This set of classroom activities presents the challenges of operating a planetary rover, how to construct a scale model of the Earth-Moon system, how Martian surface core samples can be identified and what they tell us about Mars. Each activity comes with clearly delineated instructions, associated standards, guides and worksheets, and enhancement materials. Full description.

In this activity, students work in groups to research Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, Hans Lippershey, or James Metius, scientists who all made advances related to the telescope. Each group will share results by making a presentation to the class. Then the class will decide who, if anyone, they think should be given credit for inventing the telescope, and why. They will then summarize their findings ... Full description.

In this activity students use simple materials to make model sailboats which must stay upright and sail straight in a testing tank. The activity introduces the terms sail, stability, leeway, resistance, floating, displacement, propulsion, steering, and keel. Sailboat hulls are designed to pursue a straight-ahead course with as little disturbance of the water as possible. At the same time the boat ... Full description.

This site provides atmospheric and geologic hazard information for researchers, teachers, students, and concerned citizens. For each hazard, information about the locations and seasons of greatest risk is provided. In the "Other Resources" sections, you will find links to selected web sites and educational products for purchase. Topic areas include: warnings and real-time data, glossary of terms, ... Full description.

In this activity, the process of finding the epicenter of an earthquake with a travel time graph is simulated. During the course of this activity students will model how earthquake waves travel through the Earth at different speeds, construct and utilize a graph to characterize the relationship between distance and time of travel of seismic waves (a travel time-curve), and use the constructed time-travel ... Full description.

The information at this site will help students while they are interpreting the results of building contest and shake table testing. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) national seismic-hazard map is shown and explained, the four broad interrelated objectives of the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program are stated, the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) is explained, and its accomplishments ... Full description.

In this activity students will identify places with night lighting all around the globe and hypothesize what these bright areas indicate. The teacher will ask students what they think their city or town looks like from space - especially at night. Students who have flown on an airplane at night will have a good idea. The students will discover what it is like to fly over the Earth, and map the night ... Full description.

During this activity, students will experience the excitement of discovery and problem-solving to learn about organisms that live in extreme environments in the deep ocean and come to understand the importance of ocean exploration. This hands-on activity uses online data resources and includes: focus questions, learning objectives, background information, evaluations and extensions, as well as additional ... Full description.

In this activity students will observe that the sea level changes and will hypothesize what causes this change. They will then check their hypothesis with a data set. Many students are surprised to learn that sea level is not the same everywhere on earth and that it changes with the seasons. The main cause of this change is the temperature change in the ocean - warmer waters are higher than colder ... Full description.

In this activity students will plot recent earthquakes and active volcanoes and correlate these locations with places where the Earth's plates come together. They will discover that the Earth's crust is divided into tectonic plates, which move relative to one another and have a direct relationship with the occurence of earthquakes and volcanoes. The teacher will first ask students to describe what ... Full description.