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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.

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.

Scientists agree that the Amazon is in grave trouble because of human activities, such as deforestation, and climate change. Past studies have suggested certain rates of deforestation would trigger the Amazon to transform into a savanna, but many scientists now say the forest probably doesn’t have a single, clear tipping point. Still, researchers are working to understand what needs to be done — and how soon — to save the forest. Use the map and graph titled “Rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon” to have students analyze the area and rate of deforestation in the Amazon.

To tackle our warming climate, we’ll need to rein in emissions of carbon dioxide, but there’s another greenhouse gas at play: methane. Decreasing methane concentrations may be the best bet for stopping rising temperatures in the short term.

For astronomers, watching convective cells of gas move on the surface of a distant star was kind of like looking at a lava lamp. Begin a unit on energy transfer by having students discuss lava lamps and the process of convection at work in them. Then have students read about the first observation of convection on a distant star and its potential scientific importance. Finally, students will brainstorm and diagram other examples of devices or natural processes that involve convection.

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.

This activity will help students learn more about eclipses and how to communicate scientific information through the creation of a video about the upcoming total eclipse on April 8, 2024. Students will practice summarizing information from a variety of Science News Media Group articles and will use their writing skills to create an informative script for their video. For those in the solar eclipse’s path, the video will also discuss where to watch the eclipse and how to get involved in community education projects.

Students will answer questions about the online Science News article “The Kuiper Belt’s dwarf planet Quaoar hosts an impossible ring,” which describes a recent astronomical discovery that is completely counter to what scientists expected to see. A version of the article, “This dwarf planet hosts an odd ring,” appears in the March 11, 2023 issue of Science News.

Students will review force diagrams and gravitational force and discuss planetary ring and moon formation using the concept of the Roche limit. Learning Outcomes: Applying gravitational forces and interactions in space to understand ring and moon formation.

In this quick activity, students will create a TikTok video about the outcome of a NASA mission to knock an asteroid off course.