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School Visits: Astronomy Classes

Planet Trek:  Solar System Classroom Activities

 Online Games:

1.      Space Puzzles Online: http://www.crpuzzles.com/space/index.html

2.      Solar System Trading Cards Online Game:
 http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/trading-top-level.html

3.      Solar System & Space Wordsearch Online:  http://observe.arc.nasa.gov/nasa/fun/wordsearch/Wordsearch.html

4.      Amazing Space games and activities:  http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/

5.      Solar System Online Coloring Book:  http://www.windows.ucar.edu/cgi-bin/tour_def/coloring_book/index.html

6.      Solar System Printable Coloring Book: http://windows.arc.nasa.gov/coloring_book/SS_Beg_new2.pdf

7.      Solar System Puzzle Kit:  http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/Curriculum.Support/Space.Science/Our.Solar.System/Solar.System.Puzzle.Kit/.index.html

Layout of the Solar System:

1. Planet Paths middle school lesson – includes ellipses, conic sections, and Kepler’s laws: http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/58orbits.html
2. Kepler’s Laws Labs for older students: http://lyra.colorado.edu/sbo/manuals/apsmanuals/cleajupiter.pdf   and http://lyra.colorado.edu/sbo/manuals/apsmanuals/kepler.pdf

Scale Models:

1.      Calculate and build scale model with clay:  http://stardate.org/resources/tguide/activity4.html
and “Worlds in Comparison” activity from  Family Astro 

2.      Solar System Scale Modeling Activities: 
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/education/modules/webpages/activitypage.htm  and
http://lyra.colorado.edu/sbo/mary/Scale/

3.      Peppercorn and toilet paper scale models from Universe at your Fingertips 

Earth as a Planet:

1. Exploring the earth from space:  http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/Curriculum.Support/Earth.Science/Educator.Guides.and.Activities/Exploring.Earth.From.Space/.index.html
2. NASA’s earth cam:  http://www.earthkam.ucsd.edu/
3. Solar System Analysis through Images: http://www.nasm.edu/ceps/SIIMAGES/

Venus:

1. Venus topography box activity:  http://eis.jpl.nasa.gov/eao/venus_t.html

Mars:

1.  Mars Landforms identification activity and photo set: http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/SPACEGRANT/class_acts/MarsQuizTe.html

2. Flowng water shapes planet surface activity  http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/education/modules/webpages/activity5.htm
3. Mars Exploration Classroom Activities: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/education/modules/webpages/activitypage.htm
4. Mission Planning Activity: http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmars/activities/geography.html 
5. More Mars activities: http://lyra.colorado.edu/sbo/mary/mars/

Jupiter:

1. Plot the orbit of a moon of Jupiter   http://stardate.utexas.edu/resources/tguide/activity6.html
2. Jupiter’s Moons Lab (for older students):  http://lyra.colorado.edu/sbo/manuals/apsmanuals/galileanmoons.pdf
3. Convection Currents: http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/convection_currents.html
4. Vortex Activity: http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/vortex.html
5. Jupiter and Galilean Moons scale model, from Moons of Jupiter activity book
6. Tracking Jupiter’s Moons activity, from Moons of Jupiter

 Saturn:

1. Saturn Educator Guide with classroom activities and materials: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/educatorguide/
2. Saturn Puzzles:  http://www.spacescience.org/Education/ResourcesForEducators/CurriculumMaterials/Cassini/Chapters/saturn_puzzles_lr.pdf
3. Scale Model Saturn:  http://cosmos.colorado.edu/~urquhart/Cassini/scale_saturn.html
4. Other Saturn Activities:  http://lyra.colorado.edu/sbo/mary/Cassini/
5. Cassini Mission: build a scale model  http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/kids/simplemod.shtml  simple 1:40 model 
   http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/kids/challen.shtml  detailed scale model, over 5 hrs assembly time
6. NASA Cassini Activity list: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/teachers/activities.shtml

Cratering:

1.      Making craters in the classroom:

Stardust Mission Educators Guide “Think SMALL in a BIG way” activity: http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/classroom/activities/1-stardst-ch01.pdf

also   http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com/10feb00/teach10.html

2.      Impact Craters middle school lesson plan:
http://observe.arc.nasa.gov/nasa/education/teach_guide/craters.html

3.      Impact Crater Wordsearch:  http://observe.arc.nasa.gov/nasa/fun/wordsearch/craters_search/craters_search.html

4.      See also varied activities in  Exploring Meteorite Mysteries Teacher Guide: http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/NASA.Educational.Products/Exploring.Meteorite.Mysteries/

 Comets:

1. Comet Orbit Flip Books from Universe at your Fingertips  
2. Make a comet in the classroom activity:  http://www.solarviews.com/eng/edu/comets.htm  and

http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/segwayed/lessons/cometstale/Make_ins.pdf  or

http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/segwayed/lessons/cometstale/make_script.html

3. Middle School comet study and hands-on activity: 
   http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/comets/teacher/lessonplan.html#follow
4. Scale Model Comet: http://cosmos.colorado.edu/~urquhart/comet/scale_comet.html

Meteor Showers

1.      Observing Meteor showers:  http://stardate.org/resources/tguide/activity3.html

Additional Resources:

Good Solar System Online Lessons: http://www.nasm.edu/ceps/etp/etp.htm

Thursday’s Classroom, astronomy classroom activities with reading and math included:  http://thursdaysclassroom.com/archive.html

NASA Ames Educators Resource Center:  http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov/erc/erchome.html

NASA Educational Products: http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/NASA.Educational.Products/.index.html

Planetary Geology (223 page Educators’ Activity Guide): http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/NASA.Educational.Products/Planetary.Geology/Planetary.Geology.pdf

Cool NASA Websites, including educational: http://www.nasa.gov/cool.html

More Solar System Activities by topic:  http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/class_acts/

Astronomy Activities on the Web, organized by topic and grade level:  http://www.astrosociety.org/education/astroacts.html

Astronomical Society of the Pacific Education, including Project Astro and Family Astro:  http://www.astrosociety.org/education.html

“Universe at Your Fingertips” from Astronomical Society of the Pacific:  http://www.astrosociety.org/education/astro/astropubs/universe.html

“More Universe at Your Fingertips” from Astronomical Society of the Pacific: http://www.astrosociety.org/education/astro/astropubs/moreuniverse.html

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