+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sweet Candy Comets

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders use candy to make a comet. In this lesson, 4th graders examine the role comets have played throughout history, students watch NASA videos about comets and complete the lesson by making an edible model of a comet. This...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cosmic Wheels

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students build a scale model of the Solar System and determine the time other planets take to travel around the Sun in comparison to the time of the Earth's revolution. The velocity of the planets are also determined in this...
+
App
Kids Discover

Galaxies by KIDS DISCOVER

For Students 4th - 12th
An e-magazine with kid-friendly informational text, vibrant visuals, and activities about galaxies.    
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

DASH Sunrise and Sunset/ Seasons Chart

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders rotate as the person to enter the information of sunrise and sunset into a spreadsheet. The teacher also demonstrates how to convert the spreadsheet into a chart.
+
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 lesson begins with pupils constructing their own planet from a dead battery, magnets, paper, and tape before labeling the...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comet Encounters

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students create glitter-covered comet models. Then they make large outdoor chalk drawings of the solar system and place their comets at the location of the Kuiper belt. They carry their comets around an orbit of the sun, shaking various...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water, Weather, and the World

For Teachers 4th - Higher Ed
Students in a special education classroom examine the role of weather and water in their lives. Each day, they add a symbol for the weather outside and identify the proper activities for the weather on that day. In groups, they...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Walk a Mile in your Orbit

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers create an awareness of the distance between the planets and the complexity of the solar system through a model of an active solar system. they incorporate physical education and math with the ability to convert distances...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Distance in Space

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore space science by measuring distances between planets. In this solar system lesson, 6th graders view a Bill Nye video and discover the conversion between the metric system and imperial measuring systems. Students...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Deep Impact's Comet on a Stick!

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Students create a model of a comet. In this space science lesson plan, students compare their model to the characteristics of a real comet. They evaluate and make necessary modifications to their original design.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to the Planets

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students become familiar with the members of the solar system and planetary order. They identify differences and characteristics of individual planets. Finally students visualize the great size of the solar system and make the image more...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Warming the Earth

For Teachers 1st
First graders investigate how the sun warms the Earth and examine the rotation of the Earth and the sun. They create an illustration of the sun, examine a solar system model, and listen to the book "The Sun: Our Nearest Star." They also...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Moon

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars explore the relationship between the earth, sun, and moon in our solar system. They create a moonrise/moonset chart, perform a dance that models the moon phases, and create a Styrofoam model of the moon's surface.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Glowing Glimpses of Our Universe

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

Day and Night

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders investigate the Earth's rotation and revolution and the moon's orbit around the Earth. They participate in a class discussion about how night and day occur, and take notes. Next, they watch a video about the solar system...
+
Lesson Plan
Journey Through the Universe

How Far is Far?

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
The earth only revolves around one thing — and it's not any of your pupils. The lesson includes two activities dealing with the distance to the sun and the moon. First, scholars create a pin hole camera and use the rules of similar...
+
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.
+
Worksheet
Texas State Energy Conservation Office

Investigation: Waves and Whistles

For Students 6th - 9th
Wave goodbye to the same old demonstrations for alternative energy sources, and wave hello to this one investigating ocean waves! Using a water bottle to create an oscillating water column, learners see and possibly hear how the...
+
PPT
Curated OER

The Building Blocks

For Teachers 7th - 12th
This PowerPoint is a comprehensive review of all the facts related to an atom's basic structure and function. What makes this unique is that it is geared toward an audience of junior geologists. After introducing the periodic table of...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
PBS

Invisible Force

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Investigate invisible forces. Young engineers design a setup that changes the direction of a steel ball using a magnetic force. The purpose of the setup is to model the gravitational pull of spacecraft by planetary bodies.
+
Lesson Plan
Polar Trec

Identifying Sea Ice

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Sea ice contains 17 sub-types based on age and various characteristics. Scholars observe ice floating in a simulated ocean and record their observations. Then, they view photographs of different types of sea ice and learn to...
+
Lesson Plan
NASA

Earth, Earth’s Moon, Mars Balloons

For Teachers K - 8th Standards
Very specific diameters are given for blowing up three different balloons to represent, in scale, the moon, Earth, and Mars. In groups of three, amateur astronomers explore scale measurements and distance in space.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Clay Planets

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Students create scale models of the planets out of clay and compare them to the real planets.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scale Basketball

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students understand that a spreadsheet can be used to find the best scale to use in a model. They place the distances of the planets of the solar system to the Sun in one column of the spreadsheet. Students try different scales so that...