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...

Young scholars complete an in-depth study of the known planets in the solar system. As a class, students identify the planets that are known in the universe, in the night sky. They explain the differences between planets and stars and...

In this planets worksheet, students fill out a chart where they fill in the distance each planet is from the Earth, and how much travel time in years and hours it would take to get there. Students do this for 8 planets.

Students examine the concept of a solar system. In this research based lesson, students compare a star and a planet. They explain the requirements for life in a biosphere.

Sixth graders explore the planets through an interactive web site. In this astronomy based lesson plan, 6th graders compare planets, explore comets, and discover planet facts through a variety of activities provided by the Smithsonian...

Students study the moon and the planets. They create a painted, paper mache moon or planet sculpture.

Students create suncatchers that resemble planets using recycled plastic lids.

Students identify the main components of the solar system. In this earth science lesson, students order the planets according to their distances from the Sun. They differentiate planets from dwarf planets.

For this planet Eris worksheet, students read about the discovery of this dwarf planet and its characteristics. Students answer 3 questions about the planets, the classification of planets and the definition of planets. Students define 7...

In this planet activity, students read about finding the temperature of a planet using the distance to its star, its reflectivity and the luminosity of the star. Students use a given equation to determine the surface...

Students list conditions necessary for humans to survive. They then mix yeast with a nutrient broth consisting of warm water and table sugar in a plastic bottle, capping it with a party balloon and compare the factors within the bottle...

In this planets and fractions worksheet, learners solve nine problems about the sizes and scales of planets compared to each other using fractions.

In this hunt for planets worksheet, students read about the Kepler satellite used to detect exoplanets. Students solve 6 problems including drawing a sun disk and determining the scale in kilometers/millimeter, finding the area of the...

In this detecting dwarf planets learning exercise, students read about the Webb Space Telescope that will be launched in 2014 to detect dwarf planets using an infrared telescope. Students solve 3 problems and create a graph for each...

For this planet worksheet, learners read 4 different memory devices which will help them learn the planet names in order. These mnemonic phrases will inspire students to make up their own.

In this planets word search instructional activity, students search for words that name eight planets reading across, up and down, or diagonally that are hidden in the puzzle. Students find 8 words.

In this dwarf planet worksheet, students use images from the Hubble Space Telescope and they determine the scale of the image, they identify the largest features in the images, they calculate the volume of Pluto and they create a model...

In this space science learning exercise, middle schoolers find the words that are related to the vocabulary of stars and planets. The answers are found at the bottom of the page.

One way to identify possible volcanic activity on other planets is by testing the planet for magnetism. A science lesson begins with pupils constructing their own planet from a dead battery, magnets, paper, and tape before labeling...

Looking to take a trip? Why not go to space? Here, scholars take on the role as travel agent to create a guide to their favorite planet including travel tips and sightseeing recommendations. 

Did you know that Neptune is named after the Roman god of the sea? Young astronomers read about this and other facts about the eighth planet from the sun in a short informational text passage.

Earth's magnetic poles switch positions about every 200,000—300,000 years. In the activity, groups create a planet with a magnetic field. Once made, they use a magnetometer to determine the orientation of the planet's magnetic field....

Take your class on a journey through our solar system. Learners explore each planet, from Mercury to Pluto, and discuss various features that differentiate one from another. They complete activities related to the topics and discuss the...

There is a specific zone, or distance from a star, that a planet must be in order to have water in a liquid form. The activity demonstrates how flux density depends on its distance from the source. A photovoltaic cell gets power to...