© 1995,1996The Regents of the University of California

Topics covered by these lessons:

Doing Astrophysics Research with an Artificial Earth Orbiting Satellite, Sine Waves, The Electromagnetic Spectrum, Images of the Universe in Different Wavelengths, Satellite Communications, Satellite Dishes, Constellations and the Zodiac, Solar System Objects, Earthquakes, and More!

When creating your own lesson, you may want to look at the following Lesson Plan Template.

1. The Martian Sun-Times by Florence Vaughan and Jeff Benson. Intended for junior high school students and their teachers. Student weather reporters investigate seasons, temperatures and clouds on Mars and compare them to Earth.
2. Electromagnetic Radiation - On Trial by Nellie Levine (aka N. Levandovsky.) Intended for high school students and their teachers. This lesson engages students in collaborative work to gather evidence regarding beneficial or nefarious properties of various types of electromagnetic radiation. Students place the electromagnetic spectrum "On Trial" and take advantage of an electronic interactive WWW forum to gather, post, and discuss their evidence.
3. The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) Satellite Orbit by Leslie Dietiker, Delano Spicer and Isabel Hawkins. Intended for 9th or 10th graders and their teachers, in introductory math classes or trigonometry. Students will use this lesson plan to obtain data directly from the EUVE satellite , in the form of the position of the EUVE above the Earth as a function of time. Students will then be able to graph the position of the EUVE satellite on a map of the world and investigate periodic functions such as sine and cosine. The EUVE satellite offers a wonderful opportunity for students to see a real application of math to space science, to ask questions about how satellites stay in orbit and to see how mathematics provides a tool for analyzing information about space astrophysics satellite missions.
4. Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) Satellite Data Flow Demonstration by Marlene Wilson and Dennis Biroscak. Intended for use by 4th-12th grade students who have ball-throwing and ball-catching skills. This is a hands-on demonstration of the communication path between the EUVE satellite and a scientist on Earth.
5. The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) Satellite Guest Investigator Puzzle by Timothy Keys and Isabel Hawkins. Intended for use by 6th-8th grade students and their teachers. The purpose of this lesson plan is to familiarize students with astronomy and with the process of scientific research carried out by professional astronomers using up-to-date data resources available on the World Wide Web. Students will be able to participate in an astrophysics lab accessing data from NASA's Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) satellite. Students become familiar with a fundamental technique of astrophysics research by matching EUVE spectra of "mystery" stars with those of known stars.
6. The Great Satellite Search! by Regan Lum. Intended for 9th-12th graders. This lesson is designed to teach students how to do Internet research and then organize and present information.
7. How Satellites See by Chris Wilder. Intended for use by elementary school students and their teachers. This project compares and contrasts three NASA satellites: The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE), The Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) . Students can compare physical parts and orbits of each satellite, will compare images about how each satellite "sees" the Universe. Students can also participate in hands-on experiments to begin to understand visible, infrared, and ultraviolet wavelengths.
8. Auroras: Paintings in the Sky by Mish Denlinger. Intended for 6th-12th graders An introduction to auroras and the processes that create these mysterious lights.
9. Graphing Stratospheric Ozone by Neil Fedder. Intended for 11th and 12th graders Students will learn how to plot raw data by plotting NASA ozone surveys in Antartica.
10. Take a Spin Through the Solar System Original concept and authoring by Kevin McCarron and Ginger Privat with additional authoring by Nellie Levine (aka N. Levandovsky.) Intended for middle and high school students and their teachers. Have you noticed how many things around you rotate? In this unit we are going to measure and investigate rotation rates of different planets, and even the Sun. We will base our research on the images and textual information found on the Internet.
11. Surfing for Earthquakes and Volcanoes by Patty Coe and Michael Merrick. Intended for 6-8 graders Students use the Internet to research data on earthquakes and volcanoes and plot locations to determine continental plate boundaries. Extensions include interpretation of interaction between plate boundaries, causes of earthquakes and volcanoes, and the comparison of the formation of Olympus Mons on Mars and the Hawaiian volcanic chain.
12. Third from the Sun by Ronna Voorsanger. Intended for grades 4-8. Students learn about earth imaging by Landsat satellites and study images of earth to try determine their origins.
13. Eyes in the Sky by Bryan Yager. Intended for 6-8 graders.This lesson plan shows how middle school students who are taking industrial technology classes use technology to learn about orbiting spacecraft designed to study astronomical objects.
14. What is Your Sign? The Science Behind the Zodiac by Beth Napier Intended for secondary students and their teachers. This lesson will help students describe the meaning of the plane of the ecliptic, and recognize and identify the constellations of the Zodiac.
15. Communication- Vibration, Electronic Signals, and Electromagnetic Radiation: by Regan Lum. Intended for use by high school students and their teachers. The main methods of communication are speaking and listening. One of the limitations of communication through speech is that the listener must be within shouting distance. Through the miracle of science, we can speak to a friend that is far away by sending our voice through the air, wire, or glass fiber in the form of electromagnetic radiation or electronic signals. We can even speak to machines such as space satellites orbiting the Earth, or probes on their way to the outer planets of the Solar System - and tell them what to do! These concepts are illustrated through exciting hands-on demonstrations.
16. Big Trouble in Earthquake Country
17. Geography From Space
18. Looking At Earth Online Gallery
19. Ski Earth

1995, 1996 The Regents of the University of California.