Abstract: Whether studying about Earth Science or simply teaching reading
across the curriculum, learning about space weather in this simple
investigation can be motivational to students and satisfying to
an educator. This investigation provides an introduction to a topic that is
on the cutting edge of space science. The investigation can be tied in with Earth Science content on
the Sun and solar system structure, meteorology and weather prediction
(in space, as it parallels that on Earth) and spacecraft and what
they do. It also applies reading across the curriculum by using
a graphic organizer. Other investigations on this topic follow
and provide more challenging treatment of this topic.
In this investigation the learner will explore “space weather”
and its effects on our everyday lives. The accompanying Educational
Brief at: Space Weather provides an explanation of space weather and its effects. The
learner will explore web sites related to space weather and its
resources. The learner, in later investigations, may access plots
of live data provided by some of the Advanced Composition Explorer
(ACE) instruments to draw inferences about the prediction of space
weather. The learner will conclude by writing a newspaper article,
set in the future, about a space weather event.
Outcome:
The learner will sequence the events that cause space weather,
and their effects on Earth, by using a graphic organizer.
Suggested Grade Level & Duration: Grades 5-8 (or 9-12 as an introductory activity); one fifty-minute
period or less.
Materials:
Internet accessible computer Relevantinternet links:
