Curated OER
Gingerbread Spacecraft
Students explore the different parts of the Cassini spacecraft. In this space science lesson plan, students create a model of the spacecraft using food products. They compare and contrast their model with the real one and evaluate its...
Curated OER
Our Place in Space
Third graders identify the different planets that make up the solar system. In this space science lesson plan, 3rd graders construct a scale model of the major planets. They explore their different unique features and dress up as planets.
Lawrence Hall of Science
DIY Sun Science
Get an up-close-and personal look at the sun from the safety of your classroom with this fun science application. Offering numerous activities, images, and videos, the resource supports children of all ages as they learn about the sun.
Curated OER
Make a Sundial
Students explore space science by conducting a sun experiment in class. In this time telling lesson, students discuss how the sun sits in our sky at exact times each day and how astronomy is based on our perspective of the solar system....
Curated OER
Get a Leg Up
Traveling through space is an amazing experience, but it definitely takes a toll on the body. After reading an article and watching a brief video, learners perform an experiment that simulates the effects of zero gravity on the human body.
Curated OER
Food for Spaceflight
When astronauts get hungry in outer space, they can't just call and have a pizza delivered. In order to gain an appreciation for the challenges associated with space travel, young learners are given the task of selecting, testing, and...
Curated OER
Meteorites
Young scholars model how meteors fall to the surface of planets. In this space science lesson, students identify different types of meteorites using an interactive online website. They investigate the relationship between a meteorite's...
NASA
Let's Investigate Mars
Take your science class on a hypothetical field trip to Mars with an engaging astronomy lesson. After first learning about NASA's Mars rover missions, young scientists plan their own scientific investigations of Earth's nearest neighbor.
Curated OER
Night Sky Observation
Students explore space science by completing an observational worksheet. In this astronomy lesson, students view several worksheets in which students identify minor changes between separate images in preparation for real star...
Curated OER
The Sun in Our Lives
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.
Curated OER
Observing and Sketching the Lunar Surface
Students explore space science by conducting an illustration activity. In this lunar lesson, students discuss what the moon is and the role it plays for our environment on Earth. Students view images of the moon and utilize chalk to...
Curated OER
Sky Quest: Exploring the Constellations
Students examine constellations and planets through completing various activities. Students work individually and in groups to create drawings based on stars, compare and contrast the night sky with and without a telescope and learn...
Curated OER
Exploring Place and Space
Students explore number values by completing mathematical worksheets in class. In this decimals lesson, students identify the different place values a number has and the use of decimals to represent a fraction of a number. Students...
Curated OER
How Do We Explore Strange Environments?
Young scholars identify and label the different parts of a robot, rover, or a spacecraft. They discuss and record all of the features their robot will need to accomplish its mission and be able to explain why they chose these features...
Curated OER
Asteroids
Students examine the different types of asteroids and how they enter the atmosphere. For this space lesson students use mashed potatoes to create an asteroid they can eat.
Curated OER
Why Do We Have Night?
Students engage in a fun, creative way to discover how the Earth moves. This lesson plan helps students explain why there is day and night. It can also create curiosity to further study the solar system and eclipses!
NASA
Eclipse Activity Guide
Ever made solar s'mores? Or recreated the solar system using peanuts? Astronomers young and old investigate all things solar using a variety of activities. Explore how the sun works, types of light it emits, and methods of charting the...
Curated OER
Our Intriguing Star, the Sun!
Explore the sun in a lesson plan about space. The lesson spans ten weeks, with students performing activities to answer weekly questions about the Sun and Earth.
Curated OER
The KAO Telescope
Students explore the basic principles of the operation of the NASA's KAO telescope. They construct a simplified model of it using film canisters and other everyday objects. Step by step directions are included in plan.
Curated OER
Stellar Lunar Curriculum
Students engage in a lesson that covers the concept of different phases of the moon. They name the cycles of the phases of the moon while using flashlights to simulate the light of the sun. They research information about several...
Curated OER
Constellation Projections
Students draw constellations. In this astronomy lesson, students create constellations from star groupings projected on a chalk board. Students connect the "stars" to create a pattern on the board. Student can create new groupings of...
Curated OER
Bubble-ology
Students observe the visible spectrum while observing light hitting the surface of bubbles. They blow large bubbles and observe how the colors change.
Curated OER
Our Universe: Always Moving, Always Changing
Students explore the main concepts of astronomy through the eleven lessons of this unit. The past, present, and future methods of studying the science are examined in this unit.
Curated OER
an Explorative Journey Through the Solar System
Students, in groups, research a planet from our solar system. They create Styrofoam models of the planets and place the planets on a correct distance scale from the sun.