Space Awareness
Day and Night in the World
How do different parts of the world experience day and night? Introduce scholars to the concept of global citizenship while teaching about animal behavior with discussion of nocturnal and diurnal animals. Then, learners complete...
Colorado State University
What Is a "Model"?
Model the transfer of energy during a typical 24-hour period. Young scholars use a game-like approach to learning the patterns of heat transfer through the day and night. Groups of four exchange different tokens as the energy transfers...
Curated OER
Day And Night
First graders examine how the earth experiences day and night by using a flashlight and a globe as a model.
Curated OER
Day and Night
Fifth graders investigate the Earth's rotation and revolution and the moon's orbit around the Earth. They participate in a class discussion about how night and day occur, and take notes. Next, they watch a video about the solar system...
Curated OER
What Makes Day and Night? The Earth's Rotation
Learners discover that the Earth rotates on its axis in a cyclical fashion. They examine how this rotation results in day and night.
Curated OER
Space Jeopardy Game
Students explore space. In this space lesson, students analyze the sky and what causes its changes. Students describe the moon patterns and use a model to show changes in its shape. Students also describe the first trip to the moon....
Science 4 Inquiry
The Yin and Yang of Photosynthesis: Day vs. Night
Floating fragments of elodea can grow even without roots. Young scientists use eldoea plants to observe the oxygen production from photosynthesis. They study the difference between having access to high amounts of light and low amounts...
Curated OER
Basil Heatter, "The Long Night of the Little Boats"
“It was a miracle.” Basil Heatter’s “The Long Night of the Little Boats,” which details the miraculous rescue of the British army from the shores of Dunkirk in 1940, is featured in a series of exercises that ask class members to read,...
Space Awareness
Sun, Earth and Moon Model
The moon orbits Earth while the Earth is rotating, and the Earth revolves around the sun. This can be a tricky concept for young astronomers. Implement an activity that helps distinguish between the movements of Earth's systems around...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Smoky Night (Bunting)
Experience the Los Angeles Riots through the eyes of a child in Even Bunting's poignant story Smoky Night. Use this text as you teach vocabulary in context, using comprehension questions to help scholars make connections to outside...
Curated OER
Modeling Day and Night
Students complete a science experiment to study the role of night and day on sleep patterns. In this sleep patterns instructional activity, students brainstorm about night and day and the causes for the rotations on Earth. Students work...
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!
LABScI
DNA Structure: Gumdrop Modeling
DNA molecules hold the secrets that make us unique. The fourth of 12 lessons explores the structure of DNA by building candy models. After building the models, young scientists break their models to begin the process of DNA replication....
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
A Classroom Solar System
Create a scaled model of our solar system in your classroom! Scholars work collaboratively to build paper mache planets and hang them in their proper position to showcase each planet's location in the solar system.
Curated OER
An Introduction to the Night Sky and Movement Astronomy
Basically, this is an interactive exploration of educational astronomy software and an app. Young astronomers discover how the apparent motion of the sky relates to Earth's movements and the position of the observer. It is out of this...
Curated OER
Night and Day Talk
Pupils practice writing and saying the letter O. They examine pictures and discuss what is going on in them depending on the time of day. They write about what they do during the day and night.
Curated OER
Building a Scale Model
Third graders create a model of the solar system. In this solar system lesson, 3rd graders create a scale model of the solar system. Working in pairs students solve mathematical problems to correctly measure the distance each planet is...
Curated OER
Sound Blending Lesson Plan
Mr. Snowman wants to help emerging readers understand compound words, so he segments some familiar words to help them see that they are made of two distinct words. Learners repeat the words, both segmented and blended, and observe them...
Science 4 Inquiry
Phases of the Moon
The moon takes just over 27 days to orbit around Earth. Young scientists position themselves as the earth as they rotate around the sun and hold the moon. This allows them to observe the patterns and phases of the moon.
Curated OER
Friendly Letter to a Leprechaun
Students write friendly letters. In this friendly letter writing lesson, students write a friendly letter to a leprechaun. Students review the parts of a friendly letter then watch the teacher model how to write a friendly letter, then...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Smoky Night
Students investigate tier two vocabulary words. In this vocabulary lesson, students assess the meaning of vocabulary words found while reading Smoky Night. Students record their new vocabulary words using a word journal or discovery chart.
Curated OER
Investigation 6 - Celestial Model
Third graders investigate why stars appear to move across the night sky.
NorthEast Ohio Geoscience Education Outreach
Earth, Sun and You
Middle schoolers model Earth's revolution round the sun by walking a mini-globe around a lamp. You will assess whether or not they tilt and rotate the planet properly and that the revolution is counterclockwise. Discussion beforehand...
Curated OER
NIGHT AND DAY: DAILY CYCLES IN SOLAR RADIATION
Students examine how Earth's rotation causes daily cycles in solar energy using a microset of satellite data to investigate the Earth's daily radiation budget and locating map locations using latitude and longitude coordinates.