impact craters unit plan...please see the acknowledgements section for historical contributions to...

Impact Craters Unit Plan Part 3

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Please see the Acknowledgements section for historical contributions to the development of this lesson plan. This form of “Impact Craters Unit Plan – Part 3” was published in December 2012 in “More Lessons from the Sky,” a regular feature of the SEA Newsletter, and archived in the SEA Lesson Plan Library. Both the Newsletter and the Library are freely available on-line from the Satellite Educators Association (SEA) at this address: http://SatEd.org. Content, Internet links, and support material available from the online Resources page revised and updated September 2019.

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Teaching Notes

More Lessons from the Sky, © Satellite Educators Association, Inc. Impact Craters-3 1

Impact Craters Part 3 (of 4)

Invitation Two boys, aged 9 and 13, stood in one’s front yard after riding bikes during the summer of 1991 when they heard a low-pitched whistle getting louder. Then they saw a rock whistle past them and land on the ground about 4 meters away making a hole about 5 centimeters deep. They looked around but could find no evidence that anyone had thrown the rock. When they picked up the rock it felt warm. What was it? Where did it come from? Why was it warm? How fast was it going to make such a hole in the ground? How did it form? How did it get there? Were the boys in danger? So many questions and no answers yet. What should happen next? What questions do you have about the event? How might these questions be investigated?

Grade Level: 5-8

Time Requirement: 6-8 class periods (all 4 parts)

Prerequisites: Impact Craters – Parts 1-2

Relevant Disciplines: Science, Mathematics, Geography

Student Learning Outcomes (unit of four lessons) By the end of this unit, students should be able to do the following:

• Work in cooperative research teams of 3 to 4

• Generate questions for scientific investigation

• Plan and conduct a scientific investigation of a selected question

• Collect, analyze, and interpret data about impact craters

• Create an individual learning log or journal containing collected information, drawings of objects or landscapes studied, selected research questions, data gathered, analysis of all data, interpretations, and explanations, inferences, predictions about large impact craters on earth and the likelihood of another big impact

• Design and present to the class a team report based on the team members’ individual learning logs

Lesson Description This lesson is the third in a unit plan called “Impact Craters.” It addresses grades 5-8

standards in Physical Science, Earth Science, math, geography, scientific inquiry, language arts (writing and oral communication), and teamwork. Overall, six to eight sequential class periods are suggested although the series can be adapted by the teacher to fit the individual curriculum calendar. In this unit plan, learners are guided to inquire about impact craters visible in satellite images of the Earth. What each part includes Each part of the lesson plan series for the unit includes Teaching Notes and Student Activity files. The Teaching Notes are generally the same for each part but vary with

Teaching Notes

2 Impact Craters-3 More Lessons from the Sky, © Satellite Educators Association, Inc.

particulars for the lessons described in that part. The Student Activity pages contain material for students for the lessons described in each part. A complete summary of all four parts can be found in the Teaching Notes for Part 1. Part 3

Part 3 of this lesson plan series contains “Modeling Impact Craters” (based on Lesson 6 in NASA’s Exploring Meteorite Mysteries). This lesson allows students to create impact craters in plaster of Paris and/or layered dry materials. It should help them address the question, “Where do they come from?” Plaster of Paris, two colors of dry tempera paint, and baking soda are used to represent lithospheric layers. Learners perform controlled experiments by varying the velocity or mass of an object and observing and measuring the effects. They calculate the kinetic energy of the meteorite upon impact both in the model and a real meteorite. Analysis of the model craters includes plotting a graph of ejecta ray length against mass and again against velocity. Activity A helps learners define some of the qualitative characteristics of impact craters. It is most easily done as a teacher demonstration although it can be assigned to individual student teams. In Activity A, a variety of objects representing meteors are dropped into the prepared model planet surface of wet plaster and dry layers. All objects are the same size. However, some have different densities to vary the mass. Each object is dropped from a different height to vary the velocity. Observers then inspect and compare the craters to consider how they were formed and the effect of the impacts on the “planet surface.” The element of time is introduced as the “meteor strikes” are each separated by a measured 2 minutes. Based on the considered results of Activity A, learners make predictions about the effect of changing mass and the effect of changing velocity on the impact crater. Activity B is a quantitative, controlled experiment performed by individual student teams. Each team is assigned a set of 3-4 objects from either Set A or Set B. In Set A, the objects are identical in size and mass. For example, the four objects might be all marbles, ball bearings, or fishing weights. The objects in Set A are dropped from various heights to test the effect of changing velocity on impact crater. In Set B, the objects are all the same size but with different masses (or densities). That is, each is a different material. The objects in Set B are dropped from the same height to test the effect of changing mass on the impact crater. During both activities, learners enter measurements before and after impact in a data table and answer questions to guide their consideration of the observations in each activity. All teams should complete this activity anytime on Days 2-5 of the unit. It will take one to two days and should be completed before attempting “Crater Hunters” in Part 4. The Teaching Notes pages include a lesson plan. The Student Activity pages include student procedure handouts and worksheets.

Teaching Notes


Impact Craters Unit - Suggested Eight-Day Schedule Start On

Length Part Description

Day 1

1 day 1 Introduction - presented by teacher

Day 2-7

1 day or

more 2

Impact Craters Learning Center – student-centered. The learning center should be available throughout the entire unit for learners to visit individually and no more than 3 at a time.

Day 2-5

1-2 days

3 Modeling Impact Craters – student team-centered. Lesson 6 “Impact Craters” from Exploring Meteorite Mysteries. Allow two days. If learners finish in less time, they can visit the learning center. Must precede Crater Hunters.

Day 3-6

1-2 days

4

Crater Hunters – student team-centered. Lesson 7 “Crater Hunters” from Exploring Meteorite Mysteries. Two activities: mapping and expedition planning. Allow two days. If learners finish in less time, they can visit the learning center. Must follow Modeling Impact Craters.

Day 5-6

1-2 days

1-4 Independent research – student team-centered. Learners further explore their selected question for investigation by completing 1 or 2 more of the lessons from Exploring Meteorite Mysteries.

Day 7

1 day 1 Preparation & Rehearsal for Team Presentation – Each team considers how it will present their investigated questions and conclusions. They prepare their report and rehearse.

Day 8

1 day 1 Team Presentations & Class Closure – After each team delivers its report to the class, the teacher guides the class to complete the final column of the class KWL chart – what did we Learn?

Important Terms (Part 3) Crater Rim Kinetic Energy Projectile Impact Mass Ejecta Velocity Ejecta Ray

Assessment Suggestions (unit of four lessons)

• Teamwork and participation in groups

• Progress toward development of content, study habits, thinking skills

• Adequate completion of at least three lessons in the unit between the Introduction and team report to the class

• Quality, accuracy, completeness of activities from the learning center

• Quality, accuracy, completeness of the individual learning log or journal

• Quality, accuracy, completeness of the team’s presentation to the class

Next Generation Science Standards Addressed (unit of four lessons) The Next Generation Science Standards sets below are relevant to this unit. Each set includes a disciplinary core idea (DCI), science and engineering practice (SEP), crosscutting concept (CC), tied together by a performance expectation (PE). Grade 5: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions – Types of Interactions

PE- 5-PS2-1 – Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.

DCI- 5-PS2.A – The gravitational force of Earth acting on an object near Earth's

Teaching Notes


surface pulls that object toward the planet's center. SEP- Support an argument with evidence, data, or a model. CC- Cause and effect relationships are routinely6 identified and used to explain

change.

Grades 6-8: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions – Types of Interactions PE- MS-PS2-1 – Apply Newton's Third Law to design a solution to a problem

involving the motion of two colliding objects. DCI- MS-PS2.A – For any pair of interacting objects, the force exerted by the first

object on the second object is equal in strength to the force that the second object exerts on the first, but in the opposite direction.

SEP- Apply scientific ideas or principles to design an object, tool, process, or system. CC- Models can be used to represent systems and their interactions—such as

inputs, processes, and outputs—and energy and matter flows within systems.

Grades 6-8: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions – Types of Interactions

PE- MS-PS2-4 – Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects.

DCI- MS-PS2.B – Gravitational forces are always attractive. There is a gravitational force between any two masses, but it is very small except when one or both of the objects have large masses.

SEP- Construct and present oral and written arguments supported by empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support or refute an explanation or a model for a phenomenon or a solution to a problem.

CC- Models can be used to represent systems and their interactions—such as inputs, processes, and outputs—and energy and matter flows within systems.

Grades 6-8: Energy – Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer

PE- MS-PS3-5 – Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.

DCI- MS-PS3.B – When kinetic energy of an object changes, there is inevitably some other change in energy at the same time.

SEP- Construct and present oral and written arguments supported by empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support or refute an explanation or a model for a phenomenon or a solution to a problem.

CC- Energy may take different forms (e.g., energy in fields, thermal energy, energy of motion).

Grades 6-8: Earth's Place in the Universe

PE- MS-ESS1-2 – Develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motions within galaxies and the solar system.

DCI- MS-ESS1.B – The solar system consists of the sun and a collection of objects, including planets, their moons, and asteroids that are held in orbit around the sun by its gravitational pull on them.

SEP- Develop and use a model to describe phenomena. CC- Models can be used to represent systems and their interactions.

Grades 6-8: Earth's Systems

Teaching Notes


PE- MS-ESS2-2 – Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed the Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.

DCI- MS-ESS2.C – Water movements—both on land and underground—cause weathering and erosion, which change the land's surface features and create underground formations.

SEP- Develop a model to describe unobservable mechanisms. CC- Within a natural or designed system, the transfer of energy drives the motion

and/or cycling of matter.

Grades 6-8: Earth and Human Activity PE- MS-ESS3-2– Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future

catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.

DCI- MS-ESS3.B– Mapping the history of natural hazards in a region, combined

with an understanding of related geologic forces, can help forecast the locations and likelihoods of future events.

SEP- Analyze and interpret data to determine similarities and differences in findings. CC- Graphs, charts, and images can be used to identify patterns in data.

Grades 6-8: Engineering Design PE- MS-ETS1-1– Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with

sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

DCI- MS-ETS1.A– The more precisely a design task’s criteria and constraints can be defined, the more likely it is that the designed solution will be successful. Specification of constraints includes consideration of scientific principles and other relevant knowledge likely to limit possible solutions.

SEP- Define a design problem that can be solved through the development of an object, tool, process, or system and includes multiple criteria and constraints, including knowledge that may limit possible solutions.

CC- The uses of technologies and limitations on their use are driven by individual or societal needs, desires, and values; by the findings of scientific research; and by differences in such factors as climate, natural resources, and economic conditions.

Preparation Preparation for Activity A

1. Assemble materials. 2. Practice mixing plaster of Paris to get a feel for the hardening time under

classroom or outdoor conditions. Plaster for classroom use should be mixed at time of demonstration.

3. Copy one Student Procedure per group. 4. If the “Crater Hunters” lesson will not be completed, then consider whether crater

images from the PowerPoint could be used in this lesson. 5. Prepare plaster or direct students to mix plaster.

• Mix the plaster of Paris. A mixture of two parts plaster of Paris to one part water works best. REMINDER: The plaster hardens in 10 to 20 minutes, so

Teaching Notes


you must work quickly. Have Data Chart complete and all materials assembled before plaster is mixed.

• Pour a 5 cm or more layer of plaster in a small deep disposable container.

• Using a kitchen strainer or a shaker, sprinkle a thin layer of powdered tempera paint over the plaster (use a dust mask and do not get paint on clothes). Recommend making several dry layers of different colors with blue and red tempera and white baking soda.

Materials for Activity A

• plaster of Paris

• 1 large disposable pan or box (if used as a whole class demonstration) or 1 per team small and deep container such as margarine tubs or loaf pans (for individuals or groups)

• Laboratory balance for measuring mass

• Mixing container & stirring sticks

• Water (1 part water to two parts plaster)

• Projectiles (marbles, pebbles, steel shot, lead fishing sinkers, ball bearings)

• dry tempera paint, red or blue - (enough to sprinkle over the surface of the

plaster) or substitute baby powder, flour, corn starch, fine-colored sand, powdered gelatin, or cocoa

• Strainer, shaker or sifter to distribute paint evenly

• Metric rulers & meter sticks

• Dust mask

• Student Procedure (from Student Activity pages)

• Data Charts (from Student Activity pages)

Notes for Activity A

Prior to the activity, discuss the background information and refer to it during the activity. Monitor the students to insure they follow the procedure in the Student Activity handout. You may decide that managing a number of teams each with its own plaster of Paris might be unreasonable for your classroom situation. In that case, performing this activity in the mode of a class demonstration would be best. After learners have performed the procedure and finished answering the questions, review their answers with them to develop a class consensus. Be sure to review their predictions. Learners will evaluate their predictions by doing Activity B. It is best, here, to ask them for observations that support the prediction and how they might go about testing the prediction.

Preparation for Activity B

1. Assemble equipment. 2. Prepare projectile sets and label. 3. Copy Student Procedure and Data Charts as needed. 4. Prepare target trays with dry materials.

Teaching Notes


5. Suggestion:

• Place 3 cm even layers of dry material in the bottom of the tray (or box).

• Sprinkle a thin layer of red powdered tempera paint over the dry material with a kitchen strainer.

• Place another very thin (2-3 mm) even layer of dry material on top of the tempera paint, just enough to conceal paint.

• Sprinkle another layer of blue powdered tempera paint on top of the second layer of dry material. Repeat this process for more layers as desired. (Very

fine craft glitter can be used in place of tempera paint for sparkle” effect.)

Materials for Activity B

• large tray or sturdy box 8-10 cm deep and about 1/2 m on each side (a cat litter pan works nicely); 2 per class or 1 per group

• baking soda (2-3 1.8 kg boxes) per tray, or flour (2 bags, 2.26 kg), or fine sand

(sandbox sand, 3 kg per tray) dry tempera paint - red and/or blue; enough for a thin layer to cover the dry material surface. (Very fine craft glitter may be used as one color.) A nose and mouth dust mask should be used when sprinkling paint.

• projectiles (provide one set of either type for each group of students) o SET A - four marbles, ball bearings, or large sinkers of identical size and

weight o SET B - three spheres of equal size but different materials so that they

will have different masses (example: glass, plastic, rubber, steel, wood)

• strainer or sifter to distribute the paint

• metric rulers & meter sticks

• laboratory balance

• Student Procedure (one per group – from Student Activity pages) • Data Chart (from Student Activity pages)

Notes for Activity B

• Even if Activity A is done as a demonstration, Activity B must be done by individual teams.

• Each team should choose at least three projectiles from Set A or Set B.

• Have them write a description of each projectile on their Data Charts including a qualitative description, the measured mass and dimensions.

• The action is dropping the projectiles from a specific height: o Set A – Drop each projectile from a different height (suggestion: 2-3 m). o Set B – Drop all projectiles from the same height. Time permitting, the

experiment can be repeated at different heights as long as all projectiles are dropped from the same height in any one experiment.

• Drop projectiles into the dry material.

• Ensure each team records all data (including heights from which projectiles were dropped) and observations (especially of the crater)

• Discuss the effects caused by each variable.

Background (Modeling Impact Craters) The complete background information about impact craters can be found in Teaching Notes Part 1. Guidelines for building the Impact Craters Learning Center can be found in Part 2. Remember that a more thorough treatment of impact craters and lesson planning involving impact craters can be found in NASA’s 1997 publication Exploring

Teaching Notes


Meteorite Mysteries. This document is now in the public domain and can be freely copied and distributed. See the Reference Section for download sites. Impact craters are formed when pieces of asteroids or comets strike the surface of a planetary body. Craters are found on all the terrestrial planets, on the Earth’s Moon, and on most satellites of planets. Various geological clues and studies of the lunar rocks returned by the Apollo missions indicate that about 3.9 billion years ago asteroid-size chunks of matter were abundant in the solar system. This was a time of intense bombardment of the young planets, affecting Earth by breaking up and modifying parts of the crust. Mountain building, plate tectonics, weathering and erosion have largely removed the traces of Earth’s early cratering period. But the near absence of weathering on the Moon has allowed the evidence of this ancient time to be preserved. Impact craters are formed by the transfer of energy from a moving mass (meteorite) to a stationary body (planet). Kinetic energy is energy of motion. It is defined as one half the mass of an object multiplied by the square of the velocity of the object (K.E. = ½MV2). Objects in space move very fast, so this can be a huge amount of energy! In an impact, the kinetic energy of a meteorite is changed into heat that melts rocks and energy that pulverizes and excavates rock. Simplified demonstrations of this transfer of energy can be made by creating impacts in powdered materials. If identical objects are impacted into powdered materials from different heights or using different propulsion systems to increase velocities, then students can determine the effect velocity has on the cratering process. Likewise if projectiles of different masses are impacted from the same height and the same velocity, students will be able to identify the relationship of mass to crater formation. The high velocity impact and explosion of an iron meteorite about 30 meters in diameter could make a crater over one kilometer wide. This is how Meteor Crater in Arizona was formed. In the classroom the low velocities and low masses will make craters much closer in size to the impacting bodies. Energy Calculations (for advanced classes) These two relationships are important in the physics of falling objects and will be used here: where: K.E. = kinetic energy (Joules) M = meteorite mass (kg) V = velocity (m/s) where: V = velocity on impact (m/s) g = acceleration due to Earth gravity (9.80m/s2) h = drop height (m) For the model meteorite: Suppose the model meteorite has a mass of 10g (or 0.010kg)

2MV2

1 K.E. =

2gh V =

Teaching Notes


and is dropped from a height of 2.00 meters above the surface.

Then: M = 0.010 kg g = 9.80 m/s2 h = 2.00 m and K.E. = Mgh

So, the kinetic energy on impact would be: K.E. = (0.010kg)(9.80m/s2)(2.00m) = 0.196J

If the units are unfamiliar, don’t let them confuse you. One Joule of energy is the same as one Newton-meter, and one Newton of force is the same as one kilogram-meter per second2. So, one Joule is the same as one kilogram-meter2 per second2.

At first, this amount of energy, 0.196J, may seem small. But consider the scale of the model compared to a real meteorite. For a real meteorite: Suppose a meteorite composed of an iron nickel sphere impacted Earth. Suppose further it was determined to have a density of 8g/cm3 (8000kg/m3) and a diameter of 30.0m. In order to calculate kinetic energy, the mass of the object must first be determined. Since density is equal to mass divided by volume, the mass of the object is equal to its density multiplied by its volume. But first, the volume of the spherical meteorite is given by: where v = volume of the meteorite (m3) π = 3.14159 (unitless ratio) r = radius of the meteorite (m)

3m)15)(14159.3(

3

4 v = = 14,100m3 = volume of the meteorite

Then, from the density equation, where d = meteorite density (kg/m3) M = meteorite mass (kg) v = meteorite volume (m3)

v

M d = and dv M = so: )m14100)((8000kg/m M 33= = 1.1 x 108kg

For classroom purposes and comparison, let’s assume our real meteorite also free falls a distance of 2.0 meters before impact. Then its kinetic energy on impact would be: K.E. = Mgh = (1.1x108kg)(9.80m/s2)(2.00m) = 2.2 x 109J For another challenge, since the kinetic energy and the mass of both the model and the real meteorite are known, the velocity on impact can be calculated from:

K.E.=½MV2 or M

K.E.2 V = .

3r 3

4 v π=

Teaching Notes


Acknowledgements (unit of four lessons) This lesson plan series was inspired by an original lesson developed by Linda Green and distributed under the title “Meteorites” in Lessons from the Sky, a compilation of more than fifty lesson plans published by the Satellite Educators Association, copyright 1995, Amereon, Ltd. The original lesson was suggested for grades 3-5. While inspired by Green’s original publication, this lesson sequence is designed for grades 5-8. It was taken largely from NASA’s Exploring Meteorite Mysteries developed for grades 5-12 in 1997 by a team led by Marilyn Lindstrom of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, and included Jaclyn Allen, Allan Treiman, Carl Allen, and Anita Dodson, then of Lockheed Martin Space and Engineering Co., and teachers Joanne Burch, Karen Crowell, Roy Luksch, Karen Stocco, Bobbie Swaby, and Kay Tobola. The document is now in the public domain and can be freely copied and distributed. It contains many lesson ideas applicable in many subject areas and adaptable to almost all grade levels.

The teacher is invited to download and examine Exploring Meteorite Mysteries to create other implementation scenarios. The current form of this unit plan is adaptable to grades 9-12. Special thanks to Dr. Paula Arvedson of the Charter College of Education at California State University, Los Angeles, for the extra time and research that went into developing the detailed guidelines for the Impact Craters Learning Center about the Russian Mystery. Thanks to the same institution for its offering of sample assessment rubrics. This lesson update and this edition of Teaching Notes were developed by J.P. Arvedson for the Satellite Educators Association as part of More Lessons from the Sky published on-line each month in the Satellite Educators Association Newsletter. More information about the Satellite Educators Association, its annual Satellites & Education Conference for educators, international environmental research collaborative for students, and free access to its monthly online Newsletter can be found at http://SatEd.org. All More Lessons from the Sky lesson plans are archived in the on-line SEA Lesson Plan Library available at http://SatEd.org. The web site features a description of the library contents, Next Generation Science Standards addressed, several search tools for finding lessons easily, separate resource files for lessons where needed, and the library’s Analysis Toolbox. Please credit all contributors to the lesson when duplicating or otherwise using any portion of this lesson or its associated materials.

Resource Links (unit of four lessons) Note: All of these URLs were current and active as of this writing. If any are unreachable as printed, the use of on-

line search engines such as DuckDuckGo, Ask, Google, or Bing, is suggested to find current links.

_____. “Adobe Reader.” Adobe. Adobe Systems Incorporated. Retrieved September 15,

2019 from https://get.adobe.com/reader/. _____. ArcGIS. ESRI. Retrieved September 15, 2019 from

http://www.arcgis.com/home/index.html.

http://sated.org/

http://sated.org/

https://get.adobe.com/reader/

http://www.arcgis.com/home/index.html

Teaching Notes


A free, on-line geographic information system to which you can add your data, such as impact crater locations, to a selection of basemaps

_____. Center for Meteorite Studies. Arizona State University. Retrieved September 15,

2019 from https://meteorites.asu.edu/. _____. Exploring Meteorite Mysteries. A Teacher’s Guide with Activities for Earth and

Space Science. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved September 15, 2019 from

https://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/Exploring_Meteorite_Mysteries.pdf Complete Teacher’s Guide and lesson plans in PDF. _____. Exploring Meteorite Mysteries Slide Set with Script. National Aeronatuics and

Space Administration. Retrieved September 15, 2019 from https://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/meteorslides.pdf. Complete guide to the entire slide set for Exploring Meteorite Mysteries _____. “Dawn, A Journey to the Beginning of the Solar System.” Jet Propulsion

Laboratory, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved September 15, 2019 from https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/dawn/overview/

Other web sites with information about the Dawn mission include: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dawn/main/index.html and

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dawn/ceresvesta/index.html _____. Download Google Earth. Google Earth. Retrieved September 15, 2019 from

http://www.google.com/earth/. Download site for Google Earth _____. “Mud Splat Craters” lesson plan. Solar System Exploration, National Aeronautics

and Space Administration. Retrieved September 15, 2019 from https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/classroom/pdfs/MSIP-MarsActivities.pdf. Modeling craters lesson plan using thick mud; source of impact crater drawings _____. Frequently Asked Questions. Center for Near Earth Object Studies, National

Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved September 15, 2019 from https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/faq/.

Frequently Asked Questions about the NEO Program _____. Lesson Titles/Resources for lessons. SEA Lesson Plan Library, Satellite

Educators Association, Inc. Retrieved September 15, 2019 from http://SatEd.org/library/Resources.htm

_____. “Rubric for PowerPoint Presentation.” Scholastic.com. Retrieved September 15,

2019 from http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonplans/pdf/rubic.pdf. _____. SEA Lesson Plan Library, Satellite Educators Association, Inc. Retrieved

September 15, 2019 from http://SatEd.org. _____. “Stardust, NASA’s Comet Sample Return Mission.” Jet Propulsion Laboratory,

https://meteorites.asu.edu/

https://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/Exploring_Meteorite_Mysteries.pdf

https://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/meteorslides.pdf

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/dawn/overview/

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dawn/main/index.html

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dawn/ceresvesta/index.html

http://www.google.com/earth/

https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/classroom/pdfs/MSIP-MarsActivities.pdf

https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/faq/

http://sated.org/library/Resources.htm

http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonplans/pdf/rubic.pdf

http://sated.org/

Teaching Notes


National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved September 15, 2019 from https://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/overview/index.html.

Gateway to Stardust mission educational materials, background, news archives National Research Council. A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices,

Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2019 from

https://www.nap.edu/catalog/13165/a-framework-for-k-12-science-education-practices-crosscutting-concepts

National Research Council. Next Generation Science Standards For States, By States.

Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2019 from


https://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/overview/index.html





Student Activity


Impact Craters Holes in the Ground – Activity A

Invitation Two boys, aged 9 and 13, stood in one’s front yard after riding bikes during the summer of 1991 when

they heard a low-pitched whistle getting louder. Then they saw a rock whip past them and land on

the ground about 4 meters away making a hole about 5 centimeters deep. They looked around but could find no evidence that anyone had thrown the

rock. When they picked up the rock it felt warm. What was it? Where did it come from? Why was it warm? How fast was it going to make such a hole

in the ground?

In this activity, you will create impact craters in plaster of Paris and layered dry materials to study the formation of impact craters and what they can tell us about the meteorites that produced them.

Materials - Per Group • Prepared plaster in container • Tempera paint and sifter (optional)

• Projectiles • Data Chart

• Meter stick

Procedure 1. Gather your materials 2. Choose at least three different projectiles. 3. Write a description of each projectile on the Data Chart, including the

mass and dimensions. 4. Prepare plaster according to directions from your teacher – Watch your

time: the plaster of Paris will harden within 10-20 minutes. 5. Drop the projectiles at 2-minute intervals, recording appropriate

information, each from a different height.

6. Each projectile requires an area of about 5x5 cm square. If you drop too many projectiles in an area, your craters will be distorted (though overlapping craters are interesting too).

7. Leave the projectiles in the plaster and allow it to harden. 8. Write a description of the experiment on the Data Chart.

9. Illustrate and label the craters using the following terms: rim, ejecta, impact crater.

Name ___________________________________ Date _______________ Class _________


Modeling Impact Crater Holes in the Ground – Activity A

1. Where do you find the thickest ejecta?

2. How do you think the crater rim formed?

3. The powder represents the planet’s surface. Any material beneath the top

layer must have formed at an earlier time (making it physically older). If you were to examine a crater on the Moon, where would you find the older

material?

Where would you find the younger material? Why?

4. What effect did the time intervals have on crater formation? Why?

5. What effect did different projectiles have on crater formation? Why?

Student Activity


6. Since large meteorites often explode at or near the surface, how would the explosion affect impact crater formation?

7. How does the increased drop height seem to affect crater formation? Why?

8. How do you think the impact crater will be different if struck by a more massive projectile (same size but more mass)? What observations have you made that lead you to this prediction?

9. How do you think the impact crater will be different if struck by a projectile of similar size and mass by at different velocities? What observations have

you made that lead you to this prediction?

Student Activity


Impact Craters Holes in the Ground – Activity B

Invitation In this activity you will continue your study of impact craters by experimenting different meteorite masses and velocities.

Materials - Per Group • Projectiles from Set A and/or Set B

o Set A – four projectiles of identical size and weight o Set B – at least three spheres of equal size but different materials so

that they will have different masses

• Strainer or sifter to distribute the dry materials

• Metric ruler and meter stick

• Lab balance

• Metric rulers or Meter sticks

• Data Chart

Procedure 1. Choose at least three projectiles from SET A or SET B. 2. Write a description of each projectile on your Data Chart. 3. Measure the mass, dimensions of each projectile and record on the Data

Chart. Prepare dry material layers according to directions from your teacher.

4. Drop projectiles into the dry material. a. Set A - Drop each projectile from a different height. For example, 2.0

meters, 2.5 meters, 3.0 meters. Record all height data and crater

observations. b. Set B - Drop all projectiles from the same height. You may repeat the

experiment at a different height if time permits. Record data and crater observations.

5. Answer the questions and discuss with your teacher the effects caused

by the each of the variables you tested. 6. Options:

• Plot a graph of ray length vs. mass when projectile velocity is equal.

• Plot a graph of ray length vs. velocity at a constant projectile mass. (Measure ray length from the center of crater to the end of the longest ray for each crater.)

Name ___________________________________ Date _______________ Class _________


Modeling Impact Crater Holes in the Ground – Activity B

1. What evidence was there that the energy of the falling projectile was transferred to the ground?

2. How does the velocity of a projectile affect the cratering process?

3. How does the mass of a projectile affect the cratering process?

4. If the projectile exploded just above the surface, as often happens, what

changes might you see in the craters?

5. How accurate were your predictions?

Name ___________________________________ Date _______________ Class _________


Modeling Impact Craters Data Chart: Activity A and B

Projectile Description mass (g)

dimensions (cm)

Time (Activity A only)

Height Longest

Ray (if available)

Sketch of Crater

and comments (note diameter & depth)

impact craters unit plan...please see the acknowledgements section for historical contributions to...

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