Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Constructing a Planetarium

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Pupils work together to create their own planetarium. They observe the night sky and make a design. They also examine constellations and paint them onto the model of the planetarium.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sky Show

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students use lecture and research to answer the question: Why is the sky blue? students research a variety of other sky phenomena, chart their observations and participate in experiments.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Observing Mars in the Night Sky

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare and contrast the orbits of Earth and Mars, locate the planet Mars, and diagram its retrograde motion.
Worksheet
K12 Reader

Galileo and His Telescope

For Students 2nd - 3rd Standards
Learn about Galileo Galilei's contribution to modern science with a reading passage that focuses on reading comprehension. After kids read several paragraphs about his life, they answer five questions about the information they have just...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sky 2: Shadows

For Teachers K - 2nd
pupils will explore making shadows and tracking the movement of an object over the course of a day to look for patterns. It is best to couple this shadow activity with reading the book, Bear Shadow, and making a map of Bear's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planets Curriculum

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate the planets in our solar system. They conduct research using a variety of resources in order for students to make cognitive connections with the demonstrations made by the teacher. Students discover how to recognize...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mars: Off the Charts--Until You Put It There

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Pupils explore the night sky and make illustrations which are shared in class the next day. Distinctions are made between the stars and the planets and views of the constellations for the season are made available. The work of early...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping Constellations

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students become familiar with constellations. In this space science lesson plan, the teacher introduces constellations by showing students the star patterns and reading myths. Students, observe the stars nightly, then choose one...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth Science: Create a Star Clock!

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students identify and use the starts to tell time just as people had for thousands of years. They identify the stars that appear to rise in the east and set in the west, and that those stars near the North Pole appear to go in circles...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lunar Learning

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students learn about the phases of the moon. In this moon phases lesson, students learn about what causes the moon to look different to us everyday and how the Earth and Sun's position determine what phase the moon is in.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water and Ice

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore water and ice. In this 3 states of matter lesson, students work with a partner to observe, illustrate, and describe the characteristics of an ice cube in a cup. The ice cube is observed again in 15 minutes and changes...
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
Curated OER

Water 1: Water and Ice

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore forms that water can take and examine the water cycle. In this hands-on science instructional activity, students participate in activities that require them to change water to a solid and back to a liquid again.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mars Curriculum

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners study Mars and other plants in the night sky. In a planetarium setting using Digitarium planetarium system, students identify the Big Dipper and Polaris. They explore the major differences between the planets and the stars. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weather Proverbs

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Define and write proverbs! Learners define proverbs, use the Internet to find weather-related proverbs, and talk with their parents to learn other proverbs. There's a well-structured worksheet included here. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hello, Sunshine!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate how the sun travels across the sky at different latitudes using Solar Motion Demonstrator. In this earth science lesson, students explain why seasons change. They study how the tilt of the Earth's axis affects...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Constellations

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the major constellations. After reviewing the Earth's basic motions and their significance, students discuss the moon's orbit and revolutions. Using a Digitarium Alpha portable planetarium projector, they observe at...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Graphing Sunspot Cycles

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students explore sunspots and then graph them to analyze the data.  In this sunspot cycles lesson plan students complete an activity sheet and complete questions. 
Worksheet
Curated OER

What is Weather?

For Students 6th - 8th
In this weather worksheet, middle schoolers photograph and record the weather conditions for a week. Then they list the types of clouds observed and the weather conditions they noted associated with each cloud type. Students also write a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tracking an Active Sunspot Region

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders plot the location of a single active region for 12 days.  In this sunspot lesson students track an active region across the face of the sun. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lunar Cycle

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students become familiar with repeating patterns in nature, namely the phases of the moon.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shadows

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Pupils measure shadows at different times of the day to determine when a shadow casts its longest and shortest shadows.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Star Search

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students observe stars in the night sky and stargaze on their own.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plotting Sunspot Activity

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore how to graph sunspots using a solar graph.  In this sunspots lesson students investigate sunspots and complete and evaluation worksheet.