THE APOLLO PROGRAM
http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/imagery/apollo/apollo.htm
"This site presents imagery & information from manned Apollo missions. This information comes from NASA and the National Air and Space Museum's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies RPIF collection." A huge amount of information on the Apollo missions 1-17 including the spacecraft, astronauts, launches, landing sites. Includes extensive images and audio and video clips. Excellent

APOLLO TO THE MOON – VIRTUAL TOUR             NEW!
http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/attm/enter.html
A virtual tour of the National Air and Space Museum’s Apollo to the Moon exhibit. "The exhibit Apollo to the Moon tells the historic story of human exploration of the Moon by the United States. The defining moment of this journey occured when Astronaut Neil Armstrong, after descending the frail-looking ladder of the Lunar Module Eagle, took the first human steps on the Moon on July 20, 1969. Five more flights carried astronauts to the Moon, the last in 1972. No human has been there since.
This marvel of exploration took shape in the special circumstances of the 1950s and 1960s. The United States and the Soviet Union competed for primacy in a global struggle pitting a democratic society against totalitarian communism. This struggle, called the Cold War, motivated the first explorations of space by both countries.
The space age began on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union orbited Sputnik I, the world's first artificial satellite.. On 3 November 1957 the Soviets launched Sputnik II. Included in the payload was a dog named Laika, the first living being sent into space. Initial American attempts to meet the Soviet challenge ended in failure, inciting widespread public agitation that the United States was falling behind in this new, crucial arena Cold War competition. From this beginning, both countries raced into space. But the goal of this competition remained unclear. Not until 1961, when President John F. Kennedy called for a lunar journey by the end of the decade, did landing humans on the Moon become the focus of the space race.  The Museum tells this history in two parts. To learn about the American and Soviet competition visit our exhibit Space Race. The story of America's effort to master the challenges of an unprecedented journey across thousands of miles of space is told here in Apollo to the Moon." Excellent

ASPIRE – SPACE SCIENCE             NEW URL!
http://aspire.cosmic-ray.org/
"The ASPIRE Lab is now one of the most innovative and interactive science education websites available on the Internet. You will find not only fun interactive labs, but well designed and produced curriculum content, created by teachers for teachers. The powerful combination of inquiry-based content, along with interactive, hands-on labs provides a powerful visualization tool for you and your students `to use. Best of all, the ASPIRE Lab is free!" Includes lessons, quizzes, science fair projects and much more. Outstanding. Excellent

ASTRONOMY BASICS                                    
http://skyandtelescope.com/howto/basics/
Basic facts and terms for students studying astronomy and the solar system. Excellent

ASTRONOMY FOR KIDS
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/
A colorful site on astronomy for kids. Sections: Outer Space, Solar System, Deep Space, Space Exploration, How Big is the Universe?, News, Astronomy Dictionary, Games and Teacher’s Corner. The Teacher’s Corner includes free worksheets. The Games include puzzles, word search, coloring pages, space jokes and more. Excellent

ASTRONOMY 42EXPLORE                     NEW!
http://42explore.com/astronomy.htm
Basic information on astronomy for elementary students including activities, links and more. Excellent

ASTRO-VENTURE – SEARCH FOR AND DESIGN A HABITABLE PLANET             NEW!
http://www.astroventure.arc.nasa.gov/
"Astro-Venture is an educational, interactive, multimedia Web environment highlighting NASA careers and astrobiology research in the areas of Astronomy, Geology, Biology and Atmospheric Science. Students in grades five through eight are transported to the future where they role play NASA occupations and use scientific inquiry, as they search for and build a planet with the necessary characteristics for human habitation. Supporting activities include chats with real NASA scientists, online collaborations, classroom lessons, student publishing area and occupations fact sheets and trading cards." Excellent

AT HOME ASTRONOMY – HANDS-ON SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/AtHomeAstronomy/
A collection of 10 experiments on the principles of astronomy. Shadow Dance, Where is the Sun?, Finding the Size of the Sun and Moon, Building a Lunar Settlement, Meteoroids & the Craters They Make, Rockets Away, Making a Simple Astrolabe, Using a Simple Astrolabe, The Order of the Planets, and The Size and Distance of the Planets. Excellent

AN ATLAS OF THE UNIVERSE             NEW URL!
http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/
"This web page is designed to give everyone an idea of what our universe actually looks like. There are nine main maps on this web page, each one approximately ten times the scale of the previous one. The first map shows the nearest stars and then the other maps slowly expand out until we have reached the scale of the entire visible universe." Excellent

AURORAS – PAINTINGS IN THE SKY
http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/auroras/
A self-guided lesson on auroras. Includes audio and video clips. Excellent

CASSINI-HUYGENS MISSION TO SATURN AND TITAN
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm
"Launched from Kennedy Space Center on Oct. 15, 1997, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft will reach the Saturnian region in July 2004. The mission is composed of two elements: The Cassini orbiter that will orbit Saturn and its moons for four years, and the Huygens probe that will dive into the murky atmosphere of Titan and land on its surface. The sophisticated instruments onboard these spacecraft will provide scientists with vital data to help understand this mysterious, vast region." In-depth information on the mission, the spacecraft, and more including images and videos. Excellent

CERES PROJECT EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/EdActivities.html
A collection of activities and webquests on space and astronomy. Excellent

CHANDRA X-RAY OBSERVATORY CENTER
http://chandra.harvard.edu/
"NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, which was launched and deployed by Space Shuttle Columbia on July 23, 1999, is the most sophisticated X-ray observatory built to date. Chandra is designed to observe X-rays from high-energy regions of the universe, such as the remnants of exploded stars. The two images of the Crab Nebula supernova remnant and its pulsar shown below illustrate how higher resolution can reveal important new features." Sections: Photo Album, Field Guide, Educational Materials, Pres Room, About Chandra, Resources, Chandra Chronicles and more. The Multimedia section has animations and video. The Educational Materials include classroom activities, projects, puzzles, games, printables and more. Excellent

COSMIC QUEST             NEW URL!
http://www.childrensmuseum.org/cosmicquest/spacestation/index2.html
Three online exhibits with educational resources: Living in Space: Designing the Space Station; Field Guide to the Universe and Expedition to the Magnetic North Pole.

CULTURAL ASTRONOMY – BRINGING THE HEAVENS TO EARTH
http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/ecuip/diglib/science/cultural_astronomy/"This module explores the cultures that have observed the heavens, the phenomena they
 observed, and the ways they incorporated their observations of the sky into their daily lives."  Sections: Cultures, Phenomena, Cultural Expressions, Lessons, Multimedia Gallery, Further Explorations, and Tour the Exhibit. Excellent

EDUCATIONAL SPACE SIMULATIONS PROJECT
http://www.rice.edu/armadillo/Simulations/simserver.html
"Welcome to the Educational Space Simulations Project, affiliated with the National Association of Space Simulating Educators (NASSE). The purpose of this web site is to promote the development of education via simulation. Although the primary focus of this site is space simulations, the concept of education via simulation is applicable to a wide range of disciplines." Contains all of the instructions necessary along with photos and details of projects completed by other schools. Outstanding. Excellent

EXPLORE MARS NOW
http://www.exploremarsnow.org/
An interactive Mars habitat to explore. Sections: Mars Base Layout, Base Exterior, Enter Base, Exit Base, Stair to Upper Level, Laboratory, EVA Preparation, Airlock, Medical, Bunks, Galley, Wardroom, Personal Hygiene, Sample Port, Greenhouse, Pressurized Rover, Mission Overview and Mars Facts. Excellent

EXPLORE THE SKY                            
http://www.seasky.org/mainmenu.html
A colorful site for students. Sections: Sky News, Astronomy Resources, The Cosmos, Space Exploration, Sky Lab, Sky Gallery, Sky Links and Sky Games. Excellent

EXPLORE THE SOLAR SYSTEM (AND ASTRONOMY)             NEW!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/solarsystem/
A BBC site on the solar system. Includes video clips and radio clips from BBC programs. Includes links to a wide range of astronomy topics. Excellent

EXPLORE THE UNIVERSE – EXHIBIT                 NEW!
http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/gal111/universe/index.htm
An online exhibit on the Universe. Click on Online Exhibit to enter. Includes Student Activities. Excellent

SPACESHIP EARTH – LESSON PLAN
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?DocID=295
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on life in space. "This lesson is entitled Spaceship Earth to reinforce the idea that our planet is–in reality–like a spaceship hurtling through space on a long-duration mission. There is no resupply from outside sources. Recycling is as much a part of the natural order of things as is the sunrise everyday. Pollution occurs when there are outputs that cannot be used as inputs for something else. Pollution is harmful and can be downright dangerous. The connections between parts of the natural system are imperative to its normal operation. By actively thinking through what it takes to keep people alive on a spaceship, the students will come to understand more fully what it takes to keep people alive on this planet." Excellent

STANFORD SOLAR CENTER – also in Websites section                 NEW!
http://solar-center.stanford.edu/
"Providing Solar Online Activity Resources for the joy of solar science exploration". Sections: About the Sun, For Students, For Educators, Space Weather Monitors, Ancient Observatories, Solar Folklore and Solar Art & Literature. Includes images, games, quizzes, and more.
For Educators section: "Our web site provides a collection of multi-disciplinary, interactive exercises and activities based on the Sun and solar science, most geared to grades 4-12. We encourage your feedback, suggestions, and ideas for new projects.
We also offer solar spectroscopes that your students can cut out and put together (see Activity 1 below). These come complete with gratings, as well as instructions for construction and use. Additional solar posters are available as well." Excellent

STAR SEARCH – LESSON PLAN                 NEW!
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.php?BenchmarkID=4&DocID=432
A lesson plan for grades K-2 on searching the night sky for stars. "In these early grades, learning about objects in the sky should be entirely observational and qualitative. Students will first discuss what they already know about stars so that you may take inventory of student understanding. Then, the Development of this lesson is based on observations of slides in the classroom. While students will not discuss the number of stars they see, you will discuss with them, and invite them to ponder, the vast (uncountable) number of stars. With your guidance, these classroom exercises will help them make better observations of stars on their own.  After doing this lesson, students should be encouraged to go home and do some night sky observing on their own." Excellent

THE SUN – LESSON PLAN             NEW URL!
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.php?BenchmarkID=4&DocID=166
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on the Sun. "Students have started to add more detail to their picture of the universe at this age. Now students should start to learn about individual planets, moons, and the stars. By focusing on physical characteristics of the sun, this lesson will give students a general understanding of what a star is, which can be the basis of understanding the general make-up of other stars in far off galaxies."  Includes a hands-on activity. Excellent

SUNSPOTS LESSON PLAN GROUP                     NEW URLS!
SUNSPOTS 1: A LOOK AT SUNSPOTS – LESSON PLAN
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.php?BenchmarkID=4&DocID=184
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on sunspots. "In this lesson, students are introduced to sunspots and the types of technology and solar imaging that can be used to collect information about the sun's features. The second and third lessons in the series are activities in which students apply information gathered by scientific instruments (telescopes and satellites) to infer knowledge about the behavior of sunspots." Excellent

SUNSPOTS 2: CORRELATING SUNSPOTS TO ACTIVE REGIONS – LESSON PLAN
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.php?BenchmarkID=4&DocID=185
A lesson plan on sunspots for grades 9-12. "This second lesson allows students to see how sophisticated technology can be used to learn about the sun. In this activity, students apply the use of two types of solar imaging to determine a correlation between sunspots and active regions on the sun. The sunspots are visualized through the use of visible light solar imaging whereas the active regions are visualized utilizing x-ray energy. Students compare the two images and determine the area of sunspots and active regions using a Java applet. The information gathered is used to determine the existence of a correlation between the two types of solar features." Excellent

SUNSPOTS 3: TRACKING THE MOVEMENT OF SUNSPOTS – LESSON PLAN
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.php?BenchmarkID=4&DocID=186
A lesson plan on sunspots for grades 9-12. "Through the activities of lessons 1 and 2, students should now be familiar with sunspots, active regions, and the type of imaging used to visualize these features of the sun. In this activity, students collect one of two types of images gathered by the SOHO satellite currently circling the sun about one million miles from earth. Over a two-week period, students will obtain images directly from SOHO's official site on the Web and track the movement of sunspots using a latitude/longitude grid." Excellent
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/supernova/
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 from the NY Times on supernovas. "Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students review and discuss images of supernova remnants, then research and diagram the formation of supernovas and study why they are important to astronomers’ understanding of the universe. Finally, students will submit further questions they have about supernovas to an "Ask an Astronomer" Web site." Excellent

SYSTEMS 2: UP, UP AND AWAY – LESSON PLAN                 NEW!
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.php?BenchmarkID=3&DocID=146
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on rockets. "Systems 2: Systems, Up, Up and Away! is designed to allow students to explore how changing parts or amounts will impact the properties of a system. Specifically, students explore how changing individual features of a film canister rocket will impact its performance" Excellent

TAKE A SPIN THROUGH THE SOLAR SYSTEM – CURRICULUM UNIT             NEW!
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/lessons/indiv/spin/summary.html
A curriculum unit for grades 7-12 on the solar system. "Unit Features: This lesson plan features comparisons of images for 3 planets (Jupiter, Uranus, and Saturn) and the Sun. This lesson also includes a movie of Saturn and explanatory text (warning: the movie takes a long time to download and causes higher blood pressure if you're in a hurry).
In this unit we offer two areas. The first area is where students should go to find a self-study guide for doing their research. It is also where the NASA images are located and where students can do some real "cyboscience".
The second area is for teachers. That's where the lesson plan ideas and teaching suggestions are. Make your choice below." ""Take a Spin Through the Solar System" can be used as a complete unit for astronomy courses, or it can be broken into separate lessons for teaching physics, space or general science, and even math. This material is a good example of how an Internet-based activity can be successfully incorporated into classroom activities in order to increase the quality of science and math education, and also to help students become accustomed to working with computers."  Excellent

TEAM MOON – LESSON PLAN                 NEW!
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.php?BenchmarkID=3&DocID=474
A lesson plan on the moon for grades 6-8. "In Team Moon, Catherine Thimmesh tells the story of the people who worked behind the scenes of the Apollo missions. Each chapter sets forth one major challenge faced by selected engineers, seamstresses, satellite operators, and others of the Apollo 11 mission team and how it was met.
As students begin to think about their own possible occupations, the book will introduce them to the range of careers that involve technology and science, including engineering, communications, computer science, and industrial design. For example, while only a select few will ever become astronauts, there are still thousands of exciting behind-the-scenes careers relating to space travel."  Excellent

THE TECHNOLOGY OF MARS EXPLORATION – LESSON PLAN
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/01/g912/marstech.html
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 on Mars exploration. "This lesson asks students to research the types of technology that are used to map and explore Mars. Students will imagine that they are working as "technology experts" for NASA, and will create visual presentations to show the American public the types of technology that their tax dollars are funding for Mars mapping and exploration." Excellent

TRAVEL IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM – CURRICULUM UNIT             NEW!
http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?ID=U178
A unit for grades 6-8 on traveling within the solar system. "This unit affords students the opportunity to think about two aspects of the time required to complete space travel within the solar system. First, students consider the amount of time that space travelers must spend on the journey. Second, students think about what kinds of events might occur on Earth while the space travelers are on their journey. Thinking about both situations improves students' concept of time and distance as well as improves their understanding of the solar system." Contains two lessons. Excellent

VIRTUAL SOJOURNER – LESSON PLAN
http://www-k12.atmos.washington.edu/k12/modules/Virtual_Sojourner/index.html
A lesson plan for grades 4-12 on Mars. "Carry out a "virtual Mars mission" just like the one Mars Pathfinder's rover, Sojourner, performed. Apply your new knowledge to future Mars missions!" Note: Easily adaptable to the current Mars mission. Excellent

THE WARMTH OF THE SUN – LESSON PLAN
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?DocID=329
A lesson plan for grades K-2 on the Sun. "In this lesson, students will take a closer look at the sun and begin to recognize its critical function in heating and warming the air, land, and water that sustain our lives. This will involve drawing their attention to the basics of the heat around them and how the sun is the primary source of that warmth. They will then perform a number of indoor and outdoor activities that support the benchmark, and help to begin their identification of the sun as the natural, universal source of heat in the world." Excellent

WATER, WATER – LESSON PLAN                 NEW!
http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?ID=L289
A lesson plan on water use here on earth compared to a daily allotment per person on the Space Shuttle for grades 3-5. "Students compare the amount of water they use in daily life with the amount allotted for each person each day on a Space Shuttle. Within this context, students estimate and measure the weight of, and amount of space occupied by, a gallon of water. They collect, organize, graph, analyze, and interpret data from their investigations. The activities in this lesson are designed to span 2-3 class periods." Excellent

WHAT A COSMIC WEB WE WEAVE – LESSON PLAN                 NEW!
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2001/08/14/what-a-cosmic-web-we-weave/
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 from the NY Times on the evolution of the universe. "Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students explore how the universe has evolved since the theoretical Big Bang and create dramatizations of various eras in cosmic evolution." Excellent

YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2000/03/28/you-light-up-my-life/
A lesson plan on auroras for grades 6-12. "Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students examine how the interaction between solar activity and the Earth’s geomagnetic field result in the phenomena known as aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, and the impact of increased solar activity on humans." Excellent

ASTRONOMY POETRY – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/astronomy-poetry-combining-poetry-417.html
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 on poetry pertaining to astronomy. "In this lesson, students listen to and discuss poetry that pertains to the study of astronomy and write their own poems to enhance their learning of the subject. As a final project, students use the ReadWriteThink Printing Press to compose original poetry books about astronomy. Although this lesson uses astronomy as a model, it can be modified for any content area topic." Very Good

CHALLENGER CENTER CLIPART
http://www.challenger.org/tr/tr_clip_set.htm
Clipart images to use in the classroom. Sections: Comets, Mars, Shuttle, General Space, Earth, Moon, Solar System, International Space Station. Very Good

FUN IN THE SUN: AN INTRODUCTION TO SUN ACTIVITIES
http://hea-www.harvard.edu/scied/SUN/SunActivitiesInto.html
Activities for primary students on the sun. Very Good

HOW MUCH WOULD YOU WEIGH ON OTHER PLANETS? – CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
http://www.serve.com/chunter/index/info/aweigh.html
Actually three activities: How Much Would You Weigh on Other Planets?; How Far Could You Jump on Other Planets?; and How Old Would You Be on Other Planets?. Very Good

LIFE FROM SPACE – AUDIO LESSON                     NEW!
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/sci_update.php?DocID=358
Students grades 6-12 listen to the discussion and answer questions about the theory that life on Earth was seeded from space. Very Good

MISSION TO MARS – LESSON PLAN
http://www-k12.atmos.washington.edu/k12/pilot/mission_2_mars/index.html
A lesson plan for grades 5-12 on Mars and the possibility of humans landing on Mars. "Sometime during the next twenty years, a human being may step out of a spacecraft and actually set foot onto the surface of another world, the Planet Before that day comes, many unmanned missions will take place to lead the way. One question that will need to be answered is where is a suitable place to land. If you compare the diameter of Mars with the diameter of Earth, it is approximately one-half the size. But because Mars has no oceans like Earth, the amount of land is almost the same. This makes for a great deal of land to choose from! What do you think would be important for a landing site to have?" Very Good

THE SATELLITE DELAY RELAY – CLASSROOM ACTIVITY
http://sln.fi.edu/tfi/activity/space/sp-6.html
A classroom activity for grades 4-8 on satellites. "Satellites transmit radio waves from a sender to a receiver and because it takes time for the waves to travel, there is always some delay. This activity uses the familiar format of the relay race to illustrate the delay between sending and receiving a message via satellite." Very Good

SATELLITE SIMULATION – CLASSROOM ACTIVITY 
http://sln.fi.edu/tfi/activity/space/sp-5.html
A classroom activity for grades 4-6 in which student simulate satellites. "With the aid of satellites we are able to quickly communicate over long distances. This demonstration uses a light beam to represent a radio signal being relayed from one place to another via a "mirror satellite." Very Good

SCIENCE EDUCATION GATEWAY ASTRONOMY AND SPACE SCIENCE
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/SegwayEd/index.html
Lesson plans and classroom activities separated by grade level. Very Good

SOLAR SYSTEM ADVENTURE – CLASSROOM ACTIVITY
http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/gen_act/advent/solar.html
A classroom activity in which students use story starters to write a science fiction story about the planets. Very Good

SOLAR SYSTEM CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES LINKS
http://www.abcteach.com/directory/theme_units/science/solar_system/
Links to different kinds of activity sheets such as report forms, puzzles, coloring pages, etc. Very Good

SPACE AND ASTRONOMY CLIPART AND PHOTOS
http://classroomclipart.com/cgi-bin/kids/imageFolio.cgi?direct=Space
A collection of photos and clipart for use by students and teachers. Very Good

SPACE COLORING BOOK
http://vesuvius.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/color.html
A coloring book to print out on space and living in space. Very Good

TEACH SPACE
http://www.space.com/teachspace/
Resources for teachers on space including extensive lesson plans. Photos and movies and more. Very Good

TERRIERS SPACE FLIGHT EXPLORATION LESSON PLANS
http://www.bu.edu/satellite/classroom/index.html
A group of lesson plans on space exploration. Very Good

TITAN IN A FISH TANK – CLASSROOM ACTIVITY
http://lyra.colorado.edu/sbo/mary/Cassini/titan_demo.html
A classroom activity for grades 3-8. "Imagining such a strange world as Titan is difficult. Building a "Titan" in a fish tank will help to introduce students to this smog shrouded satellite. The ingredients are easy to find, and students are excited and fascinated by the demonstration." Very Good

A TOUR OF SATURN AND URANUS – LESSON PLAN
http://www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/1731.html
A lesson plan for grade 2 on Saturn and Uranus. "The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the planets of Saturn and Uranus. The concepts of their unique rings and special characteristics of each will be presented. Some concepts included are: Saturn is famous for its rings, Rings are made out of large chunks of ice and rock, Saturn has seven major rings and Uranus has black rings. Students will construct a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the planets of Saturn and Uranus. Students are familiar with the six planets located before Saturn and Uranus and understand that there are nine planets total. Students are not familiar with the specific characteristics of each planet, as well as construction of a Venn diagram."   Very Good

BLAST OFF! VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION USING A VIRTUAL MOON TRIP – LESSON PLAN
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/blast-vocabulary-instruction-using-946.html
A lesson plan for grades 1-2 teaching vocabulary using a virtual moon trip. "This lesson is designed to help first- and second-grade students learn new vocabulary by taking them on virtual adventures that replicate field trips. Students begin by accessing prior knowledge through an initial writing activity. Ensuing discussions, read-alouds, and the creation of a picture dictionary "take students to the moon," while further building their vocabulary. Students use an online Alphabet Organizer to complete a final writing activity, which they compare to the writing they did during the first session. Although this lesson focuses on the moon, its activities can be used with any content area topic." Good

EXPLORE THE SOLAR SYSTEM – ONLINE QUIZZES                     NEW!
http://www.smplanet.com/planets/planetintro.html
Three online quizzes based on grade level that help students explore the solar system. Good

THE FINAL FRONTIER – CROSSWORD PUZZLE
http://members.aol.com/kidcross/space.htm
A crossword puzzle using space terms. Good

FREE ANIMATED SPACE CLIPART
http://clipart.curvedspaces.com/space/VENUS_TILT_CLR.htm
A large collection of animated photos and illustrations of planets, stars, etc. Good

GRAPHING CONSTELLATIONS – LESSON PLAN
http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/earthspace12.html
A lesson plan for grade 3 in which students graph the constellations. Good

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION – ELEMENTARY THEME PAGE
http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/space_station.htm
A group of activities with worksheets and information on the International Space Station. Good

MAGIC SCHOOL BUS LOST IN SPACE – LESSON PLAN             NEW!
http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Science/Astronomy/AST0002.html
A lesson plan for grades 2-3 on the solar system. "The way the solar system is structured in the sky can be very confusing to a child. This lesson will help the students know exactly where each planet goes and what it is like on that planet.  The students will read about it, create it, and watch a movie about it." Borrow the video/DVD in the AVA online catalog for use with this lesson. Good

NASA SOLAR SYSTEM COLORING PAGE
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/activities/cp_solar_system.html
A single page to print out with the nine planets. Good

SOLAR SYSTEM COLORING BOOK
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/cgi-bin/tour.cgi?link=/coloring_book/index_java.html&sw=false&sn=0&edu=elem&cdp=/windows3.html&cd=false&frp=/windows3.html&fr=f&tour=
Coloring pages to print or do online. Good

SOLAR SYSTEM TRADING CARDS
http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/resources/explorations/trading/directions.html
Directions for collecting solar system trading cards for primary students. Good

SPACE WORD SEARCH PUZZLE TO PRINT
http://www.thepotters.com/puzzles/kids/space.html
A word search puzzle for elementary students to print and do. Good

SUN FUN
http://www.kyes-world.com/sun.htm
Simple activities for students studying the sun. Good

ASTRONOMY TIMELINE – WEBQUEST                     NEW!
http://www2.yk.psu.edu/~mer7/astronomytimeline.htm
A webquest on astronomy for 9^th grade students. "Science is a study that is constantly changing. Astronomy is the study of the stars, planets, and other objects that make up the universe. Beginning around 600 BC, Greek philosophers and scientists developed a number of important astronomical ideas. Over time, these ideas have evolved and many discoveries about the universe have been made. Even today, there are new planets and stars being discovered, and many are studying the fete of our universe. How did we get to the knowledge that we have today? What data has been collected to prove different facts about the universe? Most important, who laid the foundation for current research techniques?  How has the progression of astronomical discoveries influenced history as well as out technological advances?" We found some broken links on this site. Excellent

BLACK HOLES – JOURNEY INTO THE UNKNOWN – WEBQUEST
http://education.nmsu.edu/webquests/wq/blackhole_webquest/hole5.html
A webquest for junior/senior students on black holes. "You and your traveling companions, a group of scientists, are currently enjoying a remarkable and relaxing tour of the local universe. Your tour guide suddenly informs you that the rocket's engines have failed. In order to navigate, the captain will use the enormous gravity of a black hole to guide you to a nearby help station. Recognizing a great scientific opportunity, your group, decides to gather as much information about these mysterious objects." Excellent

COMETS WEBQUEST
http://www.can-do.com/uci/lessons98/Comets.html
A webquest for elementary students on comets. "Webquests #1-5. We live in a region of space known to us as the Solar System.  The Solar System consists of planets and their moons, stars (the sun), and other objects such as asteroids, meteors, and comets.  These Web Quests will explore comets by using web resources.  Be sure you have a pencil and your Comments on Comets booklet." Excellent

CONSTELLATIONS IN SCIENCE AND MYTHOLOGY – WEBQUEST
http://chsweb.lr.k12.nj.us/dscheinberg/constellations/constellations.htm
A webquest for high school students in which they design and write a book on constellations for 3^rd-5^th grade students. "Each group of four students will produce one illustrated book that would be appropriate for third to fifth grade students to read and enjoy." Excellent

COSMIC CHEMISTRY WEBQUEST
http://www.can-do.com/uci/ssi2000/cosmicchemistry.html
A webquest for grades 6-9 on chemistry in space. "Purpose:  To investigate the chemistry of stars, nebula, planets, and other celestial bodies. This activity will help the learner understand and appreciate the integration of  the sciences of astronomy and chemistry." Excellent

COSMIC CHEMISTRY WEBQUEST
http://www.can-do.com/uci/ssi2000/cosmicchemistry.html
A webquest for grades 6-9 on chemistry in space. "Purpose:  To investigate the chemistry of stars, nebula, planets, and other celestial bodies. This activity will help the learner understand and appreciate the integration of  the sciences of astronomy and chemistry." Excellent

DEEP IMPACT? COULD IT HAPPEN? – WEBQUEST
http://www.can-do.com/uci/lessons98/Deep.html
A webquest exploring the likelihood that a meteor impact affected life on Earth and could it in the future. "In this lesson we will explore the recentinformation about the crater called Chicxulub. Scientists have found evidence worldwide that an E.L.E ended the existence of many life forms and changed the direction of life on Earth as we know it. In this Web Quest you will search a database and analyze the most recent information available. At the completion of this lesson you will be able to answer the question: "What caused the end of the dinosaur age?" Excellent

EXPLORING THE CONSTELLATIONS – WEBQUEST                 NEW!
http://mrscienceut.net/StarryNight1.html
A webquest for 6^th grade students on the constellations. "Go outside some clear evening.  Bring along a blanket.  Spread out the blanket and lie down.  Look at all the stars you can see.  Quite a beautiful sight, isn’t it!  Stars spread out across the sky.  But, did you know that there are patterns to be seen?  We call these patterns "constellations."  You are going to learn about constellations.  And, when you have finished this WebQuest, you will know all about constellations.  And, you will never look at the stars in quite the same way!" Excellent

IS EARTH THE ONLY PLANET? – WEBQUEST                 NEW!
http://its.guilford.k12.nc.us/webquests/planets/planets.htm
A webquest on the planets for elementary students. "You will visit all 9 planets in order to find specific information. You will learn the order of the planets from the Sun. After gathering data on the individual planets, you will write or type a paper with conclusions you have drawn to answer the question - Why is Earth the Only Planet You Can Live On?  Further research will be done on a specific planet of your choice. You will then create a multimedia stack/slideshow on the planet you chose in order to present it to your classmates.  Along the way you will be able to enjoy some interactive games as a way to find information and review facts you have learned." Excellent

THE LIFE CYCLE OF STARS – WEBQUEST
http://www.can-do.com/uci/ssi2003/starlife.html
A webquest for grades 9-12 on the life cycle of stars. "In this webquest, you will investigate the process of nuclear fusion explained by Einstein's famous  equation E = MC²  and learn how mass in the form of hydrogen atoms is converted to helium and causes a release of energy that makes stars shine. We will also begin to understand the forces involved in stars that maintain this nuclear reaction and how these forces change as the star ages." Excellent

LUNAR CYCLE – WEBQUEST
http://www.can-do.com/uci/ssi2001/lunarcycle.html
A webquest for elementary students on the lunar cycle. "Students will investigate the moon's appearance and changes during the lunar cycle using  the information provided from the internet as well as teacher made activities." Excellent

MARS EXPRESS NEEDED – WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://imaginemars.jpl.nasa.gov/webquest/index.html
A webquest on Mars for grades 6-8. "Through this webquest, students will explore the environment on the planet Mars and the challenges it poses to human habitation. Students will learn specifically about Mars’ climate, geology and atmosphere. Students will use their imaginations to devise solutions to these difficult conditions." Excellent

MARS ROCKS! – WEBQUEST                 NEW!
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/science/webquest/content/marsrocks.shtml
A webquest for intermediate students on Mars. "Your job in this WebQuest is to learn all about Mars rocks. You will learn about the planet Mars and about space missions to Mars of the past, present, and future. You will find out what types of meteorites came from Mars, and why these rocks have been identified as coming from that planet. You will discover the evidence that leads scientists to the conclusion that life once existed on Mars. You will also learn about plans for a mission to Mars that will collect rocks from the planet’s surface and bring them back to Earth for analysis. Finally, you will answer a set of questions to demonstrate what you have learned about Mars rocks, and about the possibility of life on Mars." Excellent

MARS WEB QUEST AND NEWS CAST                 NEW!
http://jn016.k12.sd.us/mars_webquest.htm
A webquest for junior high students on Mars. "CONGRATULATIONS!!! You have been selected out of thousands of journalists to embark upon a great adventure.  You will be among the first humans to settle on the planet Mars.  For the past six months a small group of scientists have been making preparations for your arrival.  During your time on the red planet, you will be gathering data and information and then presenting your findings to the humans on Earth in the form of a news broadcast that encourages more Earthlings to come live on Mars.  Since the mission is top secret, you may not reveal your travel plans to anyone.  All of Earth will be amazed to learn of the colony's presence when your "Breaking News Special Bulletin" is aired during the "7th Inning Stretch" of the World Series.   Each of you  will chose one of 5 topics to cover and present to the people on Earth" Excellent

MARSQUEST                 NEW!
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/MarsQuest/Quemarsintro.html
A webquest for junior high students on Mars. "You will provide travel guidance to interplanetary travelers. You must ensure that travelers know enough about Mars to plan well, to know the best spots to visit, and at what time of year to visit them. You must become experts on Mars, so you can knowledgeably compare and contrast at most three possible resort locations on Mars to your customers. You need to know how to help travelers have safe and pleasant journeys and provide information they will need about Mars, about what they should take (raincoats, pressure suits, gravity shoes, sunglasses, sun screen, beach towels, snow skis, etc.) and what activities to expect (i.e. spelunking, rock climbing, snow skiing, swimming, sand sailing, etc.).  You could create a book, brochure, slide presentation, mural , TV commercial, an infomercial, or an interactive web site, that will provide this and other information for your clients traveling to Mars." Excellent

MISSION TO MARS WEBQUEST
http://www.geocities.com/mickey6040/
A webquest on Mars exploration for grades 8-12. "In fourteen days, your mission team will be the first humans to endeavor on a journey to mars. Your mission team is comprised of a journalist, a history teacher and a scientist. You will see things no one else in this world has seen first hand. Before you go, your team will have some last minute activities to complete to prepare for your journey. Remember, mystery and the unknown is everywhere. No human has stepped foot on this planet until now. Your team coming from varied walks of life, will become the most knowledgeable individuals about the planet mars. Your journey begins now." Excellent

PLANET WEBQUEST         NEW!
http://dante.udallas.edu/hartmann/
A webquest for upper elementary students on the planets. "You are among a team of space travelers who plan to rocket to another planet in our solar system. You and your fellow travelers will gather information about a planet and help decide which of the nine planets can support life. Only prepared travelers are allowed to leave earth to travel. Mission Control (Mrs. Hartmann) is in charge of issuing planet passports. When Mission Control decides you have completed pre-flight preparations, she will sign a planet passport for your team.  Then, you can blast off. While visiting and exploring your planet, you will collect data and send it back to Mission Control (and your families) as a cyber-postcard.  In addition, when you return from your planet, you must organize and present all of your data to other space travelers.  Good luck!" Excellent

PLANETARY WEBQUEST
http://students.itec.sfsu.edu/edt628/hovey/index.html
A webquest for middle school students on the planets. "You are a member of an international scientific team in charge of the first planetary colony in our solar system. Your team must analyze the different planets and decide on which planet to colonize. While there is no right answer, your team must give reasons both for why you chose a particular planet and why you did not choose the other planets. At the completion of this assignment each team will also need to: 1. Identify all the planets from their pictures 2. Give general physical characteristics of the planets they researched 3. Evaluate the web sites they used as sources" Excellent

SOLAR SYSTEM WEBQUEST                 NEW!
http://www.asdk12.org/depts/science/PlanetWalkWEBQUEST.HTM
A webquest for grades 5-8 on the solar system. "You have been selected to help design a vacation package to one of the planets in Earth's solar system. You and your team will create a company that will put together a vacation package that can safely deliver your clients to your vacation destination. Your team consists of a rocket specialist, spacesuit designer, travel agent and astronomer." Excellent

A SPACE SETTLEMENT WEBQUEST
http://www.what-is-the-speed-of-light.com/webquests/space-ecosystem-webquest.html
A webquest for middle school students on space settlement. "Due to your broad expertise in a range of science disciplines you have been awarded a contract to develop a system to monitor the overall 'health' of a space settlement. The classroom is divided into several groups (with around 5 members each) to do this WebQuest. Each group works independently from the other groups." Excellent

SPACE TRAVEL WEBQUESTS
http://www.the-solar-system.net/webquests/space-webquests.html
A page of webquests on space travel. Excellent

STARRY, STARRY NIGHT: A CONSTELLATION WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://mrscienceut.net/StarryNight.html
A webquest for 6^th grade students on constellations. "Go outside some clear evening.  Bring along a blanket.  Spread out the blanket and lie down.  Look at all the stars you can see.  Quite a beautiful sight, isn’t it! Stars spread out across the sky.  But, did you know that there are patterns to be seen?  We call these patterns "constellations."  You are going to learn about constellations.  As you learn about constellations, you will be given assignments to do. These will help you learn all about constellations." Excellent

SWEET HOME, OUTER SPACE – A WEBQUEST ON SPACE SETTLEMENTS
http://www.plainfield.k12.in.us/hschool/webq/webq65/
A webquest for high school students on space settlements. "You and three others have been appointed to a special task force team by the President of the United States. In response to rumors that Russia is currently developing a space settlement, The President has devised this task force team to insure that America will be the first to send an orbiting settlement into space." Excellent

TAKE A VACATION ON THIS PLANET – WEBQUEST
http://milforded.org/schools/eastshore/mking/wq/planet.html
A webquest for elementary students on the planets. "You are a travel agent astronomer trying to sell a vacation on your planet.  As a travel agent you will provide the necessary facts and information to entice your clients into visiting your planet in our solar system." Excellent

XLIFE WEBQUEST
http://www.resa.net/nasa/webquest.htm
A webquest on exploring for life on other planets. The Xlife Mission! Pick the likeliest planet (or moon) in the Solar System for the existence of off-Earth life and design the robotic vehicle-explorer and the instruments and experiments - and money no limit? It was a dream come true - her dream." Click on the Index at the bottom for the links. Excellent

ARE WE READY FOR LIFE IN SPACE? – WEBQUEST
http://www.lfelem.lfc.edu/tech/DuBose/webquest/pictor/space.html
A webquest for elementary students on life in space. "You will explore the Space Station Mir, its crew and the shuttle missions that have and will support its existence. You will work in groups of four, searching web sited and reading articles about it. The first two classes are for gathering information and answering the questions. Class three you will pick a project that will demonstrate what was learned. The fourth class will be used to give presentations." Very Good

BY WAY OF THE MOON – WEBQUEST
http://www.spa3.k12.sc.us/WebQuests/space/index.htm
A webquest on the early days of the space program. "Students will analyze the space program in the 1960's in regard to its social, political, and economic effects. It will involve the language arts and science disciplines. It would be appropriate for middle school students but could be adapted for elementary or high school students." Very Good

CLASSIFYING THE SOLAR SYSTEM WEBQUEST                     NEW!
http://mrscienceut.net/ClassifyingtheSolarSystemWebQuest.html
A webquest for 6^th grade students on the objects in the solar system. "What objects make up the Solar System? This is a question astronomers have studied for centuries. Today you work for NASA and will use information you gather from the Internet to identify and classify objects in the Solar System." Very Good

HUMAN LIFE ON MARS: WHAT’S IT LIKE? – WEBQUEST                     NEW!
http://chalk.richmond.edu/education/projects/webquests/mars/
A webquest for middle school students on Mars. "This WebQuest is designed to give students an opportunity to cooperatively explore the possibilities of colonizing the planet Mars.  In order to complete this project, students are assigned specific tasks to focus on, but ultimately must work as a team to be successful.  Using Internet resources, students first find out characteristics of Mars.  After students determine the differences between Earth and Mars, they are asked to consider how these differences would impact human life on this planet.  Their final quest is to create a news report presentation that demonstrates their understanding of differences between Earth and Mars.  They will also explore and report the effects that these differences have on a made-up colony of humans who have resided on Mars for the past 25 years" We found some broken links on this site. Very Good

THE MOON AND TIDES – WEBQUEST
http://www.can-do.com/uci/lessons99/moon.html
A webquest for elementary students on the Moon and how it affects the Earth. "At the conclusion of this assignment you will be able to: 1. Label and identify different phases of the Moon 2. Name different kinds of tides. 3. Create a graph using your choice of tide data. 4. Predict the moon phases associated with your graph." Very Good

NEW MOON! WHY DID YOU LEAVE SO SOON? – WEBQUEST
http://aldertrootes.wcpss.net/moonwebquest.html
A moon webquest for third grade students. "On your journey to find out why the moon's shape
is constantly changing you will: •Visit the NASA Kids website and read about Autumn’s Moon. • Look at the different phases of the moon using Shockwave. • View time-stamped images of phases of the moon as seen from space. •Learn solar concepts and discover about the "Far Side of the Moon". Note: We found a couple of broken links on this site. Very Good

OUT OF THIS WORLD! WEBQUEST                 NEW!
http://www.catawba.k12.nc.us/webquest/mims/webquest.htm
A webquest for 6^th grade students on the planets. "Your team has been assigned a planet to research for the NASA Travel. Your will create an Appleworks database of the information, a  display  board to advertise your planet , and a Powerpoint presentation for NASA Travel to use when they publicize the upcoming tours." Very Good

PHASES OF THE MOON –WEBQUEST
http://coe.west.asu.edu/students/phanover/moon_webquest_home.htm
A webquest for elementary students on the phases of the Moon. Very Good

PLANETS WEBQUEST                 NEW!
http://eats.ecsd.net/curricular/webquest/sky_study/
A webquest for upper elementary students on the planets. "You have awoken and discovered that you have been transformed into another body- A body of an astronaut.  You must find out about the solar system as you will need to make a presentation to Nasa as to which planet you will be moving to for a few months.  You must learn the nine planets in our galaxy, and the satellites associated to the planets.  This will help you decide which planet you will be able to survive on." Very Good

PLANETARY TRAVEL GUIDE – WEBQUEST
http://chsweb.lr.k12.nj.us/ewightman/planet.htm
A webquest for high school students in which they create a travel guide for one of the nine planets. Very Good

POETRY AND THE PLANETS WEBQUEST
http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/lausd/resources/webquest/index.htm
A webquest on the planets for grades 9-12. "What is the moon to you? Is it a source of mystery and romance, or just a rock in space? An unintended result of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's 1969 walk on the moon has been a less romantic, less poetic attitude toward space. Very few poems or love songs have been written crediting the moon with inspiring feelings of love. With the exception of the film "Moonstruck," movies, too, have shied away from the idea that cosmic bodies can inspire our imaginations in any but a scientific sense. Your mission is to bring back the poetry. Your assignment is to take us on a poetic exploration of the planets of the solar system." Very Good

SPACE STATION: ROOM WITH A VIEW – WEBQUEST
http://www.biopoint.com/WebQuests/AMS/Welcome.html
A webquest for middle school students in which they design the living quarters of a space station. "As you know, a microgravity environment changes living as we know it on earth. You have been selected to serve on a team of research experts that will make recommendations for the design of a living module on a new space station. You will become an expert in one of the following areas: Galley Chief - researching what and how people eat and drink in space Inn Keeper - researching sleeping in space Hygienist - researching personal care in space Personal Trainer - researching physical and mental exercise in space. The information your team gathers will describe former and present designs for your area of living. You are encouraged to share your knowledge with team members. As individuals, you will present your information in written form or in electronic form. Your products will be presented at a symposium of research teams where various aspects of microgravity living will be discussed. You will have 7 days to work on your project: Day 1 - teacher introduction Days 2, 3, & 4 - team research time Day 5 - time to share information with your fellow experts Days 6 & 7 - develop your individual product Day 8 - symposium of experts." Very Good

SPACE – THE FINAL FRONTIER – WEBQUEST
http://www.spa3.k12.sc.us/WebQuests/Solar%20System/Index.html
A webquest for elementary students on space. "Task: In this voyage we plan to accomplish the following amazing feats! You will investigate the nine planets and compose an essay comparing and contrasting the planet of your choice with the Earth." Very Good

THE ULTIMATE SOLAR SYSTEM CATALOG – AN ASTRONOMY WEBQUEST                     NEW!
http://mrscienceut.net/SolarSystem.html
A webquest on the solar system for 6^th grade students. "What if you wanted to know what’s in the Solar System?  You would look at a "catalog" that gave you information about the Solar System.  Catalogs about the Solar System don’t exit.  Your first task is to make a Solar System Catalog.  Click here to get a copy of your assignment sheet.  (If you already have an assignment sheet, you DO NOT need to get another one!)" Very Good

WHY DO THE STARS HAVE DIFFERENT COLORS? WEBQUEST                 NEW!
http://www.rblewis.net/technology/EDU506/WebQuests/starcolor/starcolor.html
A webquest on stars for grades 6-7. ""One, two, three,..."  Let's look up at the starry sky and count the stars.  How many stars can you find?  Can you find yellow stars?  Red stars?  Or blue stars?  Why do the stars have different colors?  As an astronomer, you will explore the stars and find out the clues to these questions." Very Good

CLASSIFYING THE PLANETS – WEBQUEST
http://www.macomb.k12.mi.us/wq/pbs2ucs.htm
A webquest for upper elementary students on the planets. "Scientists classify planets in many different ways. Today you work for NASA and will use information you gather from the Internet and/or other references to make decisions on how you will classify the planets." Good

GALAXIES, STARS AND PLANETS, OH MY! – WEBQUEST                 NEW!
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/websciencejo.html
A webquest for intermediate students on stars and planets. "Students should be able to get a good understanding of the basic concepts of space that will be discussed including: planets, constellations, the sun, the moon, and the Milky Way Galaxy. Our solar system is part of the Milky Way Galaxy and our solar system has nine planets. The sun, the largest object and the central object of our solar system, is a star. Stars are surrounding us in space and some are even arranged in a way that they look like pictures or different characters called constellations. While we know much about our solar system, there is much that is still a mystery. Make a list of 10 things that you want to 'discover' about our solar system while following this webquest!" The links here only give the url, not a hyperlink. Good

HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY WEBQUEST             NEW!
http://www.ccsd.edu/south/Science/esci/akarsten/Astronomy/historywebquest/homehistory.htm
A webquest for middle school students on the history of astronomy. "Working in groups of three or four, you will choose a time period in the history of astronomy.  Each group will be responsible for preparing a Power Point Presentation describing the historical setting, important astronomers and astronomical advances." Good

You are welcome to post our lists on your website. 
If you do, you must credit Carol Lyn Hutton,  Cumberland County AVA Center, Bridgeton, NJ, post the list in its entirety and link back to our site.  http://www.cumbavac.org