In this lesson, students will experimentally measure the strength of a magnet and graph how the strength changes as the distance from the magnet increases, and as the barrier (masking tape) is built between the magnet and an iron object. This lesson is the second in a two-lesson series on magnets. The main concept to convey in Magnets 2: How Strong is Your Magnet? is that forces can act from a distance. ... Full description.

This experiment demonstrates that energy from the Sun can be collected and stored in a variety of ways. Using plastic bottles painted black and white and capped with balloons, students will see that the black bottle becomes warmer, heating the air inside it and blowing up the balloon. Full description.

In this lesson, students will learn that there are limits to what the eye can see and that a magnifying glass can help extend those limits. Students may have been exposed to optical technology such as glasses, magnifying lenses, or even periscopes, microscopes, and telescopes. This lesson aims to channel the inventive energy of students to increase their awareness and purposeful use of tools. They ... Full description.

In this lesson, students will explore what happens to the amount of different substances as they change from solid to liquid and vice versa. This lesson is the third in a three-part series that addresses a concept that is central to the understanding of the water cycle: that water is able to take many forms but is still water. Students will investigate how melting and freezing impact three everyday ... Full description.

This lesson provides students with an understanding that certain materials are attracted to magnets while others are not. It is the first in a two-lesson series on magnets. In Magnets 1: Magnetic Pick-ups, students will look at various objects, make predictions about whether they are magnetic, and then test their predictions. This exploration is an introductory activity to magnets and magnetism. Full description.

This question-and-answer feature introduces younger students to some basic fact about our sun. Taking the form of a ficticious interview, it briefly describes the sun's age, size, what happens when stars die, and what sunspots are. It also points out that stars are round, not pointed, as in pictures. Full description.

This lesson allows students to compare and contrast three NASA satellites: The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE), The Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The lesson includes access to data and images from these three NASA astronomy satellites, contrasting the way the sky appears in three very different electromagnetic wavelengths or colors of light. Other satellite ... Full description.

At this site, students learn about the history of Earth imaging and the Landsat satellite program. They develop interpretation skills as they play a game that involves inferring the subjects of various Landsat images. This lesson will help students to be able to show understanding of the history and development of Earth sensing, describe Landsat and its role in modern Earth imaging, and use knowledge ... Full description.

In this activity the students will be making a model of a polar bear and describing the color of the fur and skin to understand why the color is important. Measuring the temperature of a black sock and a white sock and comparing temperatures is also included in the activity so that the students can understand the difference in heat retention. Students will then look up the word adaptation in dictionary, ... Full description.

This activity introduces students to the magnetosphere, which shields the Earth from plasma streaming from the Sun (the solar wind). They will use a bar magnet and iron filings to construct a model that shows how Earth's magnetic field interacts with the solar wind, deflecting the plasma away. A materials list, instructions, and culminating activities are provided. Full description.