A TEACHER'S GUIDE TO PLASMA SCIENCE RESOURCES

RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS (lesson plans and demonstrations)
Click on the for a check list of National Science Standards the site fulfills.

Plasma Wars: From the sidebar on this site, teachers can download teaching modules for themselves and activities for their students (under Plasma Wars). In the module Cosmic Chemistry: Planetary Diversity, students investigate planetary diversity in the shape, size, and strength of the planetary magnetospheres, and in the types and sources of the high-energy charged particles that occupy them.

Genesis: Search for Origins: This site provides a cluster of K-12 science modules for teachers, using Genesis Mission as a real world link to capture student interest. Some modules are plasma-related. A NASA site.

The Exploration of the Earth's Magnetosphere: The materials are directed toward the high school level. However, the information and explanations are a wonderful resource for a teacher at any level. There are no activity plans for teaching students.

ABC's of Nuclear Science: This site explains an excellent nuclear wall chart. It provides details of the nucleus and nuclear changes/reactions, definitions & diagrams. There is a page on how to build a cosmic ray detector.Produced by the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory Nuclear Science Division.

The National Center for Atmospheric Research & the UCAR Office of Programs: NCAR's student & teacher friendly site with topics of Astronomy and the Universe Physics about atoms, particles, plasma, Sun, etc. Levels: Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced Lessons/activities.

Football Physics: The University of Nebraska Department of Physics, physics analysis of football, 7 lessons [inertia, forces, momentum, etc], and detailed analysis of games during 1999 and 2000. Quick Time presentation on Atoms and Photons has greatest application to a study of plasma Requires special plug in.

Department of Energy - For Educators: Excellent resource for energy education. However, "plasma" is not included. A search resulted in one mention of plasma in an article.

FusEdWeb: Fusion Energy Education: Provides many links to informative sites including the CPEP Online Fusion Course, student/teacher resources, very few classroom activities, and other fusion plasma sites. Also includes the plasma dictionary, which allows users to submit new terms, search for specific terms or browse alphabetic listings. Most suitable for high school/college.

Fermilab Education Office: Excellent; many links, lessons, major nuclear topics, projects, pages for student and teacher.

NASA Education: The NASA Education page is a gateway to all their educational websites. Choose the grade level, click on quicklink "P", and check out a long list of resources related to Physics and Physical Sciences. You'll also find News, Learning Resources, Internet Resources, Multimedia Resources, Contacts for Educators, Professional Development and Student Opportunities. It's a great site to explore.

Solar Maximum Resources for Educators: Live data, exciting graphics and interesting lesson plans should be helpful to teachers interested in teaching students about the solar/sunspot cycle and solar maximum. Also provides lists of sites that provide the latest data and educational images. Part of the larger Mission to Geospace Site.

Newton's Apple - Aurora Borealis: Written version of segment on auroras from the PBS series Newton's Apple. Good basic description, with one classroom experiment, and a number of suggested assignments.

Sun-Centered Physics: Teacher Linda Knisely's page provides lesson plans (Grades 11-12) on four sun-centered topics, including the electromagnetic spectrum. She provides focused links to specific NASA websites. Excellent higher-level detail. Explains many of the physical phenomena that occur on the Earth as a direct result of the Sun-Earth interaction.

Space Weather Center Classroom Resources: Curriculum materials for 4-8 grades; offers teacher workshops.

Down-to-Earth Science: This outreach page of the Space Telescope Science Institute site is a gateway into educational activities for students, teachers and the general public. Go to "Amazing Space" for K-12 lesson plans, including black holes, stars, etc. Detailed plans and activities are available, evaluated against national science standards. Instead of using the word "plasma" the site refers to "ionized particles" or simply "gases." The site is most noteworthy for it's breathtaking images of space plasmas from the Hubble telescope.

Plasma Sphere: This site contains everything you wanted to know about plasma spheres from constructing your own to purchasing one already made. Includes experiments and other activities useful for classroom demonstrations.

Activities to Explore - Stanford Solar Center: Part of the Stanford Solar Center site. Provides hands-on activities and lesson plans for students, showing how to conduct actual observations by building spectroscopes and other instruments.

Space Science Education Resource Directory (NASA): A convenient way to find NASA space science products for use in the classroom. There are hundreds of resources here, searchable by grade and topic.

Van de Graaf Electrostatic Generator Page: This site provides everything you will need to purchase or construct and operate a Van de Graaf Electrostatic Generator, as well as links to other related sites.

IMAGE Science Center P.O.E.T.R.Y web site: Hands-on lessons for students and teachers, sorted by content, grade level, and web-based. The activities highlight the plasma in nature and show science as a human endeavor.

American Physical Society: Education and Outreach: This site has many wonderful facets. It contains a great timeline called "A Century of Physics," with plasma citations. It lists multiple teacher workshops, student workshops, links to other sites, scholarship and intern opportunities, and as well as career information.

CINDI - Coupled Ion Neutral Dynamics Investigation (at UT Dallas): You need to click on the education bar to get to the education section. On this site you will find a collection of teaching and education resources for grades 6-9 about the CINDI project, the Earth's atmosphere, space weather, the scale in the Earth-Moon system, satellites and rockets and more.

Discovering the Sun: A great inquiry activity for middle/high school students that primes students to discover plasma and other aspects of the sun as they work in teams on "a mission." Part of a broader site, The Lesson Plans Page, which provides over 3500 lessons plans for K-College. Many of the activities could be somewhat relevant to understanding plasma physics.

Discovery Education School Resources: Three lesson plans are offered. Each teaches plasma related topics through inquiry. Two relate to space/physical science and one relates to magnetism. Students investigate the suns energy and nuclear reactions (9-12); Students debate the exploration and exploitation of the solar system within reach (6-8); Students produce detailed scientific explanations for magnetism and its use (9-12).

Intel Education: Help Wanted: Physicist! A unit designed for high school (11-12) students to study current topics of physics research, including plasma physics, and consider potential social and economic implications. The unit is multidisciplinary and provides clear instructional procedures, differentiated instruction, and assessment processes.

MIT Haystack Observatory Lesson Plans: A list of space-oriented lesson plans for teachers. The sidebar can direct you to Research Experiences for Teachers, Pre-College resources and Public Outreach Activities.

Plasma 101 - Daily Lesson Plan: A pen and paper activity from the New York Times Learning Network requiring research skills and critical thinking. Students elicit information about the definition of plasma from selected examples then create "How It Works" posters about particular forms of plasma, and reflect on the importance of funding for plasma research.

[ back to the top ]