Curated OER
Categorizing Celestial Objects
Students work together to develop a classification system for planets. They take a class vote and read an article about an astronomer's classification system. They write an essay on how scientists make decisions for the general public.
Channel Islands Film
Island Rotation: Lesson Plan 1
How do scientists provide evidence to support the theories they put forth? What clues do they put together to create these theories? After watching West of the West's documentary Island Rotation class members engage in a series of...
Curated OER
Voyage of Discovery
Students develop a sense of the scale of our solar system by creating a one to ten billion scale model. They calculate the relative sizes and distances for the planets and asteroid belt using a guiding worksheet. To create the model they...
American Museum of Natural History
Going, Going...Gone?
Young environmentalists consider how scientists are attempting to save endangered species. They read about what causes extinction and steps to take to minimize the threats.
Curated OER
Where in Our Solar System Are We?
Second graders research distance between planets and the sun using encyclopedias. They use toilet paper sheets as a unit of measurement (50 million km.) students stand at planet locations using toilet paper to measure distance between.
Curated OER
Out of This World
Fifth graders animate their own planets. In this solar system activity, 5th graders use smartphones and the software, GoKnow Sketchy, to create images for presentations on their created planets that appear to be animated when...
Nuffield Foundation
Investigating Factors Affecting the Breathing Rate of a Locust
Do animals breathe faster when given more oxygen or more carbon dioxide? Young scientists observe the respiration rates of locusts under a variety of gas concentrations to answer that very question. They collect data, analyze the...
Curated OER
Our Place in Space
Third graders identify the different planets that make up the solar system. In this space science instructional activity, 3rd graders construct a scale model of the major planets. They explore their different unique features and dress up...
Curated OER
A Tour of Saturn and Uranus
Second graders draw and label each planet, Saturn and Uranus, showing 2 specific individual characteristics of each.
Curated OER
WebQuest Solar System Colonization Project 2000
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...
Curated OER
KNOW YOUR PLACE IN SPACE
Students examine the positions of the nine planets in respect to our solar system and explain the unique characteristics of each planet.
Curated OER
Inside the Crater
Students explore and analyze what's inside the crater of an active volcano. They research the history of powerful eruptions and how they have helped to make our planet what it is today. Each student then illustrates, designs and...
K20 LEARN
Shanking A Shark: Shark Dissection
Sharks are so cool, they have their own week! Take young zoologists on a journey into one of the most amazing creatures on the planet. A lesson plan the from K20 Center engages them in a full dissection. After the lab, participants...
Curated OER
Meteorites
Students model how meteors fall to the surface of planets. In this space science activity, students identify different types of meteorites using an interactive online website. They investigate the relationship between a meteorite's size...
Curated OER
The Drake Equation
Learners use the Drake Equation to calculate the probability of sustaining life on various planets. Through the use of the equation, they determine whether intelligent and advanced civilizations can be developed on planets other than...
Curated OER
Impact Craters: Holes in the Ground!
Students simulate crater formation through a lab activity. In this space science lesson, students calculate how much energy is transferred during meteorite impact. They identify different factors affecting the size and depth of craters...
McGraw Hill
Retrograde Motion
How does Mars move both eastward and westward in Earth's sky? A simple interactive describes the concept of retrograde motion using both color and graphic models. Learners understand that the speed of the orbit accounts for Mars' change...
Curated OER
The Loneliest Animals
Students examine the different species that are headed towards extinction. In this animal population lesson plan students compare the causes of extinction, research an endangered species and present an oral report.
Curated OER
The Future of Arctic Sea Ice
Students research about the importance of sea ice to world climate and sea organisms. In this earth science lesson, students create a model of present and future Arctic sea ice communities. They discuss how ice melting affects...
Curated OER
Planetary Profiles
Students explore the characteristics of the planets and moons in the solar system. They create profiles of the nine planets in the solar system and present a written and oral report about a planet.
Curated OER
Glaciers As Indicators of Global Climate Change
Students research about glacial ice melting on the four major spheres of the Earth. In this earth science lesson plan, students explain how this process relates to global warming. They create a presentation and share their findings with...
Curated OER
Living On The Moon
Students evaluate what life would be like living on the moon or another planet in our solar system. In this science instructional activity, students create a colony that they would use to live in on the moon using Legos.
Curated OER
Rover Races
Students identify the challenges encountered by astronauts in operating a planetary rover. In this space science lesson, students create a rover using their team members. They follow a command sequence from the driver and navigate...
Curated OER
See the Stars
Young scholars explore the nighttime sky. In this space science lesson, students read the book Maria's Comet and and investigate the sky using their naked eyes. Young scholars compare the view of their naked eyes to the view of a telescope.