This lesson plan is part of the DiscoverySchool.com lesson plan library for grades K-5. It focuses on the diets of astronauts during space missions. Students bring in dehydrated foods to see how they are different from other foods, and discuss why it is necessary to have dehydrated food in space. Included are objectives, materials, procedures, discussion questions, evaluation ideas, suggested readings, ... Full description.

This lesson introduces students to gravity as a force and explores the role of gravity in falling. Elementary-school students typically do not understand gravity. They see the phenomenon of a falling body as natural with no need for further explanation. This lesson will help to correct misconceptions about gravity, such as thinking it is the air that exerts this force, or that the magnitude of the ... Full description.

This lesson is the first of a two-part series on the science of hurricanes and the kinds of technology being used to identify and track them. In this segment, students examine different scientific aspects of hurricanes, all in an effort to begin to understand the nature of motion, particularly how changes in speed or direction of motion are caused by forces. Full description.

This interactive site introduces the concept of gravitational attraction and provides some examples. It introduces Sir Isaac Newton and points out that he was the first to recognize that the force that keeps the moon in orbit is the same force that pulls a ball to Earth. There are also brief descriptions of the role of gravity in the universe, and a 'thought experiment' in which students try to imagine ... 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.

Young students are introduced to the Solar System and then can visit related webpages for the Sun, Planets, Moon, Asteroid Belt, Meteoroids, and Comets. An audio soundtrack is available and students may listen to the text on the page being read. Activities and games reinforce the concepts taught, and each page provides links to answers and a 'Did You Know?' section with more information. The page ... Full description.

Young students are introduced to the Universe and will learn a song about the Doppler Shift. Audio is embedded and students may listen to the text on the page as it is read to them and hear the song. Activities and games are included to reinforce concepts, and students may visit seven other related pages: Galaxies, The Milky Way, Stars, Quasars, Black Holes, Cosmology, and Dark Matter. The page is ... Full description.

This lesson plan is part of the DiscoverySchool.com lesson plan library for grades K-5. It focuses on tsunamis, or tidal waves, and how they are caused by a certain type of earthquake. Students work in teams to produce earthquake wave effects on water. Included are objectives, materials, procedures, discussion questions, evaluation ideas, suggested readings, and vocabulary. There are videos available ... Full description.

In this activity students are asked for their predictions about how different water temperatures will affect movement in the ocean water column. Students will investigate the effect of water temperature on mixing in the water column. They will half fill one jar with the hottest water the faucet will provide and half fill the other jar with chilled water. After allowing the water in both jars to settle ... Full description.

This article explains the difference between the three South Poles. It describes the south magnetic dip pole which is not even on the Antarctic continent, the ceremonial South Pole, and the Geographic South Pole, the marker of which is constantly on the move. The article also explains why the Geographic South Pole is resurveyed each year and the difference between the Chandler wobble and the precession ... Full description.