Educator Guide: A Star’s Pull and Your Local Watershed

About this guide

Investigate the health of your local watershed and explore how to monitor pollution and discuss the chances of a passing star causing a cosmic collision with these lesson plans paired to articles from the November issue of Science News Explores.

This Guide Includes:

Exercise type:Comprehension
Topic:Space

Cosmic Collision: A Far-Flung Possibility

Computer models suggest a remote yet haunting possibility— that passing stars could carry the potential to warp Earth’s orbit, triggering a cosmic collision. Answer questions about cause and effect. Discuss matter from the scale of the tiniest quark to the vastness of the known universe.

Exercise type:Activity
Topic:Environment

Winding Watersheds

Pollution that runs off into streams, rivers and lakes can travel far because watersheds are connected by underground aquifers. Students will identify and describe the characteristics of their local and adjacent watersheds before describing how to monitor watershed pollution.