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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ceres and Pluto: Dwarf Planets as a New Way of Thinking about an Old Solar System

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Learners examine the new categories of planets and how planets were reclassified.  In this solar system lesson students complete activities using Venn diagrams and images of planets. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Physics of the Planets: How 16th and 17th Century Physicist Helped Us Understand Our Solar System

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders draw the paths of the planets in the solar system. In this astronomy lesson, 8th graders calculate speed of objects using distance and time information. They research about the work of scientists in the 16th and 17th century.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planets in a Row

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Learners use Internet to research and take notes about each planet for a fact book. They then illustrate each page in the fact book and check their facts with a solar system key. When finished, they display their work and share new facts...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Planets in the Solar System

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Explore the planets with your young Spanish speakers. First, read Los Planetas by Chris Jaeggi. Then create a class solar system using different size balls as planets. They'll love helping you put it together!
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Planet: Black Carbon - a Dusty Situation

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Introduce your young meteorologists to black carbon produced by the burning of fossil fuels by showing the video, "Changing Planet: Black Carbon." Viewers discover that deposition of this carbon on polar ice impacts the absorption of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Planet: Permafrost Gas Leak

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Pair earth scientists up to use an amazing online arctic portal mapping tool and Google Earth to analyze permafrost changes. They compare changes to data on atmospheric concentrations of methane to see if there is a correlation. Then...
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Conceptualizing Module III

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Many researchers focus on one impact of climate change in isolation, but researchers gain a global perspective when they come together. A timely lesson teaches scholars about the projected impacts of global temperature increases. Then...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Please Ex-Planet!

For Teachers 5th - 8th
What is most useful about this lesson plan is the "Student Explanet Worksheet," a set of instructions for collaborative groups to use to collect information about an assigned planet. After students have researched and organized their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson One: Lifting Latent Fingerprints

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Crime scene investigators practice collecting fingerprints off of surfaces in order to compare them to an imaginary crime suspect's prints. Instructions for using graphite powder and a Zephyr brush to collect the evidence are outlined....
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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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Interactive
Las Cumbres Observatory

Agent Exoplanet

For Students 6th - 12th
Not everything revolves around the sun! Believe it or not, there are planets, called exoplanets, that orbit stars other than our sun. Learners use an interactive online resource to research several of these planets. They learn about the...
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Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Lesson Three: The Earth, Movement in Space

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
If you feel like you're standing still, you're wrong! The Earth is constantly rotating and orbiting under our feet. Demonstrate the Earth's movement within the solar system with a collaborative activity. With a candle or lamp in the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Biomes Lesson 1: Mapping Biomes

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Environmental science learners examine satellite imagery of temperature, vegetation, precipitation, and productivity. They use these maps to understand how scientists divide the planet into major biomes. As part of a larger unit on...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Earth’s Ever-Changing Surface

For Teachers 6th - 8th
The Grand Canyon formed between five and six million years ago, but is it still changing? Scholars explore 10 sites in the United States, including the Grand Canyon, to better understand the geoscience processes that formed these...
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Lesson Plan
Education Outside

Our Water Planet

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Fresh water is a precious resource. Most kids don't realize how little of the water on Earth is actually drinkable. This instructional activity will help to illuminate them on this important topic. They discus the ratio of water to land,...
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Lesson Plan
Journey Through the Universe

Voyage of Discovery

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Did you know that Pluto is smaller than the United States of America? It is difficult to conceptualize the size of planets and the distance between them, and the lesson addresses those exact issues. After a discussion, pupils create...
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Activity
Astronomical Society of the Pacific

Toilet Paper Solar System

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Can we model how large the solar system really is? Attempt an astronomical feat with a hands-on-activity that uses a roll of toilet paper. Young scientists measure the distances of the planets from the sun to create a scale model of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Solar System - A Review

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students analyze their knowledge about the solar system. In this solar system review instructional activity, students look at a picture of the solar system on the SMART Board, name them in order, and are able to identify the sun as the...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

Planetary Distances on the Playground

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
There's no need to stay inside; get out of the classroom and create a scaled map of the solar system on your playground field! In collaborative groups, scholars identify the distance between the sun and other planets, place planet...
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Lesson Plan
University of Colorado

Terra Bagga

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
One way to identify possible volcanic activity on other planets is by testing the planet for magnetism. A science instructional activity begins with pupils constructing their own planet from a dead battery, magnets, paper, and...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

Where Are We Going?

For Teachers 2nd - 6th Standards
Come take a ride on the space bus! Scholars go on an imaginary trip to pick up their peers from the inner and outer planets while reinforcing math skills. First, learners round decimals to identify each planets' distance from Earth....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planet Impact!

For Teachers 5th - 9th
An amazing information-packed lesson plan allows your space scientists to crash a virtual comet into Jupiter and learn how the angle, distance, speed, and mass influence the outcome. Click on "Back to the Lesson" to access the...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

Space Travel Guide

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Looking to take a trip? Why not go to space? Here, scholars take on the role as travel agent to create a guide to their favorite planet including travel tips and sightseeing recommendations. 
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Lesson Plan
1
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University of Colorado

Terra Bagga

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
Earth's magnetic poles switch positions about every 200,000—300,000 years. In the activity, groups create a planet with a magnetic field. Once made, they use a magnetometer to determine the orientation of the planet's magnetic field....

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