Curated OER
A Star Party
Students explore the parts and function of a telescope. In this investigative lesson students gain an understanding of a telescope and identify planets and constellations.
Curated OER
Out of this World! 1
In this space science activity, students use reference books or Internet searches to find the answers to 15 questions about the solar system.
Curated OER
Retrograde Motion of Mars
Learners investigate the motion of Mars. In this space science lesson, students use transparencies to trace the path of Mars through constellations. Learners discuss the characteristics of the planet.
Curated OER
Solar System Bead Distance Activity
Middle schoolers create a scaled solar system model using colorful beads. In this space science instructional activity, students convert AU units into metric measurements. They arrange the planets according to their distances from the sun.
Curated OER
Solar System Lesson Plan
Students explore the internet to answer specific questions about the solar system. They use worksheets to record information about planets. Students increase awareness of the solar system through exploration of websites.
Curated OER
Neptune
In this Neptune learning exercise, 4th graders learn facts about the planet Neptune and read a short paragraph about the planet. Students enhance their understanding of planets.
Curated OER
Concept Application: One to One Correspondence of Objects
Learners consider the comparative sizes of the planets in the solar system. In this scale instructional activity, students select balls of different sizes to represent the planets in the solar system.
Curated OER
Exploration to Mars... or Not? An Exercise with Split-Screen Electronic Peer Review
Students use split-screen technology which is utilized for an electronic peer review assignment that has students justify whether humans should continue their investigations of the Red Planet or not.
Curated OER
Orbital Motion
Pupils use a formula to measure the eccentricity of an ellipse, then state Kepler's Law of Elliptical Orbits. They predict the solar energy received at different positions in a planet's orbit.
Curated OER
Exploring Space Fact and Fiction Unit: Creating Space Fiction
Young scholars create stories about imaginary planets.
Curated OER
Celestial Motions
Ninth graders complete a unit of lessons on the history of our knowledge of celestial objects. They conduct Internet research, plot the motion of a planet, construct a model of the sun's apparent motions, and create diagrams of the solar...
Curated OER
Planet Cryptogram
In this science worksheet, students answer six clues about the solar system. Students use their answers to complete a table with corresponding numbers for each letter.
Curated OER
Planet Paths: Studying Planetary Orbital Paths
Students define and identify planetary orbit, ellipse, parabola, and hyperbola, and simulate Kepler's Second Law. They explore interactive websites demonstrating orbital motion and complete modeling activities.
Curated OER
Planets in Proportion
Students apply estimation strategies and proportional reasoning to determine a scale comparing the planetary bodies to Earth. They convert measurements of time and distance using scientific notation. Both the metric and customary units...
Curated OER
Planet Earth in Cross Section
Students will examine the layers of the Earth. In this geology lesson, students create a scale model of the Earth's interior using cash register tape. They will determine the percentage of error in the scale compared to the actual size...
Curated OER
Human Rights Education Handbook: A New Planet
Students create an imaginary bill of rights and find correspondences between their ideas and specific articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Curated OER
Our Savage Planet in the News
Students research volcanoes, storms, atmospheric conditions and extreme environments. They collect information and create a simulation of a science newscast. They watch a video and write a letter as an eyewitness to an avalanche.
Curated OER
Planets in a Bottle
Learners experiment with yeast. In this environmental conditions lesson students test the viability of samples of yeast. Learners investigate the effects of environmental conditions on the yeast.
Curated OER
Fitting Periodic Functions-Distant Planets
In this periodic functions worksheet, students use given data of the speed of a star and find the best fit periodic function that follows the trend in data. They determine the amplitude, offset phase and the formula for the angle. They...
Curated OER
Strange New Planet
Students simulate different spacecraft missions using materials provided. In this space science instructional activity, students observe and record a planetary model's features from a distance. They relate this activity to scientists'...
Curated OER
Exploring Meteorite Mysteries: Building Blocks of Planets
Students simulate the formation of chondrites and asteroids. In this astronomy lesson, students demonstrate accretion using balloons and static electricity. They compare and contrast their models to the actual process of chondrites and...
Curated OER
Ocean Planet: Sea Secrets
Students identify ocean features and draw a profile using data points on a map. Through discussion and research, they discover the importance of oceanography and plot a profile of the ocean floor in search for a vessel full of precious...
Curated OER
Biomes: Action for a Healthy Planet
Students become environmentalists. They develop solutions to modern environmental problems.
Curated OER
Our Population and Its Impact on the Planet
Students explore environmental problems due to the growing worldwide human population and examine the growth rate. They also discuss possible ways to stabilize population growth and increase sustainable development.