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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changes Inside Planets

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students relate meteorites to the mantle and crust of asteroids.  For this planetary lesson students complete experiments to model the separation of light.
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Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Lesson One: The Earth, Background and Glossary

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
How much do you really know about our planet? Middle schoolers build up their prior knowledge about Earth, its placement in the solar system, its composition, and important geological vocabulary with an introductory earth science lesson.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's "Out" There?

For Teachers 1st
First graders investigate the five outer planets. In this space science lesson, 1st graders read the book Our Solar System and identify the five outer planets. Students create a booklet and write about outer planets.
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

Looking to the Future

For Teachers 2nd - 6th Standards
New Horizons set forth on a mission to Pluto in 2006. Ten years later, the spacecraft is still on its way. Here, enthusiastic scholars predict what they will be like—likes, dislikes, hobbies, etc.—when New Horizons arrives at its...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

Charting the Progress of New Horizons

For Teachers 2nd - 6th Standards
In 2006, New Horizons began its mission to fly to Pluto. As it continues its journey, scholars track its progress with the help of an informative website, all the while reinforcing measurement concepts with the construction of a scaled...
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Lesson Plan
NASA

Let's Investigate Mars

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Take your science class on a hypothetical field trip to Mars with an engaging astronomy instructional activity. After first learning about NASA's Mars rover missions, young scientists plan their own scientific investigations of Earth's...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Teach Engineering

Manned Mission to Mars

For Teachers 6th - 8th
To go or to not to go — the question for a mission to Mars. This resource provides details for a possible manned mission to Mars. Details include a launch schedule, what life would be like on the surface, and how the astronauts would...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Discovery Of The Solar System

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars study the heliocentric theory of Copernicus, the ideas behind it and the explanations which it displaced. A discussion of retrograde motion of planets helps students explain the logic underlying the ideas of both Ptolemy...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

Growing Up With A Mission

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
New Horizons began its journey to Pluto in 2006. Ten years later, it continues its mission. In that time, scholars have surely grown, but how much more will they grow by the time New Horizons reaches its destination? Find out with an...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's This Solar System All About?

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders complete a unit of lessons on the solar system. In small groups, they participate in a Webquest, watch movies, complete graphic organizers, and answer questions, create a model of the planets, and develop a Powerpoint...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Nine Planets

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders examine and investigate the solar system. They participate in a Webquest, and create a Powerpoint presentation that is meant to be a research guide to help alien visitors find a suitable habitat in the solar system.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changes Inside Planets

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils investigate the concept of planetary differentiation. They complete an experiment to simulate it using gelatin and food. The lesson includes vocabulary to increase reading comprehension skills as part of the inquiry. The lesson...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planet Structure & Interior

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Students compare Jupiter and Earth. In this Earth and space studies lesson, students compare the composition of Earth and Jupiter and analyze how the composition affects the rate at which the planets spin.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Celestial Motions

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders complete a unit of lessons on the history of our knowledge of celestial objects. They conduct Internet research, plot the motion of a planet, construct a model of the sun's apparent motions, and create diagrams of the solar...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planet Earth in Cross Section

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students will examine the layers of the Earth. In this geology lesson, students create a scale model of the Earth's interior using cash register tape. They will determine the percentage of error in the scale compared to the actual size...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Solar System

For Teachers 3rd
Are you starting a unit on the solar system? You can use this PowerPoint for a great introductory lesson. These 13 slides include basic facts about the planets in our solar system. Tip: Peruse the Internet and add some real photos of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Glowing Glimpses of Our Universe

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students will complete hands-on space activities. In this space science instructional activity, students will create a glow-in-the-dark model of the solar system, visit a planetarium, make star pictures, and paint constellations....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Physics The Earth and Beyond

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders will explore our solar system. In this physics instructional activity students create a model of the solar system to explore the movement of Earth, the Sun, and stars.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Being Nosy About Our Neighbors

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use the scientific method to explore the effect of size on impact cratering. They compare images of landforms on Earth to those of other planets to compare surface processes. Students infer the geologic history of another...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Solar System to Scale

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers calculate the diameter of planets and their relative distances.  In this space science lesson, students discover how small or big the planets are in comparison to each other. Middle schoolers use cross multiplying...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Meteorites

For Teachers 1st - 11th
Students model how meteors fall to the surface of planets. In this space science lesson, students identify different types of meteorites using an interactive online website. They investigate the relationship between a meteorite's size...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scale Model of the Solar System

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students explore the size of the planets. In this science instructional activity, students create a scale model of the solar system. Students determine a scaling factor and calculate the size of their planets. Students create a scale...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Our Solar System #1

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine the different theories on how our solar system was formed. They discover the order of the nine planets. They also identify the surface features of each planet.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Try This On For Size!

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students view a video to gather information about our solar system. They create models of the planets to scale and place them in scale relative to their distances from the sun. They also visit a planetarium or use the internet to gather...

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