JoinAll Earth & Space Science resources
NSTA Press Book
Even More Picture-Perfect Science Lessons: Using Children’s Books to Guide Inquiry, K–5
Winner of the Gold EXCEL Award from Association Media & Publishing!“The number one compliment we hear from teachers is that the lessons are complete and ready to take back to their classrooms and use.” —Emily Morgan and Karen Ansberry, coautho...
By Emily Morgan, Karen Ansberry
NSTA Press Book
Everyday Earth and Space Science Mysteries: Stories for Inquiry-Based Science Teaching
What are the odds that a meteor will hit your house? Do you actually get more sunlight from Daylight Saving Time? Where do puddles go? By presenting everyday mysteries like these, this book will motivate your students to carry out hands-on science in...
By Richard Konicek-Moran
Book Chapter
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ understanding of the Earth- Sun-Moon system well enough to explain the causes of Moon phases and solar eclipses and how these two phenomena are related. ...
Book Chapter
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about how astronomers investigate the composition of stars. The probe is designed to see if students recognize that the colors from the light given off by a star (its spectrum) revea...
Book Chapter
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about relative distance. The probe is designed to find out if students can apply the same scale used to represent the difference in sizes between the Earth and Sun to also repre...
Book Chapter
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about eclipse phenomena. The probe is designed to determine if students have a mental model of the Earth-Sun-Moon system that allows them to figure out why we see more eclipses of th...
Book Chapter
How Long Is a Day on the Moon?
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the day-night cycle on the Moon. The probe is designed to find out if students can coordinate two concepts: the Moon turns once on its axis each month, and half of the Moon ...
Book Chapter
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about Earth’s gravity. The probe is designed to find out how students think gravity acts inside the Earth. ...
NSTA Press Book
Uncovering Student Ideas in Astronomy: 45 New Formative Assessment Probes
What do your students know—or think they know—about what causes night and day, why days are shorter in winter, and how to tell a planet from a star? Find out with this book on astronomy, the latest in NSTA’s popular Uncovering Student Ideas in ...
By Page Keeley, Cary Sneider
Book Chapter
Using a model, learners explore time zones and what causes day and night and how time zones change. Learners observed the position of the Sun in the sky at different times of day and relate those positions to the rotation of the Earth. For more info...