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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gross Motor Development

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders participate in a game reflecting the solar system, stars, and rockets. They simulate how space invaders move and hit stars and rockets. They discuss how scientists study the stars and planets.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Outer Space Creature

For Teachers K - 4th
Students read poems by Shel Silverstein about planets and outer space. As a class, they compare and contrast his descriptions to actual facts which have been discovered through explorations. They write a description of an outer space...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Astronomy

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers brainstorm about what they know about the solar system. They study a planetary fact sheet and create a Venn Diagram with the information. They work in groups to examine the names of the planets and information regarding...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Discovering Planet X

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate the movements of the planet Pluto. Students participate in a hands-on activity to record data similar to the movements of the planet Pluto. Students compare their data to that found on a website.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing The Earth And Moon

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders engage in a lesson that compares the Sun and Moon. They conduct research using the websites included in the lesson plan. Students read literature in order to make a connection with the new information. The plan includes...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Galileo: Revealing the Universe

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
To gain an understanding of the significance of Galileo Galilei's revolutionary ideas, class members watch the short video "Stargazing Before Galileo," and conduct a close reading of Galileo's Sidereal Messsenger. They then compare...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders engage in a study of the solar system. The teacher constructs an outside model of it. They walk through it making constructive observations. Students conduct a class discussion about the solar system and planets. They...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar System (Lesson 2)

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders identify the objects that make up the solar system. They define new vocabulary and practice using them. They discover that the sun is a star.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar System

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students study space. In this solar system lesson, students discover the correct order of the planets and create a diagram showing this knowledge. They listen to the book A New View of the Solar System and then work in groups on their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Space Trader and Economics

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students use handheld computer with the appropriate software to explore economic skills. They purchase and sell items, travel to planets, and earn enough money to purchase a moon by playing a computer based game.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A DISAPPEARING ACT Astronomy: Do Stars Always Shine?

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students observe why stars are not visible during the day with a classroom demonstration using an index card punched with holes.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sky Watching

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine telescopes and understand how they have helped us better understand the sky.  In this astronomy lesson students complete a worksheet and a lab activity.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing the Satellite and Broadcast Radio Landscapes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers research the development of satellite technology over the last 50 years students explain how the enactment of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 changed the rules for corporate ownership of multiple media outlets.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Astronomy and Me: Moons Over New Haven

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders study the features of different moons orbiting the planets. In this astronomy lesson, 3rd graders explore the different phases of the moon using an interactive online website. They compare and contrast the features of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Observing Mars in the Night Sky

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare and contrast the orbits of Earth and Mars, locate the planet Mars, and diagram its retrograde motion.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science vs. Science Fiction

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students acknowledge the difference between science and science fiction through a compare/contrast activity. They discuss their reading materials together. Students identify characteristics specific to science fiction.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders have a spatial awareness of the plants by orally discussing what they saw after they stepped out the model of the solar system. They recognize the similarities and differences between Earth and the other planets by being...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Solar System

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders describe the composition of our solar system. They recognize the names of the planets in our solar system and compare and contrast the nine planets that orbit the sun.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seeing Interference Fringes with a Telescope

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students construct an interferometer using a simple telescope. In this physics instructional activity, students explain how light waves create the fringe patterns. They observe patterns made by different objects in the sky and compare them.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Astronomy

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine a medieval manuscript on astronomy and create their own books based on modern discoveries in astronomy. In this astronomy lesson, students compare astronomy knowledge in the middle ages to today and research modern...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planetary Orbits

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore space science by completing a solar system identification worksheet. In this planets lesson, students discuss the different planets in our star system and identify their traits. Students complete an orbital system...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Big Are Earth, Sun, and Moon?

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders draw what they believe is in space on a dry erase board. In groups, they are given a beaker half filled with water and they add a teaspoon of oil, observing the different layers that form. To end the lesson, they identify...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Moons

For Teachers K
Students practice rote counting to 20. After a lecture about the planets and the moons that surround them, they identify the number of moons surrounding various planets. Students compare and contrast the quantity of moons surrounding...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Space Trader And Economics

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students' play a game applying different economic and game terms. In the game, the students' are to travel to 4 planets which provide the best resources for increasing their money to purchase a moon in the end. The students' keep track...