University of Colorado
Looking Inside Planets
All of the gas giant's atmospheres consist of hydrogen and helium, the same gases that make up all stars. The third in a series of 22, the activity challenges pupils to make scale models of the interiors of planets in order to...
Curated OER
The Planet Mars
Fifth graders gain knowledge about Mars and Earth. In this compare and contrast lesson, 5th graders use visual representations of the solar system to observe the characteristics of the planets. Students read fiction and nonfiction...
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Science Lesson Plan: Our Solar System: I Wonder?
Ever wonder why Pluto isn't considered a planet? Or how large the Earth is compared to the other inner planets? Explore the universe with a series of projects that simulate different aspects of our solar system. The activities require...
Curated OER
Space Words and Comparatives
Which is bigger: the sun or the moon? Which is nearer: the planets or a star? English Language Learners first located a series of space-related nouns and adjectives in a word search, and then identify the comparative and superlative...
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Two Views of the Universe
Students build the two models of the universe created by Aristotle and Copernicus. They compare and contrast the two universes. They create hypothesis on how each model functions.
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Puzzling Planets
Students examine the concept of a solar system. In this research based lesson, students compare a star and a planet. They explain the requirements for life in a biosphere.
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See the Stars
Students explore the nighttime sky. In this space science lesson, students read the book Maria's Comet and and investigate the sky using their naked eyes. Students compare the view of their naked eyes to the view of a telescope.
Space Awareness
What is a Constellation
Why do some stars in a constellation appear brighter than others? Using a get-up-and-move astronomy activity, scholars explore perspective and the appearance of constellations in the sky while developing an understanding of the...
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Unit 2 Sun & Stars
Young scholars describe stellar objects using terms such as stars, planets, satellites, orbits and light. In this sun and stars unit, students research stellar objects through seven individual lessons discovering star characteristics,...
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Star Systems
Students study a star system and see how the planets move around stars. In this star system lesson students complete an activity and see what an eclipse is.
Messenger Education
Star Power! Discovering the Power of Sunlight
It takes less than 10 minutes for energy from the sun to travel 90 million miles to Earth! In the first installment in a series of four, groups measure the amount of solar radiation that reaches Earth. They then discuss how this is...
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And a Star to Steer Her By: A Field Trip Guide for the Planetarium Show
In this field trip study guide for the planetarium show lesson, students construct a model of the Earth and describe the relative positions of the continents using latitude and longitude. Students construct a star chart to find...
PBS
Data Plots of Exoplanet Orbital Properties
Scientists discovered the first exoplanet in 1995 and by early 2018, they confirmed the existence of more than 3,700—that's a lot of data! As part of the PBS 9-12 Space series, scholars interpret data about exoplanets. They compare...
Curated OER
Sky Quest
Students identify constellations in the evening sky. In this Sky Quest lesson, students create their own star patterns using a star map worksheet. Students explain how different celestial bodies in space are viewed through a telescope.
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Planet Protectors
Students explore ways to protect the earth. In this environmental issues and technology activity, students investigate the water quality in their community and compare their findings to the water quality in other geographic areas. ...
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Sky Quest: Exploring the Constellations
Students examine constellations and planets through completing various activities. Students work individually and in groups to create drawings based on stars, compare and contrast the night sky with and without a telescope and learn...
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Gazing At Cosmic Pinballs
Students explore the world of stars. They see that the color of a star tells how hot or cold it is, that stars come in different sizes. and that stars are moving through space. They draw lines connecting start to star.
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Earth Science
Students explore the planets and celestial bodies in our solar system. In this outer space lesson, students identify the planets and record journal information about them and other celestial bodies. Students define outer space words.
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Meet the Neighbors: Planets Around Nearby Stars
Learners explain why a transiting planet causes a periodic dimming in the light from its parent star. They determine the radius of a planet, and its orbital distance, by analyzing data and manipulating equations. Students compare the...
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Scale Model of Our Nearest Stars
Sixth graders calculate a light day, light hour, and light minute from the standard of a light year. After establishing the distances, a one meter scale is created to demonstrate the distance between the sun and the planets of our solar...
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Colonizing the Stars
Middle schoolers compare and contrast the size, composition and surface features of the nine planets of our solar system with the possible sizes and compositions of extra -solar planets.
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The Undiscovered Planet
Learners find a planetary object using star fields. In this investigative lesson students determine the distance to an object using trigonometric parallax.
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Modeling Martian Motion
Students explore the difference between stars and planets and take on the role of these objects to simulate the relative motions of Mars and the Earth around the Sun.
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What's Up?
Students compare and contrast the various heavenly bodies found in the sky at night. They identify the moon and stars in the sky as well as how the stars form pictures called constellations. Students also experiment with reflection and...