What homework tasks work well for a meteorite topic?
Good tasks include a home meteor watch, interviewing family about fireballs, making a model, researching a famous meteorite, writing a news report or designing a museum label.
Homework can extend learning and involve families. Here are tasks for different ages.
Observation. - With an adult, watch the sky for 20 minutes on a clear night and record any meteors, their brightness and direction. Ideal during a major shower. - Look at the Moon with binoculars and sketch its craters.
Research. - Choose a famous meteorite and create a fact file: where and when it fell or was found, what type it is and why it is important. - Find out about a space mission to an asteroid or comet.
Creative. - Write a diary entry from the point of view of a meteorite. - Design a museum label for a meteorite, explaining what it is in 50 words. - Make a model meteorite or a model asteroid from household materials.
Family involvement. - Interview a family member: have they ever seen a fireball or shooting star? What did it look like? - Explain the difference between meteoroid, meteor and meteorite to someone at home and ask them to explain it back.
Older pupils. - Calculate the kinetic energy of a meteoroid of a given mass and speed. - Write a short article evaluating a news story about an asteroid. - Research how scientists date meteorites and summarise in a diagram.
Safety notes. Remind pupils to watch the sky only with an adult, not to go near roads or water at night, and never to break or heat rocks.
Offering choice helps pupils engage. Share the best work in class or on a display.
More about for teachers
- How can I keep classroom meteorite specimens in good condition?
- How can I teach the solar nebula with a demonstration?
- How can I teach momentum using the DART mission?
- How can I teach infrared light using asteroid detection?
- How can I involve families in meteorite learning?
- How can I use the glossary and questions on this site in lessons?