Explore Learning offers 3 programs to support students learning at home: Gizmos …
Explore Learning offers 3 programs to support students learning at home:
Gizmos (Grades 3-12) Get hands-on with math and science. Gizmos are online simulations that excite curiosity and invite interaction. We’ve got over 400 Gizmos in our library covering topics and concepts in math and science for grades 3-12. Gizmos help students dig deeper into subjects and really understand challenging concepts.
Reflex (Grades 2-6) When they use Reflex, kids love math. Adaptive and individualized, Reflex is the most effective system for mastering basic math facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Full of games that students love, Reflex takes students at every level and helps them quickly gain math fact fluency and confidence. And educators and parents love the powerful reporting that allows them to monitor progress and celebrate success.
Science4Us (Grades K-2) It’s never too early to learn science! Science4Us covers Inquiry, Physical Science, Life Science and Earth & Space Science with lessons specifically designed for K-2 students. The sessions have 1000’s of online and offline activities that can be completed in as little as ten minutes, and teach students using videos, interaction, poems, songs, and digital notebooks.
This is a lesson about using analogues to look for life on …
This is a lesson about using analogues to look for life on other planets. Learners will use the results of previous lessons to write a scientific proposal to explore another planet or moon in our solar system for signs of life. This proposal should predict the types of energy and nutrients available to sustain life and describe equipment and instruments necessary for exploration and characterization of the target environment. This is activity 4, the capstone activity, in Exploring Deep-Subsurface Life. Earth Analogues for Possible Life on Mars: Lessons and Activities.
This is an activity about ellipses, their focal points, and how the …
This is an activity about ellipses, their focal points, and how the mathematics involved pertains to planetary orbits. Learners will draw their own ellipse using a string and pencil and calculate the minimum and maximum distance from the Sun for each of the planets. This activity requires access to the Space Weather software and is Solar System Activity 5 in a larger resource, titled Space Update.
This is a collection of mathematics problems relating to the moons of …
This is a collection of mathematics problems relating to the moons of the solar system. Learners will use simple proportional relationships and work with fractions to study the relative sizes of the larger moons in our solar system, and explore how temperatures change from place to place using the Celsius and Kelvin scales.
This book introduces students to some of the most unusual places in …
This book introduces students to some of the most unusual places in our galaxy outside of our solar system. Answering the question, "How many stars are in the sky?" introduces students to basic counting, tallying, and grouping techniques, as well as allowing for the use of simple proportions.
In this lesson, learners will construct their own 3-D glasses in order …
In this lesson, learners will construct their own 3-D glasses in order to use them on 3-D images, such as images of the Sun from the STEREO spacecraft. This activity requires special materials, such as red and blue acetate paper and can be used with an accompanying activity, titled Create Your Own 3-D Images.
As science extension activities, this book of problems introduces students to mapping …
As science extension activities, this book of problems introduces students to mapping the shape of the Milky Way galaxy, and how to identify the various kinds of galaxies in our universe. Students also learn about the shapes and sizes of other galaxies in our universe as they learn how to classify them. The math problems cover basic scientific notation skills and how they apply to working with astronomically large numbers. It also provides exercises in plotting points on a Cartesian plane to map the various features of our Milky Way.
This is an activity about the solar activity cycle. Learners will construct …
This is an activity about the solar activity cycle. Learners will construct a graph to identify a pattern of the number of observed sunspots and the number of coronal mass ejections emitted by the Sun over a fifteen year time span. A graphing calculator is recommended, but not required, for this activity. This is the second activity in the Solar Storms and You: Exploring the Wind from the Sun educator guide.
This activity introduces students to the visible light spectrum, and demonstrates what …
This activity introduces students to the visible light spectrum, and demonstrates what happens to the appearance of an image when certain wavelengths of light are blocked by filters or made visible using special tools.åÊStudents are lead through experiments with light and filters, demonstrating that the broader the range of the electromagnetic spectrum we can detect, the more information we gather about the universe. By completing this activity, students gain background information that is necessary for activities that follow this one. This activity is part of the "Cosmic Questions: Our Place in Space and Time" educator's guide that was developed to support the Cosmic Questions exhibit. Activities in the guide can be used in conjunction with, or independently of, the exhibt.
In this activity, students use base-two slide rules, log tapes, and calculators …
In this activity, students use base-two slide rules, log tapes, and calculators to practice raising exponents in base notation and pulling down exponents in log notation. Students will develop an understanding that antilog notation expresses the exact same idea as raising a base to a power.åÊThis activity is activity C2 in the "Far Out Math" educator's guide. Lessons in the guide include activities in which students measure, compare quantities as orders of magnitude, become familiar with scientific notation, and develop an understanding of exponents and logarithms using examples from NASA's GLAST mission. These are skills needed to understand the very large and very small quantities characteristic of astronomical observations. Note: In 2008, GLAST was renamed Fermi, for the physicist Enrico Fermi.
The ocean and atmosphere each react to changes in the other. These …
The ocean and atmosphere each react to changes in the other. These reactions and counter-reactions can snowball until the system builds to a point where potentially disastrous effects occur, such as the El Nino events of 1982-83 and 1997-98. This site describes how the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's TOPEX-Poseidon satellite was used to monitor the amount of sea level rise in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, and consequently the amount of heat stored in the water. Sea level and temperature data from TOPEX-Poseidon was used successfully to predict the 1997-98 El Nino event earlier than ever before. It features text, remotely-sensed imagery and a link to JPL's Physical Oceanography website.
This paper model of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope includes three pages …
This paper model of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope includes three pages of parts that can be cut out and assembled using common household items. It also provides a short description of the scientific instruments on board Fermi, as well as links to other resources about its instruments.
This is a series of five activities about geology on the moon. …
This is a series of five activities about geology on the moon. Learners will explore lunar stratigraphy (caused by lava flows), impact craters, the moon's history, spacecraft design in which students build models of the LRO out of edible or non-edible materials, and the future of lunar exploration. This guide includes the activities from the original Field Trip to the Moon guide plus activities relating to these two moon missions - Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite.
This kick-off activity sets the stage for further explorations and activities in …
This kick-off activity sets the stage for further explorations and activities in Explore! To the Moon and Beyond! - a resource developed specifically for use in libraries. As a group, learners will discuss what they know about Earth's Moon. They read books to learn more about the lunar environment and history of exploration. They use their knowledge to create a drawing or model of the landscape (optional).
This is a lesson about Saturn. Learners will create a multilayered book …
This is a lesson about Saturn. Learners will create a multilayered book with diagrams of Saturn showing its various layers, ring system, and many moons. To enhance background information on Saturn, students will practice listening to informational text. Students will also create their own texts to support and explain their Saturn diagrams. This is lesson 9 of 10 in "Reading, Writing & Rings," for grades 1-2.
The lesson will first explore the concept of current in electrical circuits. …
The lesson will first explore the concept of current in electrical circuits. Current will be defined as the flow of electrons. Photovoltaic (PV) cell properties will then be introduced. Generally constructed of silicon, photovoltaic cells contain a large number of electrons BUT they can be thought of as "frozen" in their natural state. A source of energy is required to "free" these electrons if we wish to create current. Light from the sun provides this energy. This will lead to the principle of "Conservation of Energy." Finally, with a basic understanding of the circuits through Ohm's law, students will see how the energy from the sun can be used to power everyday items, including vehicles. This lesson utilizes the engineering design activity of building a solar car to help students learn these concepts.
Learners will explore Jupiter's origins through three stories. First, they model their …
Learners will explore Jupiter's origins through three stories. First, they model their own lifetimes by tying knots in lengths of yarn to represent key events in their pasts. Then, children listen to and act out a cultural origins story, such as the Skytellers stories told by Native American master storytellers. Finally, they explore Jupiter's story by modeling a timeline from today back to its "birthday." They use the timeline to visually demonstrate that the Big Bang occurred much earlier in the past. Children will discover how the Juno mission to Jupiter will help unveil how our solar system - including Earth - came to be. The activities are from Explore! Jupiter's Family Secrets, a series designed to engage children in space and planetary science in libraries and informal learning environments.
During a scavenger hunt and an art project, students learn how to …
During a scavenger hunt and an art project, students learn how to use a handheld GPS receiver for personal navigation. Teachers can request assistance from the Institute of Navigation to find nearby members with experience in using GPS and in locating receivers to use.
The Gamma-ray Burst Skymap website automatically updates for each gamma-ray burst as …
The Gamma-ray Burst Skymap website automatically updates for each gamma-ray burst as it occurs, whether detected by Swift or other orbiting satellites. For each burst, the location on the sky, star map, constellation and detecting mission are generated automatically. It is then quickly updated by hand to include a written description of the burst properties and scientific significance, as observations continue. Note: In order to view the content of the website, users need to download and install Silverlight on their computers.
This resources identifies best practices for giving presentations or talks in elementary …
This resources identifies best practices for giving presentations or talks in elementary classrooms and was developed to help scientists and engineers who have been asked to visit an elementary classroom. It provides helpful suggestions before, during, and after the presentation, as well questions for the teacher (e.g., what content do you want me to cover, what have students already learned about this content?).
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