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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Measuring the Speed of Light

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners explore physics by completing measurement problems in class. In this speed of light lesson, students discuss the importance of knowing the speed of light and how it affects many aspects of human life on Earth. Learners identify...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning Lesson: Moonlight Serenade

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students complete experiments as they act as the earth. They observe how different angles affect the phases of the moon seen by us. They discuss the differences in light and dark.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Satellite Mobiles

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discuss satellites and their functions. They design and construct their own satellite out of readily available materials. Students are taught the definition of a satellite. They discuss the two main purposes of satellites:...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Moon

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students design and build an ideal lunar settlement. In this astronomy lesson, students identify the key features of the moon. They compare its environmental condition with the Earth's.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating the Dynamic Martian Polar Caps

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners download NASA Hubble Space Telescope images of the Martian polar ice caps in summer and winter, and measure and compare various images of the changing Martian and Earth polar ice caps.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Meteors

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students identify the different types of meteorite using an interactive website. In this earth science lesson, students simulate how meteors crash on a surface. They relate meteor size to crater size.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Adding the Moon: Using a Playground Model to Explore the Movement of the Sun, Earth, and Moon

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Young scholars experience the rotation of the Earth and the Moon, and the revolution of the Moon around the Earth using a playground model.
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Organizer
Curated OER

The Planets in our Solar System

For Students 5th
In this solar system worksheet, students will write in the nine planets that are found orbiting around our sun in our solar system.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Our Solar System

For Students 6th - 10th
In this solar system learning exercise, students read about the planets, asteroids, meteoroids, comets, and the moon. Then students complete 25 multiple choice, 4 true or false, and 3 short answer questions.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Solar System

For Students 3rd - 6th
In this Solar System worksheet, students are quizzed. Students answer questions about the solar system and the planets and other celestial bodies that comprise it.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comets and Meteors

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students construct a model of a comet nucleus using dry ice. They add other materials and describe the features. They complete related exercises on an Internet Web site.
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Planet Line-Ups

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Should Pluto be considered a planet or a dwarf planet? Scholars research planets in our solar system to understand their similarities and differences. It also includes memory activities related to the order of the planets. 
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Lesson Plan
Starry Night Education

Comets and Meteors

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Comets are also known as dirty snowballs or icy mud balls. With your super scientists, create a model comet nucleus to discover how they are made and take part in a scientific discussion to learn how it behaves.
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Website
American Museum of Natural History

Journey to the Stars

For Students 6th - 12th
Fifteen detailed pictures and informative captions delve deep into the exploration of stars—their life cycle and importance in the universe. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cloudy vs. Clear

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students analyze line plots. In this weather lesson using real NASA data, students discuss how weather affects the way the Earth is heated by comparing different line plots.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Does the Distance Between the Earth and Sun Cause the seasons?

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students reflect upon the concepts of seasons. The concepts are taught using a variety of different teaching approaches. A activities lead to a reflection that will help students to make a cognitive transfer of information form...
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Astronomy

For Teachers 3rd
Students complete a unit of lessons on our solar system, its stars, and astronomers. They record information in a space journal, design constellations, define key vocabulary, observe the phases of the moon, and create a group planet...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Is Saturn in the Solar System? Where Am I in the Solar System?

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students engage in a solar system activity, In this activity, students will read aloud as a class about the solar system. The students will then listen to the teacher read a solar system book prior to filling  out a worksheet about their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making a Sundial

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students create their own sundial and explore how to read it.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

The Solar System

For Students 9th - 12th
For this solar system worksheet, students complete a word puzzle by determining the terms associated with the 10 statements about the planets.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Asteroids

For Teachers K - 12th
Learners examine the different types of asteroids and how they enter the atmosphere.  In this space lesson students use mashed potatoes to create an asteroid they can eat.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Voyage Scale

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars identify how models are powerful tools of exploration and that the sizes of the planets and distances between the planets in the Solar System span a large range. They make a sign for each planet they have created in the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Seasons

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students determine the effect of the earth's tilt on the amount of incoming solar radiation throughout the year. They simulate the earth's orbit around the sun using a light bulb and a globe to simulate the seasons. Assessment questions...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Discovering a Law of Space Physics

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students use data collected by an astronomer to determine the relationship between the time it takes the planet to orbit the sun and the average radius of the planet's orbit around the sun. Students use trial and error to find the...