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This
is an extensive collection of Educational
Guides from the Civil Air Patrol, NASA, NASA ETO,
and other sources. Please scroll the page
completely to find all that is available to you in this
section. |
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| Civil
Air Patrol Educational Guides |
Civil
Air Patrol activity guides related to aerospace science
and aviation. These guides contain background
information and hands-on student activities. |
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| Title |
Audience |
Grade
Level |
Air
Powered Rockets
Complete instructions on how to build paper and plastic bottle rockets.
Includes numerous math, physics, and basic science applications. Written
by Dr Charley Rodriguez, Ph.D. and Jim Raynovic. Both are Assistant Professors
of Aviation Technology at Southern Illinois University. |
Educators & Students
|
7-12
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General
Doolittle
Activity packet that chronicles the life and events of World War II hero
General James H. Doolittle. |
Educators & Students
|
K-4
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Charles
A. Lindbergh
Activity packet with science and math lessons integrated with the life
of Charles Lindbergh. |
Educators & Students
|
5-8
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General
Daniel James
Activity packet with science and math
lessons integrated with the life of
General Daniel “Chappie” James,
Jr. |
Educators & Students
|
K-4
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The
Space Shuttle
Short unit with activities that introduce students to the space shuttle
launch system. |
Educators & Students
|
K-4
|
Amelia
Earhart
Activity packet with Science and Math lessons integrated with the life
of Amelia Earhart. |
Educators & Students
|
5-8
|
The
Space Shuttle
Activity packet that gives detailed information on the space shuttle launch
system. |
Educators & Students
|
5-8
|
|
Educators & Students
|
K-4
|
Dr.
Robert Goddard
Activity packet with science and math lessons integrated with the life
rocket pioneer Robert Goddard. |
Educators & Students
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5-8
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| NASA
Earth to Orbit Educational Guides |
The
Earth to Orbit Engineering Design Challenges
connect students with the challenges NASA
engineers face as they design the next generation
of space vehicles. With simple and inexpensive
materials, students engage in related design
challenges in their classrooms under the
supervision of their teachers. |
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| Title |
Audience |
Grade
Level |
Thermal
Protection System
When spacecraft travel at high speeds through the Earth's atmosphere they
generate high temperatures on their surfaces due to frictional heating.
Space vehicles must have thermal protection systems to protect them from
this heat. In this challenge, students learn about the process of how NASA
engineers design lightweight but effective reusable thermal protection
systems. Working in two-person teams they design, build, and test a thermal
protection system of their own design. They use simple materials such as
wood dowels, aluminum foil and screening to build a model that can withstand
the heat of a propane torch. |
Educators & Students
|
6-10
|
Spacecraft
Structures
The structural elements that hold together an aerospace vehicle must be
strong and as light as possible in order to minimize the fuel needed to
get to orbit. NASA engineers continually strive to develop new materials
and methods in structural design. In this challenge, students will undertake
the problem of designing a strong but lightweight thrust structure that
can withstand the launch of a bottle rocket by means of a wooden lever.
Using simple materials such as: craft sticks, cardboard, and glue students
strive to make their structure lighter while maintaining its' strength. |
Educators & Students
|
6-10
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Electrodynamic
Propulsion Systems
Current rocket-fueled propulsion
satellites are expensive to launch
because of the weight of the fuel.
Also, the amount of fuel that can
be carried
is limited to the amount of space available on the spacecraft. NASA engineers
are devising a system that uses the Earth's natural magnetism to push
satellites into higher and lower
orbits around the plants using an
electronic conducting
wire or "tether". Students will try to move a model "satellite" along
a track using their own design with a specific set of materials. |
Educators & Students
|
6-10
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Centennial
of Flight: Propeller Design Challenge
More
than one hundred years ago the Wright
Brothers used a design process that
is still integral to engineering
design
today. The Centennial of Flight Challenge
focuses on the Wright Brothers' design
process and their development of the "Flyer".
Students are challenged, like the Wright
Brothers were, to design a propeller
that generates the maximum possible
thrust using a small motor and other
inexpensive
materials. |
Educators & Students
|
6-10
|
|
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| NASA
Educational Guides |
NASA
publishes a number of educator guides related
to space exploration. These guides contain
background information and hands-on student
activities. |
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| Title |
Audience
|
Grade
Level
|
Aeronautics
An Educator's Guide with Activities in Science, Mathematics, and Technology |
Educators
|
K-4
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Astrobiology
A
Teacher's Guide with Activities for Earth
and Space Sciences |
Educators |
5-12 |
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Educators
|
5-12
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Educators
|
5-12
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Educators
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4-12
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How
High Is It?
An Educator's Guide with Activities Focused on Scale Models of Distances |
Educators
|
5-8
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Educators
|
9-12
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Educators & Students
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K-12
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|
Educators
|
5-12
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|
Educators & Students
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5-12
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|
Educators
|
K-4
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|
Educators & Students
|
5-College
|
Rockets
A Teacher's Guide with Activities in Science, Mathematics, and Technology |
Educators
|
K-12
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Space-Based
Astronomy
An Educator Guide with Activities for Science, Mathematics, and Technology
Education |
Educators
|
5-8
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Educators
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K-8
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Educators
|
5-12
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| Weather
and Climate |
Use
the hands-on activities and multimedia
content from this web site to add excitement
to your
meteorology unit. This unit includes more
than 20 activities divided into four sections: “Weather,
Climate, and Society;” “Making
Weather in the Classroom;” “Recording
and Tracking Weather;” and “What
Makes Earth's Weather?”. The free
activities on this web site are part of
an excellent
multi-media program by Passport
to Knowledge that includes videos and
Internet resources. |
 Teacher's
Guide |
Passport
to Weather and Climate |
Program
Details |
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| WebQuest
Educational Guides |
A
WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity
in which most or all of the information
used by learners is drawn from the Web.
WebQuests are designed to use learners'
time well, to focus on using information
rather than looking for it, and to support
learners' thinking at the levels of analysis,
synthesis, and evaluation.
Students work in teams while completing a WebQuest and often take on the role
of different experts. Almost all WebQuests require that students produce a presentation
or other authentic product. These activities usually take multiple days, anywhere
from 2 days to 2 weeks. Usually, the majority of work can be assigned as homework
to reduce the amount of in-class time needed.
If you spend a few hours looking, you can find hundreds of WebQuests on almost
any subject that you can think of. Just like everything else on the web, WebQuests
also come in a variety of levels of quality. This matrix includes some of the
best WebQuests related to Earth and space science. |
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| Astronomy |
Audience |
Grade
Level |
|
Educators & Students |
4-8 |
Star
Broker
Overview: Students take
on the role of a real estate broker of
the stars. Of
course, in order to sell a star, the
students need to complete research on
constellations and stars.
Timeline: 2-3 days in class, can be done
completely out of class. |
Educators & Students |
4-12 |
The
King of Tides
Overview: Students use
the Internet to determine if tides are
caused by the
Moon. Students must collect and synthesize
data to support their conclusion.
Timeline: 2-3 days,
most can be completed outside of class. |
Educators & Students |
5-12 |
Mars
or the Moon
Overview: Student teams research
the Moon and Mars and debate which one
should be colonized.
Timeline: 1 week |
Educators & Students |
5-9 |
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Energy
|
Audience |
Grade
Level |
Meeting
our Energy Needs on Mars
Overview: Students
learn about a variety of energy
resources as they develop a
plan for providing energy for
a community on Mars.
Timeline: 2
weeks
|
Educators & Students
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5-12
|
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Geology
|
Audience |
Grade
Level |
Will
that Volcano Destroy our Party?
Overview: Students
counsel the mayor of a fictitious
island city about the dangers
of a nearby volcano. This WebQuest
could be a great introduction
to the study of volcanoes and
plate tectonics.
Timeline: 1-2
days
|
Educators & Students
|
5-8
|
EarthKam
Overview: Aliens
are taking pictures of Earth!
Students investigate natural
and human-made images of Earth
taken from space to determine
why the aliens are interested.
This activity is a great introduction
to your Earth Science class.
Timeline: 2-3
days
|
Educators & Students
|
5-8
|
Plate
Tectonics
Overview: Students
research continental movement
during
the history of Earth. From
this research, students must
predict the movement of continents
in the future and determine
where the real-estate will
be.
Timeline: 3-5
days
|
Educators & Students
|
5-12
|
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Life
Science
|
Audience |
Grade
Level |
Is
It Alive?
Overview: Students
are given a “mystery
sample” to investigate
for signs of life.
As students learn
more about biology,
they
design and conduct
their own investigations
to determine if the
sample meets criteria
for life. Instructions
for integrating the
project into a course
with the following
units is provided:
-
Unit
1 - The Nature
of Life
-
Unit
2 - Atoms and Molecules
-
Unit 3 - Cells
-
Unit
4 - Life processes
-
Unit
5 - Energy Reactions and Enzymes
Timeline: This
is a semester long project that
can be used in cooperation with
the teacher’s normal activities
related to the study of life.
|
Educators & Students
|
9-12
|
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Meteorology
|
Audience |
Grade
Level |
Weather
Watchers
Overview: Students
work in groups to record the
weather in different geographical
regions and apply weather information
to decision making. Students
compare actual weather to local
weather predictions. Students
learn about the importance
of weather forecasting, clouds,
temperature, and weather patterns
in different regions of the
world. Students use the Internet,
newspapers, television, thermometers,
and other techniques to gather
information.
Timeline: 3
weeks, approximately 30 mins
per day.
|
Educators & Students
|
K-2
|
El
Nino or El No-No
Overview: Students
use the Internet to build background
knowledge about El Nino. Students
then use real-time data from
an actual ocean buoy and historical
data to speculate about the
winter weather in their area.
Timeline: 3
weeks, can be done outside
of class.
|
Educators & Students
|
8-12
|
Acid
Rain
Overview: Students
take on a variety of roles
to study the cause, characteristics,
and environmental impact of
acid rain.
Timeline: 1
week with out of class work.
|
Educators & Students
|
5-12
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Global
Warming
Overview: Students take on the role of experts as they investigate
global warming and its affects on Earth.
Timeline: 3-4
days |
Educators & Students
|
9-12
|
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Oceanography
|
Audience |
Grade
Level |
The
King of Tides
Overview: Students
use the Internet to determine
if tides are caused by the Moon.
Students must collect and synthesize
data to support their conclusion.
Timeline: 2-3
days, most can be completed outside
of class.
|
Educators & Students
|
5-12
|
El
Nino or El No-No
Overview: Students
use the Internet to build
background knowledge about
El Nino. Students then
use real-time data from
an actual ocean buoy and
historical data to speculate
about the winter weather
in their area.
Timeline: 3
weeks, can be done outside
of class.
|
Educators & Students
|
8-12
|
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