This teacher guide of classroom activities is focused on ancient solar astronomical observation and calendaring by early cultures, particularly in the American Southwest. Activities range from individual or small group projects to whole-class exercises. The activities are designed to have students engage in real scientific data-taking and analysis while at the same time getting a sense of how non-technological ... Full description.

This website covers scientific notation, orders of magnitude, and plotting using both linear and log scales. Students determine the relative scales of objects in the Universe from the very small to the very large. Many hands-on science experiments are available. Full description.

This educators guide provides content and classroom activities about galaxies, galaxy morphology, x-ray properties of galaxies, and evidence for dark matter in galaxies. These activities have been designed to be appropriate for students with a range of abilities and learning styles. The guide may be used with The Hidden Lives of Galaxies poster. Full description.

In this program, students learn about the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights. They learn the many legends and myths that have revolved around the aurora throughout human history. Students also discover how NASA scientists and engineers use satellite technology to measure and analyze aurora data, as well as how Norwegian scientists study the Northern Lights by using ground-based instruments and sounding ... Full description.

This product includes five classroom activities related to the discovery of water ice on Mars. In 2001, the Mars Odyssey spacecraft discovered significant amounts of water ice buried in the high latitude regions of Mars. This discovery, based upon data from the Mars Gamma Ray Spectrometer, helped motivate the development of the Mars Phoenix Lander mission, which arrived in the Martian arctic in 2008 ... Full description.

This guide introduces students to the mystery of gamma-ray bursts as a gateway and motivation for gaining fundamental understandings of waves and the different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. At the same time, students gain current insight into issues in modern astronomy and space science. In this five-activity unit, students consider how our everyday world and the cosmos look when they ... Full description.

This is the fourth and final in a series of teachers guides designed to understand magnetometer data and the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) mission science, while meeting the needs of high school teachers teaching astronomy, physics, and physical science. It was developed with the goal that students can work directly with the THEMIS magnetometer data. ... Full description.

This product consists of eight astrobiology after-school activities, each of which may be completed in about one hour. The science of astrobiology is concerned with the question of whether or not life exists on other planets. These activities were adapted for use in afterschool programs with ages 5-12. A Astrobiology: Science Learning Activities for Afterschool was produced by the American Museum ... Full description.

In this unit, participants are engaged in learning content while also developing skills that are key to conducting scientific investigations. These activities were adapted for use in after school programs for children ages 5-12. It consists of nine sequential activities; most activities can be completed in about one hour. Full description.

The activities in this guide engage students in learning about the Sun and the process of scientific investigation. The eight activities were adapted for use in afterschool programs with ages 5-12; each can be completed in about one hour. Full description.