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How can comic strips help teach experimental design of research studies? Use this lesson plan to learn about an article type called Wild Things that is published by Science News Explores in print and online. Wild Things use comic strips that tell the stories of research studies on animals’ biology and behavior. You can also access a lesson plan template that can be used with any Wild Things article.

Use this lesson plan and the provided template to have your students practice the 3-2-1 strategy. This literacy strategy is a quick way to check students’ understanding of a concept, reading or lesson. It helps them summarize and organize their thoughts by listing three responses to one prompt, two responses to another prompt and one response to a final prompt.

Scientists just caught a rare glimpse of an exoplanet’s innards. Learn how scientists use wavelength data from the James Webb Space Telescope to figure out what exoplanets might be made of. Answer questions about the value of personification as a literary device, all the while discussing how knowledge gleaned from one discovery can help scientists answer new and lingering questions.

Use this lesson plan to learn about an article type called Technically Fiction that is published by Science News Explores in print and online. Technically Fiction articles focus on a fictional phenomenon and explain whether it could be possible and the science it would take to make it a reality. You can also access a lesson plan template that can be used with any Technically Fiction article.

Use this lesson plan and the provided template to have your students practice creating concept maps for any article. This literacy strategy boosts critical thinking and reading retention by having students organize information and connect important ideas, concepts and terms.

Use this lesson plan to learn about an article type called Explainers that is published by Science News Explores in print and online. You can also access a lesson plan template that can be used with any Explainer article. Explainer articles take a deep dive into a key scientific concept or process.

Use this lesson plan and the provided template to have your students practice the Cornell Note-taking System with any article. This literacy strategy organizes notes into two columns that provide structure for note-taking, analysis and review and that will help increase students’ learning, comprehension and retention.

Science fiction sometimes inspires real-world innovation. Future spacesuits may filter urine into drinkable water, allowing astronauts to wear those suits for longer tasks. Learn how researchers propose to make fantasy a reality while answering questions about the filtration techniques and how spacesuits are needed to handle the constraints of space.

As global temperatures increase we’ll need to change how we design our buildings. Climate responsive architecture includes buildings that are designed with the regional climate in mind. In this activity, students will design a building that stays at a safe and comfortable temperature throughout the day. In their designs, students will have to consider the Sun’s movement in the sky and their buildings’ materials and shapes. Students will model and test their designs before learning about a new idea scientists have for climate responsive architecture.

To investigate why some meteors create persistent trails, scientists filmed the New Mexico sky for two years, recording streaks of light. Use shooting stars as an example phenomenon to generate student interest, wonder and questions. Then, have students explore how this phenomenon was studied using Science and Engineering Practices, while evaluating the study’s design, limitations and possibilities for future research. Finally, have students search for another phenomenon that interests them and begin asking questions about it.

On April 8, 2024, approximately 32 million people may have the opportunity to see a total eclipse of the sun. Astronomers predict this eclipse will put on quite a show — one of the most vivid in recent history. Learn how different factors of this solar eclipse will make it especially rare for both scientists and casual observers.

The Giant Magellan Telescope could reveal signs of life on faraway planets — mainly because of the telescope’s massive mirrors. But just how big are they? Use this article to investigate the benefits of using scale and relative values in writing. Then solve a related word problem and devise your own useful examples of scale.