and Cassini through nonfiction writing. For their... (View More) first log entry, students will draw what they picture when they hear the words "Saturn" and "Cassini," and add labels and captions to their drawings. Students will share their work with partners. This is lesson 1 of 12 in "Reading, Writing & Rings!" for grades 3-4. (View Less)

This is a lesson about Saturn. Learners will complete one or more poems about Saturn using descriptive words. As a pre-writing activity, students generate a word list from books they have heard and read and images they have seen and created. With... (View More) the support of the word lists, they will create poems. This is lesson 10 of 10 in "Reading, Writing & Rings!" for grades 1-2. (View Less)

This is a lesson about Saturn. Learners will organize their knowledge of Saturn and Cassini to prepare to write one of the following types of nonfiction for their final piece: descriptive (poetry), compare and contrast, or summary. This is lesson 11... (View More) of 12 in the Mission to Saturn Educators Guide, Reading Writing Rings, for grades 3-4. (View Less)

In this concluding activity, learners will use notes from an earlier lesson to write a nonfiction piece about Saturn or Cassini. These final projects provide a way for children with varying learning styles to consolidate and share their learning.... (View More) This is lesson 12 of 12 in the Mission to Saturn Educators Guide, Reading Writing Rings, for grades 3-4. (View Less)

This is a lesson about the size of the Earth and Saturn. Learners will compare the sizes of Saturn and Earth by making to-scale illustrations. Students also label and caption their illustrations using scientific language. This is lesson 3 of 10 in... (View More) "Reading, Writing & Rings!" for grades 1-2. (View Less)

This is a lesson about distances in space. Learners will create an outdoor, to-scale model of the distances between the Sun, Earth, and Saturn. Next you will conduct a guided walk to Saturn - which gives students an understanding of how far away... (View More) Saturn is from Earth and the Sun. Like enthusiastic travelers everywhere, students will write a “postcard home” to share their exciting trip. This is lesson 4 of 10 in "Reading, Writing & Rings!" for grades 1-2. (View Less)