Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Three D Constellations

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers address a major misconception in astronomy, the understanding of scale. The lesson is designed to introduce students to both celestial coordinates and to the first rung on the distance determination ladder, parallax.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Length of the Day

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate how the Earth's rotation affect the length of day. In this earth science lesson, students construct a sighting apparatus and record their observations over a few days. They analyze data collected and formulate a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Observing the Sky

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore astronomy. In this astronomy instructional activity, students discuss the history of the movement of celestial bodies and then communicate with other middle schoolers regarding the movements that they observe in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sun in Our Lives

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders identify the different parts of the sun. In this astronomy lesson plan, 3rd graders examine how the sun's energy drive life processes on Earth. They construct a model of a solar system using large rolls of toilet paper.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sky Quest: Exploring the Constellations

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stellar Discoveries That Are Out of This World

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners hear of the recent discovery of a group of planets orbiting the star Upsilon Andromedae. Each student create a page about an element of the universe,
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Habitable Zones

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students focus on stellar luminosities to estimate size of habitable zones, map out habitable zone around hot light bulbs that serve as models of stars, investigate how size of model "habitable zone" around light bulbs depends on...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Astronomical Song Lyrics

For Students 8th - 10th
In this astronomy and song lyrics activity, students are given 10 lyric fragments from different artists. Students select 3 of the fragments and write short essays about each to explain their thoughts from a human and astronomical point...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Place in Space

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders identify the different planets that make up the solar system. For this space science lesson, 3rd graders construct a scale model of the major planets. They explore their different unique features and dress up as planets.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram

For Teachers 7th - 8th
In this astronomy worksheet, students use a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram to examine the relationship between the average temperatures of stars and their absolute magnitude. After viewing the diagram, they complete 10 short answer questions.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Adopt A Constellation

For Students 4th - 6th
In this space science instructional activity, learners discover and write the name of their favorite constellation. Then they describe the history of it and draw a diagram, labeling the major stars and providing lines to show its shape.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hot Air

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers conduct an experiment to determine how hot air affect the path of laser. In this physics instructional activity, students explain why stars appear to twinkle at night. They discuss how light travels from space to Earth.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Adopt a Constellation

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Learners adopt a constellation and find detailed information about their constellation. In this constellation lesson plan, students use the web to find information about a constellation of their choice. They identify the history of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stellar Navigation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers are introduced to the concept of stellar navigation. Inside a portable digital planetarium they identify various stars that were used as a navigational tool. They go through several activities in which they attempt to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Measuring the Diameter of Our Star

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students conduct an experiment to measure the diameter of the sun. In this astronomy lesson,  students construct a simple equipment to collect scientific data. They calculate the sun's diameter using a given formula.
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Lives of Stars

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
In this stars worksheet, students review what makes up a star, how astronomers learn about stars, and the different types of stars including low mass and high mass stars. This worksheet has 62 fill in the blank statements.
Organizer
Curated OER

What Have Scientists Learned About Stars

For Students 5th - 8th
In this stars worksheet, students will compare the stages in the life cycle of an average star and a massive star. This worksheet is a graphic organizer.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Star Party

For Students 3rd - 8th
In this space worksheet, students identify and locate vocabulary terms related to the stars and space. There are 15 words located in the puzzle.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Palm use in Astronomy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify and recall common constellations by using a palm pilot with astronomy software. Students will use their Palm to assist them in correctly identifying constellations using a telescope.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lives of Stars

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Pupils take notes on the lives of stars. In this lesson on stars, students take notes alongside a PowerPoint presentation about the lives of stars.
Worksheet
K5 Learning

Miss Mitchell's Comet

For Students 3rd - 5th Standards
Maria Mitchell discovered a comet, became the first female astronomer in the United States, and even has a crater on the moon named after her! Learn more about her passion for the stars with an informative reading passage, followed by...
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Science-Related Field Trips That Won’t Break the Bank

For Teachers 1st - 9th
Try some of these tips to put a new spin on the old field trip favorites.
Activity
Las Cumbres Observatory

Astronomical Seeing - How Good Are the Observing Conditions?

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Why is star gazing easy on some nights and difficult on others? Pupils aim to quantify the answer in an enlightening astronomy lesson. After collecting images from an online robotic telescope, they measure the brightness of images using...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Starquest

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students study the history and cultural interpretation of a celestial body or constellation. They create technology based presentations of the information.