Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fine Motor Skills

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders discuss what they know about the planets, space, and the solar system including the colors of the planets. They also talk about why the planets are the color that they are. Next, they color cut-outs of the planets using...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Starry Night Time and Day Time

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders complete a unit of lessons on the solar system. They complete various art projects inspired by Van Gogh's 'Starry Night,' create a moon phases book, create a moon phase wind chime, develop a timeline of space exploration,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Is Saturn in the Solar System? Where Am I in the Solar System?

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students discover the planets and their location in the solar system. They complete a KWL chart on Saturn and discuss. They complete the lesson with a writing activity.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's Clean, Fresh and only Three Billion Years Old - Water!

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students engage in a lesson which explores the wate cycle. They get to see some very entertaining video, do fun hands-on activities and gain a better understanding of evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Modular Arithmetic on the Planet of the Eights

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore modular arithmetic involving base eight. They participate in an activity where society functions around the numbers one through eight. Students explain how life will operate with only these numbers.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creatures from Planet X: Spiders

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Message in the Waves :Two Earth Day Lessons for Middle School Students

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders are introduced to Earth day and study the nesting colonies of Midway.  For this Earth Day lesson students watch an online clip and see the effects our waste has on wildlife. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Is Saturn in the Solar System? Where Am I in the Solar System?

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Pupils engage in a solar system activity, For this activity, students will read aloud as a class about the solar system. The pupils will then listen to the teacher read a solar system book prior to filling  out a worksheet about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Space Science

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders study the objects in our solar system.  In this space lesson students identify and describe planets, then classify them as terrestrial or gaseous.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar System Tourist Bureau

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students, working in teams, role-play as advertising agents creating ad campaigns for a planet in the solar system. They design commercials for video, Hyperstudio, or Web pages. The activity includes research, all the production stages,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mercury

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers study the planet Mercury and develop an understanding of the planet's composition, geology, and other important characteristics. They explore a Web resource on the planet Mercury which is the central focus of this lesson.
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Our Solar System

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders research the Solar System using the Internet to complete questions. They sing The Planet Song and study the names of the planets using an acrostic poem. They write descriptive paragraphs with a partner with whom they check...
Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Don't Let the Earth Down

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Writing a persuasive argument starts with a clear thesis. Using this resource, your class will write a persuasive paper on a conservation issue. They will then transform their argument into a 30-second public service announcement. If...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Strange Bugs

For Teachers 9th - 12th
As individuals or in small groups, marine biologists research and discuss archaea and their unusual behavior as compared to bacteria. Teach them about the chemical makeup of the cell membrane of these strange organisms. This complex...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Marine Debris

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Now is the time to educate tomorrow's citizens to care for the planet, and here is a lesson to help facilitate the process. Collect some marine debris and bring it into class. Have your class separate it into types and then test each...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Destination Mars

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students study Mars and what it would take to man a mission there.  In this solar system lesson students view a video and complete an art activity in groups. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Adventures on the Eastern Half of Planet Earth

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders explore a country in the Eastern hemisphere. They develop a packet that could be used by someone visiting that country during the month of December. Students explore the climate, foods, geography, customs and culture of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jupiter's Weather Forecast

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students read information about Jupiter and the planet's weather. In this Jupiter weather lesson, students read information about Jupiter's weather. Students study a chart about the weather on Earth and Jupiter. Students read a weather...
Lesson Plan
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Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

Charting the Progress of New Horizons

For Teachers 2nd - 6th Standards
In 2006, New Horizons began its mission to fly to Pluto. As it continues its journey, scholars track its progress with the help of an informative website, all the while reinforcing measurement concepts with the construction of a scaled...
Lesson Plan
PricewaterhouseCoopers

Waste and Recycling: Recycling and Energy Recovery

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover. Young environmentalists learn about the overwhelming amount of garbage produced and discover better ways to minimize their impact on Earth by learning the difference between garbage and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar System (Lesson 2)

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders identify the objects that make up the solar system. They define new vocabulary and practice using them. They discover that the sun is a star.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Astronomy Merit Badge

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore astronomy through the Starry Night Constellation Adventure software. They print star charts and identify constellations. They sketch the Big Dipper and describe the Milky Way. They list the five most visible planets and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plate Tectonics Writing Assignment

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students complete a writing assignment focused on the use of data to support the theory of plate tectonics. They access data using the "Our Dynamic Planet" CDROM, capture images of the data plots, and incorporate them into their writing. T
Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Teaching About the Hydrosphere

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders are introduced to the Earth's hydrologic system including the cycling of water in the atmosphere and the movement of water on the surface of the planet using the Great Lakes watershed as an example.