Curated OER
Mars and Jupiter
Students learn about how engineers help us to know about Mars and Jupiter. In this Mars and Jupiter lesson plan, students are introduced to the telescope, deep space antennas, spacecraft, and planetary rovers that engineers designed to...
Center for Math and Science Education
Pocket Solar System
How in the world can something as big as the solar system possibly fit in your pocket? Complete this simple modeling activity and find out, as young scientists gain an appreciation for the incredible scale of outer space.
Center for Math and Science Education
Solar System Launch
Trying to understand the vastness of outer space can be quite a challenge for young scientists. Help put things in perspective with this cross-curricular activity as students work in pairs creating scaled models of the solar system,...
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.
Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Toilet Paper Solar System
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...
Mr. E. Science
Our Solar System
The presentation starts with the scientists who made discoveries about our solar system: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo, Brahe, Kepler, and Newton. It also covers the planets, inner, outer, and Pluto, satellites, and an in-depth discussion...
Curated OER
Who Wants to be a Millionaire: Solar System
Fourth and fifth graders will love showing what they know about the planets and our solar system. This game is fashioned after "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and has the class work through fifteen different solar system related...
Curated OER
The Earth and Beyond
Photographs and graphics bring the solar system and Earth to life in this presentation. Viewers are taken on a virtual field trip, beginning with the sun and planet placement, and proceeding through both Earth and the moon's movements....
Curated OER
Life on Other Planets
For this planets worksheet, students put the planets in order, complete sentences about planets, read text about planets, match sentences, and more. Students complete 7 tasks total.
Curated OER
Is There a Tenth Planet?
For this planets worksheet, students read about how our solar system's planets were discovered and how scientist believe there might be a tenth planet. After reading, students complete 4 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Where the Past and Present Meet
In this planets worksheet, students are given clues from Greek mythology to find the names of planets and moons. They use an on line source to find the answers.
Curated OER
The Solar System
High schoolers construct a sketch of the planets in our solar system using concentric circles and angles. In this solar system lesson plan, students plot the position of each planet on concentric circles using graph paper. The sun is...
Curated OER
You Are Here
Learners determine the relative size and distance of the planets in the solar system. They use ratios in their mathematical calculations to make models of the planets after discussing the relative sizes of the planets. They keep a...
Curated OER
Gravity Exploration
For this gravity worksheet, learners determine how much they would weigh on the different planets. Students calculate how far they could jump on other planets. This worksheet has 2 graphic organizers and 6 short answer questions.
Curated OER
A Matter of Timing
In this orbital period worksheet, students solve 2 problems about satellites and their orbits. They determine how many days it takes for two satellites to be in "opposition", they find the least common factor between their orbit periods...
Curated OER
The Universe Has Room for Change
In this universe and change worksheet, students read about the demotion of Pluto as one of the 9 planets as well as other changes in science. Students summarize their reading and identify unfamiliar words in the article. Students...
Curated OER
Other Objects in the Solar System
For this solar system worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle given 11 clues about objects in the sky such as asteroids, meteoroids, comets and planets.
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
Planetary Distances on the Playground
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...
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
A Classroom Solar System
Create a scaled model of our solar system in your classroom! Scholars work collaboratively to build paper mache planets and hang them in their proper position to showcase each planet's location in the solar system.
University of Colorado
Planetary Distances on the Playground
Earth is 149,600,000 km, or 92,957,130.4 miles, from the sun. Young astronauts create an interactive model to learn the distances between planets. Nine groups, each representing a different planet, are spread around at class-calculated...
Curated OER
The Outer Planets
In this planets worksheet, students research the diameters and sizes of the planets. Then student will create scale model sizes of the planets out of cookie dough. Students complete 5 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Jupiter and Io
In this Jupiter and Io worksheet, students use a diagram of the planet and its moon to find the dimension of the image, the width of the largest feature in the atmosphere of Jupiter, the width of the smallest feature in the atmosphere of...
Curated OER
Volume Calculation Exercise
Middle schoolers work with scientific notation and rounding as they determine volume. In this volume lesson, pupils attempt to calculate the volume of the planet Jupiter. They use rounding to two significant digits and scientific...