Asteroids: The Rocks That Could End the World

This lesson, Asteroids: The Rocks That Could End the World, teaches students what asteroids are, where they are found in the solar system, and why some are closely monitored as Near-Earth Objects. Students learn how a massive asteroid impact 66 million years ago contributed to the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs, while also understanding that the current risk of a civilization-threatening impact is very low. The lesson explains how NASA and other space agencies track asteroids, how the Torino Scale communicates asteroid danger, and how NASA’s DART mission proved that humanity may be able to deflect a dangerous asteroid if it is detected early enough.

What’s Included:

• Student article
• Lesson objective
• Application questions
• Data table and analysis
• Hypothesis builder
• Claim-Evidence-Reasoning activity
• Independent / dependent variable analysis
• Primary source analysis / DBQ
• Multiple choice questions
• True / false questions
• Vocabulary practice
• Exit ticket
• Crossword puzzle
• Word search