This lesson is about the role of planning in spacecraft assembly. Learners will think through all the details that go into assembling the Genesis science cannister by planning for a birthday party. Planning to plan is an important skill that students need to learn to become less reactive and more proactive when it comes to different aspects of their lives. Includes a teacher's guide and students handouts. This lesson 8 of 10 from the Dynamic Design: The Cleanroom module.

This Google Slides presentation includes talking points and concepts from the "Distance learning playbook" by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie.
A total of six mini-sessions are covered in the file.
Topics included SAMRs, Disengagement vs Engagement, Universal Technology, Intentional Planning, A Different Type of Data, and Student Portfolios.

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This article provides an overview of podcasts and suggestions for using podcasts in the elementary classroom.

In this learning activity, students compare changes in insolation with changes in surface temperature in the polar regions using scientific visualizations of global data sets. Links to readings related to the shrinking ice cap and albedo are included. This is part 1 of a four-part activity on polar science. Extension activities examining air and sea surface temperature in relation to changing Earth albedo are included. This activity is one of several learning activities connected with the 2007 GLOBE Earth system poster.

This lesson plan is about Newton's laws of motion and how they apply to the concept of variables in relation to launching pop rockets. Learners will apply each of Newton’s laws of motion to the “Pop Rocket Variables” activity. Includes a teacher's guide and students handouts. Video and audio clips are provided. This is lesson 2 of 8 from the Dynamic Design: Launch and Propulsion module.

This is a lesson about the concept of variables in relation to launching pop rockets. Learners will work in teams to test a single variable involved in launching a rocket and learn the variables involved with constructing and launching a water rocket. This is activity 1 of 7 in Dynamic Design: Launch and Propulsion.

Students can practice their speaking skills in a lower stakes situtation. Additionally, they are exposed to another skill for their technology toolbox. For this lesson students examine the differences between physical and chemical changes. After understanding these changes, in small groups students follow instructions for making popcorn, photographing each step. Then students create a video using the SonicPics app to narrate their photos and answer questions about this change.

This lesson is about the assembly of the Genesis collector arrays. Learners will work in teams to complete the assembly of the array frame that they began in the "Working Together" lesson (lesson 9 in the module). Includes a teacher's guide and students handouts. This lesson is 10 of 10 from the module, titled Dynamic Design: The Cleanroom.

In this activity, students are guided through a close reading of The Journal of Sean Sullivan: A Transcontinental Railroad Worker, a fictional book for young readers based on historical sources. Students will read a short excerpt from the beginning of the book and determine the meaning of key words. Working in groups, students will then read excerpts related to one of the following themes: working conditions of railroad builders; tension between immigrant groups; corruption of the railroad companies; conflict with Great Plains Indian tribes; and boomtowns. They will also complete an individual writing task on their theme. Finally, students will consider the positive and negative effects of the railroad on the country as a whole, as well as on specific groups of Americans.

This worksheet shows four variations of the bicycle from the 1800s. After reading descriptions of each variation, students are tasked with putting them in chronological order.

This article describes Katy Farness' work with the Byrd Polar Research Center at the Ohio State University. Farness used remote sensing images and computer technology to create detailed images of Antarctica and the ice sheets of Greenland.

This collection of 103 individual sets of math problems derives from images and data generated by NASA remote sensing technology. Whether used as a challenge activity, enrichment activity and/or a formative assessment, the problems allow students to engage in authentic applications of math. Each set consists of one page of math problems (one to six problems per page) and an accompanying answer key. Based on complexity, the problem sets are designated for two grade level groups: 6-8 and 9-12. Also included is an introduction to remote sensing, a matrix aligning the problem sets to specific math topics, and four problems for beginners (grades 3-5).

This is an activity about image resolution. Learners will recreate a solar image taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) using various sizes of building bricks, and discuss how their recreations relate to image resolution. Learners will also compare SDO images to solar images from older spacecraft to see how improved technology helps scientists learn more about the Sun.

This article provides an overview of educational resources available from polar research programs.

This is an online sorting game that compares the lifetime risk of death from an asteroid impact to other threats. For example, are you more likely to be killed by an amusement park ride or an asteroid impact? It is part of the Killer Asteroids Web Site. The site also features a background overview of the differences between asteroids and comets, information on different types of asteroids (rubble piles vs monoliths), a discussion of how at risk Earth really is to an asteroid or comet impact, and background information on light curves.

This activity is about planetary rovers. Learners will simulate the challenges in communications that engineers face when driving a rover on Mars. They will particpate as part of a rover team to design and execute a series of commands that will guide a rover made of people through an obstacle course simulating the Martian surface. Students will learn the limitations of operating a planetary rover and problem solving solutions by using this simulation. The lesson models the engineering design process using the 5E instructional model and includes teacher notes, vocabulary, student journal and reading.

This is a multi-level, physics-based game that asks players to save Earth by using their spaceship to deflect an incoming asteroid. It is designed to accurately reflect the physics of space and could be used to help confront preconceptions about motion and forces in space. It is part of the Killer Asteroids Web Site. The site also features a background overview of the differences between asteroids and comets, information on different types of asteroids (rubble piles vs monoliths), a discussion of how at risk Earth really is to an asteroid or comet impact, and background information on light curves.

In this activity students learn that elements are the basic building blocks of all things found on Earth and in space including water, the human body, and the Earth, the Sun, and the planets. By counting elements extracted from sample of beads designed to simulate a Genesis sampling grid, they will learn how the extraction of atoms from the Genesis samples help scientists have a better understanding of the abundances of elements in the solar wind. The hands-on experience helps students to discover that the elemental abundances from the sun can be used as a baseline to compare with the diverse bodies of our solar system. A student worksheet and data spreadsheet are provided.

In this video, students learn that all matter can exist in three forms: solid, liquid or gas. They compare the basic properties. Matter can change states through heating or cooling, and it is sure to change when it reaches its boiling point or freezing point.

In this issue of the free online magazine Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, learn about the tools and technologies scientists use to study the land, ice, ocean, atmosphere, and living creatures of the polar regions. Students can also learn about the day-to-day life of a scientist working at the South Pole and plan their own research expedition.