Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Meet the Neighbors: Planets Around Nearby Stars

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students explain why a transiting planet causes a periodic dimming in the light from its parent star. They determine the radius of a planet, and its orbital distance, by analyzing data and manipulating equations. Students compare the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Birth of the Earth

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine the major events that have taken place in the Earth's development.  In this Earth lesson students view a video and put major events in chronological order. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Dr. Xargle's Book of Earthlets"

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars examine the expressive and descriptive language used in the books "Dr. Xargle's Book of Earthlets" and "Planet of the Robots." In pairs they take notes about each other's physical appearance and conduct interviews,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Clip the Face

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discover the moon's phases and the rarity of eclipses. In this lunar lesson, students view a video titled Spin Around the Solar System: A Moon Dance, which demonstrates the key differences between a lunar and solar eclipse....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

WebQuest Solar System Colonization Project 2000

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders investigate the livability of different planets in the universe by researching and organizing information from a number of sources in this unit project. They decide on a location for a space station which they support in an...
Lesson Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Skeeters Are Overrunning the World

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
Skeeters are used to model linear and exponential population growth in a wonderfully organized lesson plan including teachers' and students' notes, an assignment, graphs, tables, and equations. Filled with constant deep-reaching...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Magic School Bus Lost in Space

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students identify the planets by making two models of the Solar System. They create a model that shows the order of the planets and a model that shows the planets sizes as compared to one another. They may write about the planet they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Order It Up!

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars use the game "Order It Up" an activity about the solar system statistics. The teacher is in the front of a classroom with an Internet-capable computer and a computer projector projecting the game onto the screen. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The ABCs of Conservation

For Teachers K
Students explore the components of convservation, letters, and the sounds of the alphabet. The letters of the alphabet and the corresponding sounds and words that begin with that letter are identified as ways of protecting the Earth are...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Be A Planet

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars identify the name, order and attributes of the planets. They role play the position of planets, and draw pictures of the planets as well.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Out of This World (Science)

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students participate in various hands-on activities to visually demonstrate the positions of the planets from the sun. Then they draw a pictorial representation of the order of planets from the sun.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planets

For Teachers 1st
First graders study the planets in the solar system.  In this planets instructional activity, 1st graders read Planets, then create a mobile containing all of the planets in the correct order. Students will label the planets with...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning Planet Sizes

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Pupils utilize the concepts of greater than, less than, and equal to, in order to classify student height, object size, and planet size. They build scale models of the planets based on their discoveries of planet size.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

PE Planets

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students use various ball skills to reinforce the names of the planets, their order in relation to the sun, and the revolving of the planets around the sun.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Charting The Planets

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students conduct different activities in order to unlock the secrets of the universe. They answer different questions that are written to assess knowledge of the planets. Information can be found on the internet to help.
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Fishy Deep-sea Designs!

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
Oceans represent more than 80 percent of all habitats, yet we know less about them than most other habitats on the planet. The instructor introduces the epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, twilight, and midnight zones in the ocean....
Lesson Plan
Journey Through the Universe

How Far is Far?

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
The earth only revolves around one thing — and it's not any of your pupils. The lesson includes two activities dealing with the distance to the sun and the moon. First, scholars create a pin hole camera and use the rules of similar...
Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Let's Map the Earth

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Before maps went mobile, people actually had to learn how to read maps. Pupils look at map elements in order to understand how to read them and locate specific locations. Finally, young cartographers discover how to make aerial maps.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Patchwork of the Planet

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students are taught how satellite images can be joined to make a picture mosaic. They use actual satellite images to make satellite mosaics regions of the United States. Students use a camera to photograph portions of a globe in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

WebQuest Solar System Colonization Project 2000

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders complete a WebQuest to study the names and locations of the planets in the solar system. They investigate the causes of the seasons and the distance between the planets using astronomical units. They use technology to...
Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Layers of the Earth

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders study the earth's surface.  In this planet structure lesson students view a PowerPoint presentation then draw and label the earths layers. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pocket Solar System

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
The scale of the solar system is difficult to grasp without some sort of concrete visual; with some register tape and different-sized stickers, teach astronomers of any age just how spread out our solar system really is. Try to use...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth Book

For Teachers 1st
After viewing a teacher-led demonstration on a variety of landforms of the Earth, 1st graders create an Earth book. This nicely-done hands-on lesson has students produce books that describe, in pictures and words, different aspects of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Puzzling Planets

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed
Students list the order of the planets, describe the general characteristics of each planet and explain why we could not live on other planets without special equipment.