To gain an understanding of the significance of Galileo Galilei's revolutionary ideas, class members watch the short video "Stargazing Before Galileo," and conduct a close reading of Galileo's Sidereal Messsenger. They then...

Three astronomy activities in one resource! Here you will find one hands-on activity, one demonstration, both with discussion questions, and one activity worksheet. During these lessons young scientists discuss how stars are...

Students explore space science by completing an observational worksheet. In this astronomy lesson, students view several worksheets in which students identify minor changes between separate images in preparation for real star...

Sixth graders are introduced to several major constellations and locate them in the night sky. They graph the constellations on grid paper and work in groups to research common myths and stories associated with specific constellations.

Young scholars analyze the size of the universe and calculate the time to travel to near and distant destinations.

Students measure shadows to learn about the Sun-Earth relationship. In this astronomy lesson, students create a shadow stick of a Pokemon character and record measurements of its shadow in a data chart. Follow-up discussions guide...

Pupils compare poetry and the night sky. In this poetry instructional activity, students read poetry and compare the imagery from the poem with the night sky. Pupils explore how science and poetry relate to one another.

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,...

Students explore what the sky looks like at different times. They identify objects in the sky and recognize changes over time. Students observe the sky and look for objects that are common in both the daytime and the nighttime sky.

Four fabulous activities immerse amateur astronomers into measuring objects that we cannot handle. The experiences are applied to NASA's Space Interferometry Mission, which will take measurements of planets around stars other than our...

Students understand that the moon appears differently throughout the month. In this phases of the moon instructional activity, students observe and record the phases of the moon.

Students observe the position of an object in the sky by describing its location relative to another object or the background, describe an object's motion by tracing and measuring its position over time, and create their own myths about...

Young scholars explore space science by participating in a constellation identification activity. In this astronomy lesson, students view star charts based on the different seasons and define a list of astronomy related terms. Young...

Students observe star charts to understand the difference between a star and a planet. In this star lesson plan, students also explain why we see different stars at different times of the year.

Students examine constellations and planets through completing various activities. Students work individually and in groups to create drawings based on stars, compare and contrast the night sky with and without a telescope and learn...

Did you know that modern Chinese literature “grew from the psychoanalytical theory of Sigmund Freud”? Designed for a world literature class, seniors are introduced to “One Evening in the Rainy Season,” Shi Zhecun’s stream of...

Students research about the characteristics of celestial bodies using a database. In this space science lesson, students collect data such as brightness, apparent color and size by observing the night sky. They share their findings with...

Students explore space science by participating in a sky observation activity. For this astronomy lesson, students define a list of astronomy vocabulary terms and examine star charts of the four seasons. Students gather with their...

Students observe the brightness of stars and are introduced to the concept of apparent brightness as a measure of how much light hits a detector of a surface area during a given time. In this star lesson plan, students make connections...

Looking to introduce some text-based questions into your ELA lessons? Practice the kinds of skills the Common Core demands with the seven text-based questions and the essay prompt provided here. Designed to be a three-day lesson, day one...

Students explore space science by completing a worksheet in class. In this astronomy lesson, students discuss and identify star patterns in the night sky and relate these patterns to the approximate time they appear. Students complete an...

Students discover scientific facts about the Moon and how some American Indian Tribes used the moon to measure time. They accomplish this by listening to stories and poetry, writing stories, communicating with an astronaut,...

Students identify constellations in the evening sky. In this Sky Quest lesson, students create their own star patterns using a star map worksheet. Students explain how different celestial bodies in space are viewed through a telescope.

Students access the Internet to go on a scavenger hunt to investigate the solar system.  In this space mission lessons students fill out a worksheet  and explain how technology and scientific inquiry have helped us learn about...