Curated OER
Shadow Trackers
Students use online websites to inquire about the cycle of day and night. In this web based activity, students are able to see the movement of the sun and Earth. Students can look at different parts of the Earth as if they were on the...
Curated OER
My Spacecraft and Cassini
Students discover solutions to the problems that NASA used in a previous lesson. They write a paper comparing and contrasting their spacecraft idea to the one that was actually used to go to Saturn. They also discover Saturn's moons.
Curated OER
As the World Turns
Third graders read books and participate in class discussions about the motion of the stars and planets and moons in relation to the Earth. In small groups, 3rd graders act out these movements to music.
Curated OER
Energy Defined
Fourth graders complete activities to study the sources of energy and forms. In this energy lesson, 4th graders discuss the origin of energy and define it. Students participate in several experiments to further study energy including a...
International Technology Education Association
Pixel This!
Did the image I drew match the image you saw? By simulating a satellite and a ground station, teams of two transmit data in the form of pixels in order to recreate an image. They use four different levels of brightness, creating slightly...
PHET
Features of the Sun
There are so many things to discover about the sun! Pupils discuss their knowledge of the sun, explore its features, apply their knowledge by labeling photographs, and then reflect on their learning by working in groups to draw and label...
International Technology Education Association
Dampen That Drift!
The spacecraft is drifting too far off course! Two games help explain how a spacecraft can use its thrusters to maintain its position. The games have pupils be the components of vectors in order to create and counteract the disturbances.
Curated OER
Mass, Volume, and Weight
Students explore mass, volume, and weight. In this science and measurement instructional activity, students compare volume, mass, and weight after listening to the teacher's description of each. Students explore different scales and...
Curated OER
Cosmic Wheels
Students build a scale model of the Solar System and determine the time other planets take to travel around the Sun in comparison to the time of the Earth's revolution. The velocity of the planets are also determined in this lesson.
Curated OER
How Many Quasars Are There?
In this quasars learning exercise, students read about how astronomers can detect quasars by their luminosity. Students use a given equation to solve 4 problems including finding quasar magnitude, determining the number of quasars with...
Curated OER
Look on the Bright Side!
Students explore solar eclipses by participating in a number of hands-on activities. In class, students work in teams using tennis balls, grapes and flashlights to model partial and total solar eclipses.
Curated OER
Gravity Gets You Down
Students investigate the force of gravity and how it effects different objects that are put into acceleration when applied the experiment of free falling. They drop different objects that have a variety of masses and some that cause air...
Curated OER
A Matter of Timing
In this orbital period activity, learners 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
Our Changing View of the Solar System
Students identify and name the eight planets and the five dwarf planets in our solar system. In this space science lesson, students view a slideshow of the planets and label them on an included Solar System chart.
Curated OER
Heliocentric and Geocentric Models
For this worksheet, students read an informational article and view drawings of the two models. In this comprehension worksheet, students answer twelve questions.
Curated OER
GPS Treasure Hunt for Knowledge
Students examine themselves as being part of a global community. In this global community lesson, students investigate GPS systems. Students gain knowledge on how the device works. Students discover that satellites provide information...
Curated OER
Birth of the Earth
Students examine the major events that have taken place in the Earth's development. In this Earth lesson students view a video and put major events in chronological order.
Curated OER
Microbial Influence on Earth's Systems
Students identify the different biogeochemical cycles on Earth. In this biology lesson, students observe microbes under a microscope. They compare and contrast respiration and photosynthesis.
Curated OER
Exploring the Solar System
Your students can learn more about our solar system with these lesson plan ideas.
Curated OER
Designer Genes For A Designer World
Students explore how organisms adapt to their environments through changes in their genetic codes. They create make-believe creatures and environments that have specific characteristics.
Curated OER
Using the Internet
In this using the internet worksheet, learners search several websites to review information about the heart, human senses, the solar system, and planets. Students also read information about the rock cycle and answer provided questions.
Curated OER
Galileo's Battle for the Heavens
Students examine the nature of sunspot cycles and define solar minimums and maximums. In this sunspot lesson students construct and evaluate graphs of the current sunspot cycle.
Curated OER
The Earth, Sun Mood and Stars Unit (Planets too!)
Fifth graders prepare five activities to do then show their energy saving skills. In this investigative lesson students create five projects then participate in an energy saving demonstration.
Curated OER
Close Up and Far Away
Students use magnifiers and telescopes to view things close up. In this magnifiers and telescopes lesson plan, students use the tools to identify things that are close and far away. Students tell details of things they can see closer.