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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planet Picking

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students arrange the planets according to their distances from the sun. For this astronomy lesson, students list interesting properties about each planet. They identify an unknown planet photo.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Extra Terrestial Excursions

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders determine how long it would take to fly to each of the planets in the solar system. They do two calculations: one, if they were using conventional jet, the other if they were using the fastest spacecraft possible.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Are We Going?

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students practice rounding numbers to ones and tens places, multiplying numbers, and working with simple fractions. They study the placement and distances of planets in the Solar System.
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Activity
Curated OER

Planet Facts

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students click on the links to planets to learn facts about them. In this planets lesson plan, students read about 8 of the planets in the Solar System.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sky Watching

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students complete night-sky observations to understand how our knowledge of the sky has been enhanced by telescopes. Students complete a timeline worksheet giving the history of telescopes. Students then then make their own observations...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Earth Moon Scaling

For Students 6th - 12th
A wonderful lesson incorporating math and physics skills along with specific details about the planetary bodies. The cross-curricular approach makes for a valid activity to challenge multiple ages and abilities. Your class could work in...
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Unit Plan
Core Knowledge Foundation

Third Grade Skills Unit 7: What’s in Our Universe?

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Over four weeks, third graders participate in lessons that boost spelling, grammar, reading, and writing skills. Scholars explore spelling patterns, suffixes, singular and plural possessive nouns, quotations, and conjunctions....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making Regolith

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
You may not be able to take a field trip to the moon, but that doesn't mean your class can't study moon rocks. Using graham crackers as the moon's bedrock and powdered donuts as micrometeorites, young scientists simulate...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Space Exploration to Find Habitable Planets

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students explore space science by reviewing scientific vocabulary terms. In this planet identification instructional activity, students identify the nine planets in our solar system and discuss which ones could potentially harbor life at...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Planet Cryptogram

For Students 4th - 5th
In this science activity, students answer six clues about the solar system. Students use their answers to complete a table with corresponding numbers for each letter.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Gravity and the Planets

For Students 8th - 12th
In this gravity worksheet, students read about the solar system and the effects of the gravity of the sun, the planets and the moon on the orbits of the planets. They answer three critical thinking questions about gravity.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating Planetary Soils

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students study soil characteristics and identify properties of soils from different parts of the solar system.  In this soil lesson students divide into groups, read soil descriptions, test and record soil samples. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Outer Space and Beyond

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students compare and contrast the size, characteristics, composition, and orbits of the planets in our Solar System. They view a PowerPoint presentation, and in small groups conduct Internet research on a selected planet. Each group...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

What Makes Up the Solar System?

For Students 3rd - 4th
In this solar system activity, students will fill in the blanks for 5 statements in this graphic organizer based on the objects found in space that make up the solar system.
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Lesson Plan
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Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

Jupiter’s Relative Size

For Teachers 4th - 6th
How do you properly illustrate the extreme size difference between two planets—Earth and Jupiter? With the help of jellybeans, of course! Create a scale model of Jupiter's mass compared to Earth using a fishbowl, 1,400 beans, and a...
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Interactive
PBS

Earth’s Energy Budget

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Is Earth's energy flow a little off balance? Explore our energy budget using a click-through interactive. Scholars discover the many factors that move solar energy around the planet and why the system is no longer in equilibrium.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Is There a Tenth Planet?

For Students 5th - 12th
In 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.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planet Vacation

For Teachers 5th - 10th
In this planets worksheet, students fill out a chart where they fill in the distance each planet is from the Earth, and how much travel time in years and hours it would take to get there. Students do this for 8 planets.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Puzzling Planets

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed
Students list the order of the planets, describe the general characteristics of each planet and explain why we could not live on other planets without special equipment.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Solar System

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders use the internet to examine the different bodies in space. In groups, they select one project they want to complete and are given a timeline for when the sections are due. To end the instructional activity, they present...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Meet the Neighbors: Planets Around Nearby Stars

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students explain why a transiting planet causes a periodic dimming in the light from its parent star. They determine the radius of a planet, and its orbital distance, by analyzing data and manipulating equations. Students compare the...
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PPT
Curated OER

Chalkboard Challenge: Science Vocabulary

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students play a Jeopary-style game in this engaging PowerPoint. The scientific categories are the solar system, planet, weather, cells, and rocks. These types of interactive games are an excellent way to reinforce the important...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fine Motor Skills

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders discuss what they know about the planets, space, and the solar system including the colors of the planets. They also talk about why the planets are the color that they are. Next, they color cut-outs of the planets using...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

E.T. Write Home

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students read the book, The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System, and discuss the planets visited by the characters in the book. They write journal entries from the viewpoint of E.T., writing letters home describing his travels in...

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