Curated OER
Take a Spin Through the Solar System
Second graders participate in a variety of activities to explore the Solar System in this unit.
Curated OER
Word Processing and Internet Planet Report
Fourth graders write a research report on a selected planet in the solar system. They conduct Internet research, save a graphic from the Internet onto a disk, bookmark websites, and present their report.
Curated OER
Our Solar System
Students study the Earth and Solar System through a variety of activities. They compile a coloring book show the characteristics of the Sun and nine planets.
Curated OER
Celestial Motions
Ninth graders complete a unit of lessons on the history of our knowledge of celestial objects. They conduct Internet research, plot the motion of a planet, construct a model of the sun's apparent motions, and create diagrams of the solar...
Curated OER
NASA's Mars gamble pays off
Students read an article about NASA and Mars and complete short answer questions about the article. In this Mars lesson plan, students also create a scale model of the solar system.
TLS Books
Jupiter
Young astronomers read an informational text on the gas giant, Jupiter. Then they answer four multiple choice questions based on what they read.
University of Colorado
Strange New Planet
The first remote sensors were people in hot air balloons taking photographs of Earth to make maps. Expose middle school learners to space exploration with the use of remote sensing. Groups explore and make observations of a new...
University of Colorado
Are All Asteroids' Surfaces the Same Age?
Did you know scientists can tell the age of an asteroid by looking closely at its craters? This final lesson of a six-part series focuses on two asteroids, Gaspra and Ida, in order to demonstrate the concept of dating asteroids. Scholars...
NASA
Taking Apart the Light
Break down light into spectra. Scholars learn how atoms emit and absorb photons and come to understand how this process allows scientists to identify different atoms based on either absorption lines or emission lines. Learners then...
BW Walch
Kelper's Second Law: How Do Planets Move?
Kepler's second law of planetary motion, specifically, the law of equal areas, is demonstrated by your high schoolers. On the provided graph paper, they mark out the designated path of Earth at two different times of the year and then...
Curated OER
A Family of Planets-Science Puzzlers, Twisters & Teasers
For this space science worksheet, students complete 7 science puzzles, riddles, word scrambles, and teasers about the planets and solar system.
Curated OER
Earth's Place in the Solar System
Students study and discuss the planets. They create a visual representation of the layout of the solar system and color it. They also write an informative/narrative summary report on the cultural relevance of the Sun.
Curated OER
Our Solar System
In this solar system worksheet, students read about the planets, asteroids, meteoroids, comets, and the moon. Then students complete 25 multiple choice, 4 true or false, and 3 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Exploring the Planets
Sixth graders explore the planets through an interactive web site. In this astronomy based instructional activity, 6th graders compare planets, explore comets, and discover planet facts through a variety of activities provided by the...
Curated OER
Solar System
Students create and present PowerPoint presentations on certain aspects of our Solar System. The Nettrekker search engine is used for researching the information. Students can then add music and graphics to enhance their presentations.
Curated OER
Modeling Hot and Cold Planets
Students, in teams, design and construct models of two planets, one hot and the other cold, using a variety of materials. They attempt to create the models out of substances that will actually show the greatest temperature differences...
Curated OER
Planets in a Row
Students use Internet to research and take notes about each planet for a fact book. They then illustrate each page in the fact book and check their facts with a solar system key. When finished, they display their work and share new facts...
Curated OER
Distances in Space
In this distances in space worksheet, students learn about astronomical units and light years as measurements for great distances. Students use both of these units of measurements to solve five problems.
Curated OER
Getting to Know Saturn: Moons, Rings, and Relationships
Students identify the different objects that orbit Saturn. For this space science lesson, students plot the graph of orbital speed and distance. They explain why planets and asteroids remain in orbit around the sun.
Curated OER
Our Solar System: Its Planets and Their Satellites
Fourth graders create a replica of our solar system. Each group arranges the balls in the proper order for our solar system by gluing them to the construction paper. Under each of the balls, the name of the object should be clearly printed.
Curated OER
Fine Motor Skills
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...
Space Awareness
Climate Zones
The climate at the equator is hotter than the climate at the poles, but why? The lesson goes in depth, explaining how the angles of illumination relate to the heating rate at different latitudes and seasons. Scholars use a strong lamp,...
PBS
Earth’s Energy Budget
Is Earth's energy flow a little off balance? Explore our energy budget using a click-through interactive. Scholars discover the many factors that move solar energy around the planet and why the system is no longer in equilibrium.