Curated OER
Discover Magazine: Size and Scale
Students research measurements of the moon and Earth as well as the distance between the two in order to create scale models of the Earth-moon system. With a marble to be used as the moon, they must determine how large to make Earth...
Curated OER
Getting to Know Saturn: The Saturn System
Students compare and contrast Earth and Saturn's planet features. For this space science lesson, students draw a diagram of the solar system and identify the different components. They complete a Saturn system scavenger hunt and Venn...
Curated OER
Out of This World
Fifth graders animate their own planets. In this solar system lesson plan, 5th graders use smartphones and the software, GoKnow Sketchy, to create images for presentations on their created planets that appear to be animated when played...
Curated OER
World In Motion Curriculum
Young scholars explore the night sky and its solar system. Using a Digitarium planetarium system, students observe four constellations. They discover the phases of the moon and eclipses. Young scholars recognize the difference between...
Curated OER
Lunar Lollipops
Students simulate the phases of the moon using a lamp and styrofoam balls. In this lunar phases lesson, students stand around a lamp and act as Earth. They hold styrofoam balls and rotate to show the phases of the moon.
Curated OER
Clip the Face
Young scholars discover the moon's phases and the rarity of eclipses. In this lunar lesson plan, students view a video titled Spin Around the Solar System: A Moon Dance, which demonstrates the key differences between a lunar and solar...
Curated OER
The Reasons for the Season
Students explain the reason for the changes in season. In this lesson examining the relationship between the Earth and the Sun, students use an applet to discover how the alignment of the Earth and the Sun cause the change in seasons.
Curated OER
Spinning into Space
Students, through hands-on activities, teacher demonstrations, pictures, and informational books, complete a unit on the Earth and its place in the Universe. They make mobiles of the Milky Way and watch demonstrations of lunar and solar...
Curated OER
Out of this world! 2
In this solar system worksheet, students fill in the blank to sentences that refer to the solar system. Students fill in 15 blanks with planet names.
Curated OER
Space Science
Eighth graders study the objects in our solar system. In this space lesson students identify and describe planets, then classify them as terrestrial or gaseous.
Curated OER
Scavenger Hunt: Who am I?
In this solar system worksheet, students use an on line source to find the names of the people who discovered the planets, comets, asteroids, black holes and the idea of the big bang theory.
Curated OER
WEAVING TECHNOLOGY INTO THEMATIC UNITS T.O.O.L.S. 2000
Third graders utilize computers and other technology to explain the solar system. Ten different stations involve students through laserdisc, research, art, GeoSafari, space toys, and the computer.
Curated OER
A View Of Home From The Front Door and From Space
Students discover how distance can change how our view of an object. Students build a representative model of where their home is located from different distances. They create three drawn models of their home from various elevations as...
Curated OER
Jupiter
A student-produced PowerPoint provides basic facts about the planet of Jupiter. Illustrated slides highlight its physical attributes and satellites. A lot of interesting information about Jupiter is included, such as the fact that twenty...
Curated OER
Solar System
In this space activity, students identify and locate vocabulary terms and names related to the Solar System. There are 23 words located in the puzzle.
Curated OER
Solar System: The Four Inner Planets and Earth's Moon and Astronauts
Second graders read THe Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System. In this language arts and science activity, 2nd graders explore the four inner planets. Students view the inner planets using Google Earth.
Journey Through the Universe
How Far is Far?
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...
S2tem Centers SC
Seasons
Winter, spring, summer, and fall—take the learning of the seasons beyond the elementary level to the middle school classroom. Curious learners begin by watching videos about the seasons and the rotation of planet Earth. Then, they...
University of Colorado
Are All Asteroids' Surfaces the Same Age?
There are more than 600,000 asteroids in our solar system. Pupils analyze images of two asteroids in order to determine if they are the same age. They count craters for each asteroid and compare numbers.
American Museum of Natural History
Cosmic Cookies
Scholars read about each planet then bake a plate of cosmic cookies—no-bake cookies decorated to look like the planets; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.
PBS
Experience a Solar Eclipse
Didn't catch the last solar eclipse? Now every day can be eclipse day, thanks to an interactive lesson plan from PBS' Space series for middle schoolers! The well-rounded multi-media experience includes video clips, an interactive, and...
American Museum of Natural History
What Do You Know About Astronomy
Develop an understanding of the universe. Learners answer 10 multiple choice questions about several topics in astronomy. Questions contain information about the age of the universe, gravitational attraction, galaxies, planets and comets...
Messenger Education
Mission: Possible—How Can We Plan an Exploration of Another World?
An astronaut's spacesuit weighs 280 pounds and takes 45 minutes to put on — that's a serious suit! The second activity of a three-part series allows pupils to see all that goes into space exploration. Through simulations, groups analyze...
Space Awareness
Know Your Planets
Does your class know their planets? Implement an activity that has them describing the solar system, identifying properties of the planets, and placing them in order from their distance from the sun.