What's bigger than an asteroid but smaller than a planet? A dwarf planet! Take a peak into the five dwarf planets—Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, Eris, Ceres—with a captivating video hosted by Jenni and Squeaks.

Should Pluto be considered a planet or a dwarf planet? Scholars research planets in our solar system to understand their similarities and differences. It also includes memory activities related to the order of the planets. 

The first man-made object to enter space happened in 1942; just 71 years later, we sent the first object outside the entire solar system. The video introduces the solar system, starting with the sun. It covers each planet, the more...

In this everyday editing worksheet, learners correct grammatical mistakes in a short paragraph about the planet Pluto. The errors range from punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and grammar.

Not quite a star, not quite a planet ... what are brown dwarfs? Young astronomers learn the peculiarities of these heavenly bodies through a short video. The narrator explains the characteristics of brown dwarfs and the different types....

In this writing prompt worksheet students are asked to use personification in discussing the redefinition of "planet Pluto" to "dwarf planet." Students are asked to communicate the feelings of the planet as it pertains to its...

Neptune has more than its share of moons with 14, although Triton takes the prize for the largest. Study the origin and behavior of Neptune's moons with a video lesson from the Kurzgesagt playlist.  <!--td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br...

Students examine the new categories of planets and how planets were reclassified.  In this solar system lesson students complete activities using Venn diagrams and images of planets. 

Students identify and explain natural cycles and patterns in the solar system. They write short reports about the solar system. Students plot the order of the planets in a colorful diagram. They use Crayola Gel Markers to add a colorful...

White dwarfs are stars that refuse to die. A video begins with an explanation of the three fates of dying stars. The presentation explains the composition and life expectancy of a typical white dwarf.

Poor Pluto! This clip answers this questions by defining what a planet is. It turns out that Pluto doesn't quite fit the definition of a planet and has recently been labeled as a dwarf planet. Amazing stuff!

Up to 75 percent of the stars in the Milky Way are red dwarfs, yet we can't see any from Earth. The video explains what makes red dwarf stars unique. It highlights the potential for finding aliens or a planet humans could live on once...

Like a phoenix, planetary nebulae rise from the ashes of a star's demise. Young science scholars view stars in the white dwarf phase and the planetaries that sometimes occur in the aftermath. The video explains the composition of...

Young astronomers create a six-chapter book on their choice of heavenly bodies. This is technically not a solar system project in that they can include dwarf planets, black holes, and other celestial entities that are outside of our...

Travel through space as you learn about the galaxy, solar system, planets, and much more. An extensive resource for studying astronomy in upper-elementary and middle school classrooms.

Yes, Venn diagrams are helpful in science, too. Learners use an interactive to classify celestial bodies as having moons, as dwarf plants, as both, or as neither. They answer a set of challenge questions based on the Venn diagrams they...

Researchers use scientific data to understand what is inside each of the planets. The first in a series of six, this instructional activity builds off of that concept by having pupils use a data table to create their own scale models of...

In this solar system worksheet students explore how some of the planets have changed their status, view a video and answer questions about Pluto and the other planets.

Does your class know their planets? Implement an activity that has them describing the solar system, identifying properties of the planets, and placing them in order from their distance from the sun.

In this planet Eris worksheet, students read about the discovery of this dwarf planet and its characteristics. Students answer 3 questions about the planets, the classification of planets and the definition of planets. Students define 7...

In this detecting dwarf planets learning exercise, high schoolers read about the Webb Space Telescope that will be launched in 2014 to detect dwarf planets using an infrared telescope. Students solve 3 problems and create a graph for...

In this dwarf planet worksheet, students use images from the Hubble Space Telescope and they determine the scale of the image, they identify the largest features in the images, they calculate the volume of Pluto and they create a model...

Add a visual aid to your solar system lessons. Enthusiastic astronomers create a model depicting the nine planets and their distance from the sun. 

After reading a short excerpt about the planet named after the Roman god of war, Mars, your class will answer four comprehension questions. The activity challenges them to fold over the paper and answer the questions without referring...