A but more science fiction than science, but this article with images by Discovery News provides some interesting solutions with some scientific basis.  ... more

A but more science fiction than science, but this article with images by Discovery News provides some interesting solutions with some scientific basis.   less

Asteroid Impact is an 8-10 class long (350-450 min) earth science curricular unit where student teams are posed with the scenario that an asteroid will impact earth. They must design the location and size of underground caverns to  ... more

Asteroid Impact is an 8-10 class long (350-450 min) earth science curricular unit where student teams are posed with the scenario that an asteroid will impact earth. They must design the location and size of underground caverns to save the people from uninhabitable earth for one year. Driven by this adventure scenario, student teams (1) explore general and geological maps, (2) determine the area of their classroom to help determine the cavern size required, (3) learn about map scales, (4) test rocks, (5) identify important and not-so-important rock properties for underground caverns, and (6) choose a final location and size. The unit also reinforces a number of math, reading and writing standards.   less

An introduction to the solar system for children. Very nicely illustrated and divided into small increments covering the inner, and outter soloar system, and the Asteroid Belt.  ... more

An introduction to the solar system for children. Very nicely illustrated and divided into small increments covering the inner, and outter soloar system, and the Asteroid Belt.   less

This activity provides a fun, activity-based closure to the Asteroid Impact unit. Students build model caverns using paper mache or clay and bury them in a tray of sand. Next, they test the models by dropping balls onto them to s  ... more

This activity provides a fun, activity-based closure to the Asteroid Impact unit. Students build model caverns using paper mache or clay and bury them in a tray of sand. Next, they test the models by dropping balls onto them to simulate an asteroid hitting the earth. By molding paper mache around a balloon to form a dome, or around a small cardboard box to form a rectangular structure, students will be able to build their caverns.   less

This lesson provides a fun, activity-based closure to the Asteroid Impact unit. Students build model caverns using paper mache or clay and bury them in a tray of sand. Next, they test the models by dropping balls onto them to sim  ... more

This lesson provides a fun, activity-based closure to the Asteroid Impact unit. Students build model caverns using paper mache or clay and bury them in a tray of sand. Next, they test the models by dropping balls onto them to simulate an asteroid hitting the earth. By molding paper mache around a balloon to form a dome, or around a small cardboard box to form a rectangular structure, students will be able to build their caverns.   less

In this lesson, students learn some basic facts about asteroids in our solar system. The main focus is on the size of asteroids and how that relates to the potential danger of an asteroid colliding with the Earth. Students are bri  ... more

In this lesson, students learn some basic facts about asteroids in our solar system. The main focus is on the size of asteroids and how that relates to the potential danger of an asteroid colliding with the Earth. Students are briefly introduced to the destruction that would ensue should a large asteroid hit, as it did 65 million years ago.   less

Lesson 1 introduces the Asteroid Impact unit. Students will read the President’s memo to receive their ‘marching orders’. Student teams are then formed and are given the student packet that includes worksheets and maps. Each team  ... more

Lesson 1 introduces the Asteroid Impact unit. Students will read the President’s memo to receive their ‘marching orders’. Student teams are then formed and are given the student packet that includes worksheets and maps. Each team should become familiar with the maps and complete Worksheet One as a group.   less

Just what it says, but more. This is a calendar of most everything happening related to space. It covers one year, and is packed full of lots of different events and activities. Asteroids have paths charted with interactive mov  ... more

Just what it says, but more. This is a calendar of most everything happening related to space. It covers one year, and is packed full of lots of different events and activities. Asteroids have paths charted with interactive movies, historical events are explained and meetings, conferences and congresses are announced. Everything is hyperlinked.   less

This site is a version of The Nine Planets, made simpler for younger kids to explore the solar system. It discusses overall characteristics of the solar system in general, then by planet and object: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, As  ... more

This site is a version of The Nine Planets, made simpler for younger kids to explore the solar system. It discusses overall characteristics of the solar system in general, then by planet and object: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Asteroid Belt, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Comets. General characteristics include size, diameter, moon information, spacecraft explorations, and other interesting facts. The site has many visuals and a page of planet notes with understandable information and links to relevant topics. It also includes a temperature converter (for Celsius, Farenheit, and Kelvin) and a distance converter (miles and kilometers) to make understanding measurements easier. A photo and movie gallery has been recently added. More recently the "9" has been crossed out and replaced with a small "8. "Yikes! The astronomers have demoted Pluto so there are now only eight planets; Pluto is no longer officially a planet. Now they're calling it a "dwarf planet". Well, it's certainly a dwarf. But planet or not, it's still out there and we can still try to find out what it's made of and how it got there."   less

Case study from the Whyfiles, with interactive activities, data and graphics. "Like a bobsled poised above a perilous run, the Antarctic ice sheets are in position for a quick downhill slide into the Southern Ocean. And while t  ... more

Case study from the Whyfiles, with interactive activities, data and graphics. "Like a bobsled poised above a perilous run, the Antarctic ice sheets are in position for a quick downhill slide into the Southern Ocean. And while their velocity is measured in meters per year rather than per minute, the stakes in this plunge vastly exceed the contest for Olympic gold in bobsledding. By plunging into the ocean, the East and West Antarctic Ice Sheets could raise sea level by 70 meters -- drowning coastal regions that are home to billions. Aside from a major asteroid impact, it's perhaps the nightmare scenario of global change. The West Antarctica Ice Sheet is a massive accumulation of ice -- more than a kilometer thick -- that flows into the Ross Sea. Like a bobsled in extreme slow motion, the sheet crunches downward. Also like a bobsled, gravity's downward pull causes movement; resistance comes from friction against the land below. It's easy to measure a bobsled's speed, but that's a monumental task for a vast ice sheet. Previously, researchers had to visit the inhospitable ice desert to make measurements." Image caption: These ice streams feed the Ross Sea Ice Shelf. Black lines show boundaries of the ice catchments (akin to watersheds). Red lines show where the scientists calculated ice flow. The brighter the color, the faster the flow. Ian Joughin, Jet Propulsion Laboratory   less