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The Night Sky
Third graders develop questions they have about the solar system. After being read a book, they view and discuss different constellations in the sky. In groups, they are given a piece of butcher paper and glow in the dark crayons in...
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Eclipse: Using a Classroom Model to Explore the Moon's Shadow
Students manipulate and observe a 3-D model which simulates the activity of the Sun, Earth and Moon during a solar eclipse.
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Timekeeping by the Sun
Students measure shadows to learn about the Sun-Earth relationship. In this astronomy lesson, students create a shadow stick of a Pokemon character and record measurements of its shadow in a data chart. Follow-up discussions guide...
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Sky Time: On the Astronomical Meaning of the Day, Year and Seasons
Students simulate the movement of the Earth using their body motion. In this earth science lesson, students explain how this causes seasonal changes on Earth.
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Voyage: A Journey through our Solar System
Young scholars build the Voyage scale model of the Solar System on a playground and "travel" to each planet. They recognize that the Sun and planets are tiny worlds in a vast space, giving them a new perspective on the Solar System, and...
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Adding the Moon: Using a Playground Model to Explore the Movement of the Sun, Earth, and Moon
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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Pushes and Pulls
Students discuss and investigate how various vehicles move. In a small groups, students then create a wheeled vehicle and find a way to make it move using various resources provided by the teacher.
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Forces and Movement
Students investigate the forces of pushing and pulling by participating in a whole group activity involving a toy car. Students then participate in a small group experiment involving a toy car, small weights and various materials....
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Friction
Young scholars compare and contrast the movement of objects on different surfaces, experimenting with friction and forces of motion. This friction lesson has numerous online tools including worksheets and virtual activities; the option...
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Energy Defined
Fourth graders complete activities to study the sources of energy and forms. In this energy lesson, 4th graders discuss the origin of energy and define it. Students participate in several experiments to further study energy including a...
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Making a Solar Eclipse Book: The Sun and Moon During a Solar Eclipse
Students make book covers displaying the Sun during a solar eclipse and a labeled illustration of the Sun.
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Motion Near Earth
For this motion worksheet, students will match 5 physics vocabulary words relating to motion with their definitions. Then, they will review 9 statements of different motion scenarios to determine is the statement is true or false....
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Creating Craters
Students explore parts of an impact crater and compare and contrast craters found in Earth, the Moon, and Mars. Crater formation is modelled and the relationship of mass, velocity, and size of the projectile to the crater formation is...
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Sky Watchers: Ancient Astronomers
Middle schoolers close their eyes and picture the sky. They are asked to brainstorm things they may see in the course of a night and day, such as the movement of the sun, moon, and stars. Students work in groups to coduct their...
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Sucking Students into an Understanding of Air Pressure and Vacuums
Students develop and test their ideas about air pressure and vacuums by conducting several investigations into the movement of fluids in tubes.
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Planets or Not, Here We Come!
Students, working in groups, research planets in terms of the size, temperature, number of moons, and potential for life. They use packets and worksheets as guides for their research. Students may role-play as aliens visiting their...
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Pushes and Pulls
Students recognize different types of movement and causes that my affect the movement. They know that pushes and pulls are types of forces.
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The Lunar and Terrestrial Tug of War
Fourth graders, in groups, locate, comprehend, interpret, and evaluate information about celestial bodies that influence ocean tides on Earth. They apply this information through graphic representations.
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Tides and How Creatures Survive
Students discover tidal pools. In this oceanographic lesson, students observe the tides of the earth and the creatures that inhabit the intertidal zones. Students role-play the tidal zones by portraying themselves as animals of the...
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Shadow Trackers
Students use online websites to inquire about the cycle of day and night. In this web based lesson, students are able to see the movement of the sun and Earth. Students can look at different parts of the Earth as if they were on the Sun...
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Cold Fronts And Warm Fronts
Students simulate the movement of cold and warm fronts as they listen to a story about the weather and Mr. Sun. They brainstorm the characteristics of each type of front then write about which front they would prefer if they were a...
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Hopping Across the Solar System
Learners role-play and communicate that objects in space have describable properties, locations, and movements. Students identify and communicate effectively that Earth is the third planet from the Sun in the solar system, eight other...
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Keeping Warm
Young scholars place words describing a range from cold to hot on a scale. Using those words, they identify places on Earth which are cold, hot, freezing or boiling. They practice using and reading a thermometer with three different...
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As the World Turns
Third graders read books and participate in class discussions about the motion of the stars and planets and moons in relation to the Earth. In small groups, 3rd graders act out these movements to music.