Virginia Department of Education
The Hydrologic Cycle
There is the same amount of water on earth now as there was when it was formed. The water from your faucet could contain molecules that dinosaurs drank! Young scientists build their own hydrologic cycle model and observe it for five...
Turabian Teacher Collaborative
My Favorite Martian: Workshopping Warrants
Sometimes explaining an argument can lead to confusion and miscommunication. Narrow down the details in written arguments with a group activity in which learners pretend to be aliens from another planet, struggling to understand each...
NASA
States of Matter
Water, one of the basic needs of humans, is found in all three states of matter on Earth; no other planet—that we know of—possesses this quality. Here is a unit that allows learners to explore through experimentation what it takes to...
Planet e-Book
Wuthering Heights
Though it is Emily Bronte's only novel, Wuthering Heights became one of the greatest of all-time. The classic novel gets an update in the form of an eBook. Readers learn about Heathcliff, Catherine, Edgar, and the other characters in a...
Space Awareness
What is a Constellation
Why do some stars in a constellation appear brighter than others? Using a get-up-and-move astronomy activity, scholars explore perspective and the appearance of constellations in the sky while developing an understanding of the...
Curated OER
Solar System
In this solar system, students review information about the planets found in our solar system. Students complete 15 fill in the blank questions and then find the 9 planets in a word search.
Curated OER
Outpost Communications Exercise
Young scholars engage in a unique study of the solar system with the integration of technology in the form of e-mail. They communicate to each other on e-mail and give clues to an imaginary location without revealing the source the...
Curated OER
An Interview with Mr. Sol
Pupils explore the sun, the galaxy, and planets. As an introduction to a class discussion of the sun, students perform a skit. They discuss the elements that make up the sun, stars and planets.
Curated OER
There Is/Are - Counting Stars
In this counting stars learning exercise, learners fill in the blanks to a passage, complete the questions, and write sentences with possessive forms. Students complete 3 activities.
Curated OER
Create an Alien Life Form
In this creative writing worksheet, students answer a series of questions about an alien they imagine. There are also other pre-writing exercises about historical figures, monuments, a zoo, and other topics designed to aid in the...
Curated OER
Exploring Meteorite Mysteries: Building Blocks of Planets
Learners simulate the formation of chondrites and asteroids. In this astronomy lesson plan, students demonstrate accretion using balloons and static electricity. They compare and contrast their models to the actual process of chondrites...
Curated OER
Planets in a Bottle
Students experiment with yeast. In this environmental conditions lesson students test the viability of samples of yeast. Students 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
How Tsunamis Form
For this earth science worksheet, students read and study facts about tsunami and earthquakes to complete 8 short answer questions that follow.
Curated OER
Planet X
Students select a wide variety of presentation methods to compare Planet X and Earth. Students share these with their classmates. Students select other methods to present their ideas about a livable planet for human life forms. ...
Curated OER
Creatures from Planet X: Spiders
Students are given a description of some fascinating animals from "Planet X". They follow the descriptions given to illustrate one of these animals paying careful attention to introduced vocabulary such as 'appendages', 'receptors', and...
Curated OER
The Planet Earth
Students explore the planet Earth, outer space, and Earth's axis. They demonstrate reading comprehension skills, including literal meaning, inference and critical analysis.
Curated OER
Planet Structure & Interior
Students compare Jupiter and Earth. In this Earth and space studies instructional activity, students compare the composition of Earth and Jupiter and analyze how the composition affects the rate at which the planets spin.
Curated OER
The Planet Mars
In this worksheet on the planet Mars, students look at a picture of the planet and read accompanying facts, along with a brief paragraph.
Curated OER
Awesome Saturn
Students brainstorm words that describe Saturn. They view images sent to Earth from satellites. They write poems about the planet using different poetic forms.
Curated OER
Glaciers and How They Form lands
As a whole class, the students define glacier and perform an experiment involving glaciers. The students brainstorm ideas of what a glacier is, and narrow the ideas down to a definition. The students then participate in an activity that...
Deliberating in a Democracy
Recycling
How often have you passed by a recycling container in your school? Scholars research the issue of recycling in the ever-changing global world. Using documentation and video evidence, they form their own opinions on recycling and how it...
Curated OER
Water and Ice
Young scholars investigate how water goes from a solid to a liquid then back again. In this experimental lesson plan students conduct their own experiment and see how water changes form.
Curated OER
Making Good Decisions
Pupils engage in some form of classroom decision making and look at possible options and consequences of each decision. In this investigative lesson students look at different options in solving social issues and can debate each.