Curated OER
The Universe Has Room for Change
In this universe and change worksheet, students read about the demotion of Pluto as one of the 9 planets as well as other changes in science. Students summarize their reading and identify unfamiliar words in the article....
Curated OER
Comet Encounters
Students create glitter-covered comet models. Then they make large outdoor chalk drawings of the solar system and place their comets at the location of the Kuiper belt. They carry their comets around an orbit of the sun, shaking various...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Our Solar System Lithograph Set
View these amazing high-quality images of our solar system from NASA with this lithograph set. Each lithograph contains images, facts, dates, and general information on a particular subject. Background information and teaching tips are...
Other
University of Leicester: Comets, Asteroids & Meteorites
Provides a general overview of comets, asteroids, and meteorites. Content includes ways to identify them in the night sky, as well as detailed information on each type of small body.
Other
University of Leicester: Comets
A detailed look at comets. Content outlines our observational history, as well as the origins of comets and an explanation of the appearance of comets.
PBS
Pbs: Tour the Solar System
Click on each space object to discover facts and other information about the many space objects that make up the solar system.
NASA
Nasa: Solar System Exploration
Enter our solar system to interact with the planets, moons, asteroids, meteors, and more. Investigate with NASA scientists and explore missions related to space exploration. Read facts, compare statistics, look through resources, and...
Cosmos 4 kids
Cosmos4 kids.com: Solar System Details
This comprehensive site delves into other aspects of our solar system besides the planets and the sun. Click on the topics on the right like solar winds, the heliosphere, the heliopause, asteroids, comets, and more.
Cosmos 4 kids
Cosmos4 Kids: Solar System Details: Oort Cloud
Explore the huge spherical region surrounding our solar system. Find out what the Oort Cloud contains and how comets originate there.
Cosmos 4 kids
Cosmos4 Kids: Solar System Details: Kuiper Belt
Explore space beyond Pluto in the Kuiper Belt region of our solar system. Find out about the space bodies that exist there and what our space missions have taught us about this far away region.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Asteroid
This site from the encyclopedia Wikipedia is a good resource page on asteroids. Gives details on different groups of asteroids that have been identified; how they get their name and number after identification; the six types of...
PBS
Pbs: Nova: Doomsday Asteroid: Comets 101
An introduction to comets, including information on their composition, origin, and importance.
Other
Spacetech's Orrery: The Kuiper Belt
This site provides a historical look at the Kuiper Belt; its theoretical prediction, finding, and the man behind it all - Gerald Kuiper.
Other
Spacetech's Orrery: Comets Visitors From Afar
This site provides a report on comets, with many links to more detailed information. Content includes a focus on Halley's Comet, Hale Bopp, and Shoemaker-Levy 9.
Other
Southwest Research Institute: Distant Ek Os Kuiper Belt Electronic Newsletter
Distant EKOs is a scholarly newsletter about astronomical research on the Kuiper Belt. The bulk of information is accessed by clicking on the Current and Past Issues links. The newsletter issues contain, primarily, abstracts of scholarly...
NASA
Nasa: Space Place: Tails of Wonder!
Learn about comets as you try to bring some comet dust back to Earth in this game.
NASA
Nasa: The Space Place: Hail King of the Ice Dwarfs
This resource provides a nice overview of Pluto. Get information on Pluto's size, tilt, orbit and surface features. There is also a brief explanation of the "New Horizons" space probe.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Earth Science: Comets
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Describes the characteristics of comets.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Earth Science: Comets
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Describes the characteristics of comets.
Nine Planets
The Nine Planets: An Overview of the Solar System
A detailed overview of the history, mythology, and current scientific knowledge of each of the planets and moons in the solar system.
Nine Planets
The Nine Planets: Asteroids
A plethora of information about Asteroids. This site provides lots of in-text links to information, pictures of asteroids, a table full of information about asteroids, as well as links to more information about asteroids.
Read Works
Read Works: Mission Pluto
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about Pluto being classified as a dwarf planet. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
National Earth Science Teachers Association
Windows to the Universe: Our Solar System
Our solar system is filled with a wide assortment of celestial bodies - the Sun itself, our eight planets, dwarf planets, and asteroids - and on Earth, life itself! The inner solar system is occasionally visited by comets that loop in...
Nine Planets
The Nine Planets: Pluto
This site contains copious information about Pluto. The site contains descriptive and statistical information, as well as a detailed article about the search for trans-Plutonian planets and the "Nemesis" hypothesis.