UNIT C • The Sky and Weather

Discover more about the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets.

FOR STUDENTS

		Make Your Own Astro Stationery Activity for grades Kindergarten through 8 Looking for an easy way to add some star power to your letters and notes? These ready-to-print letterheads are astronomical in every way but their cost!
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FOR STUDENTS...MORE CHALLENGING

		Meet the Astronomers Article for grades 3 through 8 If you're starry-eyed for astronomy, then you need to meet these OLogists. Find out where Astrid, Kristina, Mercer, Thomas, and Neil have followed their curiosity.
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		Cosmic Cookies Activity for grades 3 through 8 Did you know Jupiter's Great Red Spot is really a 300-year-old hurricane that's twice as wide as Earth? Find out more awesome facts. Then celebrate your cosmic smarts with a solar system of cookies.
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		Big Dipper Mobile Activity for grades 3 through 8 On Earth, the Big Dipper looks like a giant connect-the-dots puzzle page. Out in space, though, you'd have a hard time recognizing the constellation. See why with a make-it-yourself mobile.
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BACKGROUND FOR EDUCATORS

		Cullman Hall of the Universe Exhibition Materials for grades 6 through 12 Just like humans, stars are born, live out their lives, and then die. See the life cycle for stars play out before your eyes (in a matter of minutes) with this Hall of the Universe Web site.
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		Rose Center for Earth and Space Exhibition Materials for grades 6 through 12 Fly through the Orion Nebula, watch a black hole in action, download the universe to your desktop, or zoom around the museum's Scales of the Universe exhibit.
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		After-School Educator's Guide to OLogy: Astronomy Curriculum Materials for grades 3 through 8 What kid isn’t drawn to this very, very big subject: the universe, and the life cycles of everything in it? This is a guide for after-school educators to the Astronomy section of OLogy, the Museum’s science Web site for kids.
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		Arthur Ross Hall of Meteorites Exhibition Materials for all grades up to 12 Hundreds of times each year, a rock survives the fiery trip from space and lands on Earth. Take a look at some of these "fallen stars" that have been recovered from around the globe.
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Learn more about the seasonal cycle, weather, and how scientists track and monitor storms.

FOR STUDENTS...MORE CHALLENGING

		Weather Report Evidence and Analysis for grades 6 through 12 You don’t need high-tech equipment like an anemometer to measure the wind speed at your field site. This easy-to-complete weather report helps you classify the wind’s speed by observing its effects.
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		The Path to El Niño Article for grades 3 through 8 Every two to seven years, wind, cloud, and sea level patterns change in the Pacific Ocean near the equator. Learn about this hard-to-predict climate change; then see if you can create your own El Niño.
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BACKGROUND FOR EDUCATORS

		Derecho Article for grades 9 through 12 In just 20 minutes, a derecho blew boathouses and docks into the air and knocked down 25 million trees in Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Explore this rarely seen windstorm.
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		Seasonal Cycle Evidence and Analysis for grades 6 through 12 If the Earth turns all the way around every 24 hours, then why are some days longer than others? And why do we have winter and summer? See the answers for yourself—in a matter of seconds.
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UNIT D • Caring for Earth

Explore Earth's rich resources and learn why they are so important.

FOR STUDENTS

		Online Field Journal: Rocks Activity for grades Kindergarten through 5 Have you ever taken a really good look at rocks? If not, you might be surprised by just how many varieties you can find. Start by comparing these rocks online, and see how many differences you can spot.
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FOR STUDENTS...MORE CHALLENGING

		Kids in the Hall of Planet Earth Article for grades 3 through 5 How can mud be dangerous? Can water break rocks? And how could a dead tree stump become as hard as a rock? Find these answers and more in this Web site created by kids, for kids.
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		It Takes All Kinds to Make a World Article for grades 3 through 8 The ocean's one diverse place—with alga so tiny that 10 million can fit in a single teaspoon to whales longer than three school buses. Take the surfboard challenge, and ride the waves of biodiversity!
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BACKGROUND FOR EDUCATORS

		Mangroves: The Roots of the Sea Article for grades 9 through 12 Breathing tubes that act like snorkels, roots that filter freshwater from seawater, and seeds that can ride the waves for a year before taking root—welcome to the remarkably tough mangrove forest.
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		Milstein Hall of Ocean Life Exhibition Materials for all grades up to 12 More than two-thirds of the planet is covered by ocean, yet less than five percent of it has been explored. Dive in for an in-depth look at Earth's mysterious, fragile, and amazingly vital ocean.
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		Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth Exhibition Materials for all ages Did you know you can see a zircon crystal that's nearly as old as Earth at the Museum? Or a whopping 38 tons of rock—about the weight of six adult African elephants? Explore the Hall of Planet Earth.
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		A Comparison of the Bisbee and Morenci, Arizona, Copper Ore Deposits Article for grades 6 through 12 A treasured collection of geologic samples from the Arizona mine where her grandfather worked launched this 7th-graders's interest in Earth science.
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		Let's Talk With Melanie Stiassny About the Oceans Article for grades 6 through 12 Living on land as we do, it's easy to forget this is a water planet. Yet life appeared about 3.5 billion years ago in the ocean, and instead of leaving, most things stayed there.
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Examine what effect pollution has on our resource. Learn about ways to protect the Earth, its plants and animals.

FOR STUDENTS...MORE CHALLENGING

		Going, Going, Gone? Article for grades 3 through 8 Today, species are becoming extinct—disappearing from our planet—at a faster rate than ever before. What's behind this increase, and what can be done to slow or stop it?
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		Be an Ocean Helper Activity for grades 3 through 8 Even if you live nowhere near the water, there are some simple ways you can help protect the oceans. What are you already doing to help? And what activities should you add?
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BACKGROUND FOR EDUCATORS

		Florida's Fragile Reefs: What's Happening to this Underwater World? Article for grades 6 through 12 Investigate reefs in the Florida Keys to see how and why they are dying not just there, but all over the world. Then learn what can be done to save these "rain forests of the sea."
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		The Mystery of a Lifeless Creek: Investigating Dissolved Oxygen and Fecal-Coliform Bacteria Article for grades 6 through 12 This 9th-grader from Pennsylvania has many fond memories of the creek near her house—yet, this creek contains no aquatic life. Join her as she sets out to determine why.
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		Setting Rivers Free Article for grades 6 through 12 More than two million dams block virtually every waterway in America. But how many of these structures have seen their day? Learn what happens when dammed rivers are set free.
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		Video Gallery: Conserving Diversity of Fishes Article for grades 6 through 12 Lake Victoria in Africa was once home to hundreds of unique species of fish. Why is this lake dying right before our eyes? And what would its loss mean to world?
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		Playing a Leading Role: Eleanor Sterling and the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation Article for all ages Eleanor Sterling wears many hats—she teaches at Columbia, studies primates in the wild, and directs the museum's Center for Biodiversity and Conservation. See how she successfully combines all three.
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		Surveying Vietnam: Collecting Plants for Conservation Article for grades 9 through 12 Several new varieties of cycad—"living fossil" plants with evolutionary roots of more than 280 million years—are just one example of the amazing biodiversity now being uncovered in Vietnam.
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		Transformation of the Bioshphere: Global Environmental Change Exhibition Materials for grades 6 through 12 Neglecting our planet's soils, atmosphere, and water is costly. It has harmed ecosystems and species, and it is degrading the quality of human life. Take a worldwide look at some of the effects.
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		Surviving Against All Odds: Investigating the Adaptability of the Common Periwinkle Article for grades 6 through 12 Follow along as this 12th-grader from Nova Scotia tries to find out why the common periwinkle is able to live in a heavily polluted body of water known as the North West Arm.
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