Space: Constellation Stories

If you spend any time studying space, there's probably a good chance you at least touch upon constellations and the legends and myths they are the subjects of. 

A great way to incorporate some more writing into your science curriculum is to have your students "discover" their own constellations and then write a story/legend/myth about that constellation.

There are a number of ways you can go about constellation creation. 

Version 1:
Provide each student with a blank star map.  I've got an old copy that I can photocopy, but truth be told, I'm having a hard time finding a blank star map (without the constellations already drawn in) to print.  But, if you can find a blank star map, this way is a lot of fun because, at least in theory, the students should be able to find their own constellation in the night sky.

The students "connect the dots" to form some sort of image from the stars. 

Version 2:

Each student is provided with a piece of paper and a specified number of star stickers.  The students place the stickers on the paper as they desire.  They then draw in the lines to complete the picture.

Version 3:

The teacher places star stickers on a piece of paper, as the student had done in version 2, but without drawing in any lines.  The paper is then photocopied, so each student is given the same arrangement of stars.  The students then draw in lines to create they image the want from the given stars.  It's kind of fun to see the different pictures students come up with from the same set of stars.

Regardless of how the constellation is created, the students then write a story about the constellation. 

A nice idea is to photocopy the finished stories and constellation pictures and bind the whole class's work into a book.  It's easy enough to create a single copy for the classroom.  If you have the time and resources available, you might even consider making a copy of the book for each student in the class.

Air Pressure: Plungers!

On a large scale:

Get your hands on two plungers - new and clean would be preferable (I've actually seen small ones, perfect for this demonstration, at a dollar store)! 

Match up the edges and push the plungers together.

Now try to get them apart.  Not an easy task! 

You pushed all the air out of the middle, so there's nothing pushing them apart.  Only lots of air on the outside pushing them together.

In the end, if you have a good seal, you'll need to force some air in to break the seal, but splitting the plungers apart.

On a smaller scale:
You can have your students perform this activity themselves using suction cups (the kind you sometimes use to hang things in your windows).  The physics is exactly the same, just smaller!

Website: NASA Educator Materials

NASA has a nice selection of educator materials available online.  The guides are available in pdf format - individual activities can be printed, or a whole guide. 

I have not made it through the hundreds of activities, but I can say that I've found several great ideas in the Rockets Education Guide - specifically several ideas related to Newton's Laws.  Among other things, it includes directions for making your own Hero Engine and Newton Car.  Newton Cars are high on my list of projects, and when I get one made, I'll be sharing my experience.

Of course, NASA is also a great source of images, history and more.

Inertia: Catch a Quarter

Place your hand by your ear and raise your elbow so your forearm is parallel with the floor.

Place a quarter on your elbow.

Quickly move your elbow down and attempt to catch the quarter in the same movement. 

Due to inertia, the quarter wants to remain in the same place, rather than move with your arm.  If you move quickly enough, you can catch the quarter before gravity pulls it out of your reach.

Classiciation: Silly Science

If the Doodads and Gismos classification activity is a bit too much for your students, you might want to start them with this Silly Science dichotomous key from The Science Spot. 

It uses equally common objects, but not quite as many and the key itself is simpler than the other version. 

The objects used are:

• Sharpened pencil
• Unsharpened pencil
• White marble
• Colored marble
• White Chalk
• Wooden Splint
• Die
• Eraser
• Small paperclip
• Large paperclip

I had plenty of these objects around my classroom, so I was able to create bags of objects that I could store and reuse each year.  A little work the first year, but from then on you just need to pull out the box the day you need it and away you go.

Moon: Impact Craters

Do some hands-on exploring to learn about the ways in which craters are formed.

Prep Work:
Fill a tub or box (a dishpan or shoebox work well) with an inch or so of flour.  If desired, you can sprinkle a layer of cinnamon, paprika or cocoa on top of the flour.  Doing so may increase the visibility of the craters.  Ideally, plan for one tub/box for every 2 students.  If you find yourself needing to put more than 4 at one tub, I'd recommend splitting the class so half do the activity while the others work on something else and then swapping. 

You may wish to cover the table you'll be working on with newspapers.  It might be wise to keep a damp cloth nearby as well, for wiping up any small flour spills.

Gather several different sizes of marbles. 

Procedure:
Drop a marble straight down into the flour.  Drop a different sized marble from the same height and observe the craters they made.  Pay attention to the rims and any of crater radiating away from the center.  Note any differences between the two craters. 

Then, let the true experimentation begin... there are so many different variables that can be explored.  Write down what you try and note how the resulting crater is both the same and different from the other craters you've seen thus far. 

Drop the marbles from different heights.

Drop the marbles (same size) from the same height, but give one of the marbles an extra push. 

"Throw" the marble into the flour at an angle. 

Use a non-spherical object to make a crater. 

When finished, draw some conclusions about crater shapes and sizes and the objects that formed them.  Summarize your conclusions in a paragraph. 


Note:
You can find lots of people's versions of this activity by searching "impact crater activity" or something along those lines.  If you desire, you can readily locate ready-to-use worksheets and formal lab sheets. 

Make Your Own Play Doh

If you've been following this blog for awhile, you know there are several different activities in which Play Doh is a featured supply.  If you're beginning to find it expensive or inconvenient to have Play Doh on hand when you need it, you can make your own. 

It's so simple and quick, you can do it in the morning before you go to school!

You'll need:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1-2 tablespoons cream of tarter*
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• food coloring

*cream of tarter is found in the spice section of the grocery store.  Without it, your Play Doh will not set up properly - it will remain a gloppy mess. 

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the flour, salt and cream of tarter.

If desired, add the food coloring to the water.  This is the less-messy way to color the play-doh, but your batch will all be one color.  If you want to split it into multiple colors, you can wait and knead in the coloring at the end.

Place the pan over medium heat and stir in the (colored) water and oil.

Stir the mixture constantly.  When the mixture forms a ball around your spoon, remove it from the heat. 

Remove the play-doh from the pan and knead it slightly.  This is the point at which you could divide it and add coloring to each portion. 

When you're finished, you'll have a nice sized lump of play-doh.  It's probably equivalent to about 3 of the large containers of Play-Doh.  (That's a guess, it might actually be more than that). 

Here are some of the things you can do with your newly-made Play Doh:
Mixing Colors: The Play Doh Version
What's Inside?
Mapping: Make a Topographic Map
Moon vs. Earth: Volume Comparison
Plate Tectonics: A Look Inside Folds and Faults