Squeak
Northern Lights Challenge
Description
The focus
of the Northern Lights
Challenge is for teams
of students to work collaboratively
to investigate the possibility
of auroras on other planets.
Auroras have been observed
on other planets and
they are believed to
exist on yet other planets.
It is the student team’s
job to figure this out.
They should start by
reviewing what they learned
about auroras on Earth
from the NASA CONNECT™ broadcast and generate
a list of conditions
that are required for
auroras to exist. It
would be best for the
groups to create a table
or matrix of the necessary
conditions so they can
compare Earth more easily
to the other planets.
They will find exploration
tools waiting for them
to discover the conditions
on the other planets
so they can fill in their
table. Through comparison,
the teams should be able
to determine which other
planets could have auroras
and they should be encouraged
to present their conclusions
to their classmates.
There is an active book
in the middle of the
screen to help you understand
what the tool measures
and the technology involved
in making the measurements.
The students should read
the active book for important
information regarding
the investigation. Included
in the active book are
mathematics problems
to solve which require
the students to work
with numbers and units
and understand ratios.
Have fun and explore.
Instructional
Objectives
The student will
- review and
solidify their understanding
of auroras on Earth
from “Dancing
in the Night Sky”.
- work collaboratively
in groups based on
their review to develop
a list of the essential
conditions that lead
to auroras on Earth.
- work
collaboratively in
groups to determine
which other planets
in our solar system
could have auroras
by exploring properties
of other planets using
the Squeak project and using their list of essential conditions to solve the
task.
- work with numbers
and ratios to solve
problems which compare
various properties
of the planets.
- report
the results of their
investigation to
their colleagues.
Go
to Squeak Exercise
Challenge Web Activity
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