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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

History of the Universe

For Students 3rd - 5th
Your pupils may believe that you and their parents are the oldest things in the universe, but surprise! There are elements of the universe that are even older. Elementary scientists create a class timeline to demonstrate the expansive...
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Lesson Plan
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Workforce Solutions

A Colony for Lunar Living

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Two lessons explore the possibility of living on the moon. First, scholars read various scenarios to identify which careers would best transfer to life in space. Finally, pupils examine a website to locate items made for outer space,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Avoiding Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Burning Fossil Fuels

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Chemistry and earth science meet in a lesson plan on carbon dioxide emissions. After reading about atmospheric problems caused by using fossil fuels, science stars balance equations for the burning of different alkanes. They compute the...
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Lesson Plan
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Baylor College

Needs of Plants

For Teachers K - 3rd Standards
What better way to learn about plant life than by creating a class garden? Young botanists start with a brief discussion about radishes before planting seeds and watching them grow. To determine the importance of water, sunlight, and...
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Lesson Plan
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Bonneville

Introduction to the Photovoltaic Effect

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Let a video light the way to a better understanding of solar energy. Scholars first learn vocabulary terms related to the photovoltaic effect, solar cells, and electricity. They then watch a video to learn why silicon is often used as a...
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Lesson Plan
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Bonneville

Photovoltaic Solutions "Shark-Tank Style"

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Come up with a great idea and change the world for the better. Working in groups of three, learners apply their knowledge of photovoltaic systems to design a battery-powered electric vehicle capable of replacing gas-powered cars. They...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Blast Off Into Space

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore the vastness of the universe and identify terms used to describe solar systems. They take a tour of our sun and its neighbors and discover how spacecrafts can fly and then use their imaginations to draw and color a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Capturing Renewable Energy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students watch a video segment on the engineering design process, then design a storage system for renewable energy. Students brainstorm and research ways in which renewable energies such as solar and wind power can be stored.
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Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Kinesthetic Astronomy: The Meaning of a Year

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
How many times have you traveled around the sun? Aspiring astronomers grasp what a year is and they differentiate between orbit and rotation by walking around the sun right within your classroom. Place a lamp in the center of the room to...
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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 the creation of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planet/Constellation Mobile

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students construct three-dimensional solar system mobiles.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth Science

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore the planets and celestial bodies in our solar system. In this outer space lesson, students identify the planets and record journal information about them and other celestial bodies. Students define outer space words.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Magic School Bus Lost in Space

For Teachers K - 2nd
Young scholars learn along with Ms. Frizzle's class. In this Magic School Bus lesson plan, students explore outer space as they visit the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars in order to learn about our solar system.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Paper Rockets

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Students design, construct, and fly paper rockets that travel the greatest distance possible across a floor model of the solar system. They construct small flying rockets out of paper and propel them by blowing air through a straw.
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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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Why Do We Have Night?

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students engage in a fun, creative way to discover how the Earth moves. This lesson helps students explain why there is day and night. It can also create curiosity to further study the solar system and eclipses!
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Spacing Out

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore environmental and geological conditions on other planets in our solar system, comparing their findings to information about Earth. They propose technologies that might assist in supporting human life on those planets.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planets in a Row

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Learners use Internet to research and take notes about each planet for a fact book. They then illustrate each page in the fact book and check their facts with a solar system key. When finished, they display their work and share new facts...
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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 instructional activity students divide into groups, read soil descriptions, test and record soil samples. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sand or Rock? Finding Out From 1,000 km

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars observe how measurements are made with different instruments.  In this remote sensing activity students investigate the physical state of surfaces including the surfaces of the solar system. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sun in Our Lives

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders identify the different parts of the sun. In this astronomy lesson plan, 3rd graders examine how the sun's energy drive life processes on Earth. They construct a model of a solar system using large rolls of toilet paper.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Solar System: Why do we Explore?

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders act as scientists. In this property discovery lesson, 3rd graders explore the substance "Oobleck" (cornstarch, water, food coloring). They work in groups to investigate the substance and make observations as a scientist...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Out of This World Writing!

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Miss Frizzle's class provides the inspiration for your young learners! Read "The Magic School Bus Explores Outer Space," and discuss the solar system. First learners will complete a KWL chart about a planet they're assigned to. Then, as...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seasons and Cloud Cover, Are They Related?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students use NASA satellite data to see cloud cover over Africa.  In this seasons lesson students access data and import it into Excel. 

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