How many times have you traveled around the sun? Aspiring astronomers grasp what a year is and they differentiate between orbit and rotation by walking around the sun right within your classroom. Place a lamp in the center of the room to...

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.

First graders investigate the five outer planets. For this space science lesson, 1st graders read the book Our Solar System and identify the five outer planets. Students create a booklet and write about outer planets.

Students become familiar with the members of the solar system and planetary order. They identify differences and characteristics of individual planets. Finally students visualize the great size of the solar system and make the image more...

Students explore space science by reviewing scientific vocabulary terms. In this planet identification lesson, students identify the nine planets in our solar system and discuss which ones could potentially harbor life at some point....

Jupiter has 67 moons! As the seventh in a series of 22, the exercise shows learners the size and scale of Jupiter and its Galilean moons through a model. They then arrange the model to show how probes orbited and gathered data.

In 2006, New Horizons began its mission to fly to Pluto. As it continues its journey, scholars track its progress with the help of an informative website, all the while reinforcing measurement concepts with the construction of a scaled...

Go study the universe. Pupils learn seven aspects about astronomy and astronomers. They begin to learn about constellations; distance and motion between objects; gravity; the electromagnetic spectrum; dark matter and energy; and teams of...

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.

Students use Hyperstudio to review important points before taking a test at the end of a study unit on the solar system. This concept could easily be switched to many different topics.

In this Hubble telescope worksheet, students solve 4 problems about the image of the distant planet the Hubble telescope discovered. Students determine the distance the planet was from its star in 2006, they determine the planet's...

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.

In this space activity, learners complete 12 different science puzzles, word scrambles, and brain teasers about vocabulary terms from their chapter.

Students choose a spherical object to decorate with stickers, scents, etc to make it interesting. They write a key to the features for future explorers. Students use viewers to observe mystery planets. Students simulate NASA missions by...

Students examine the use of space as the frontier of the future. Using the colonist's experience coming to the New World, they identify challenges they would face if they were to settle in space. As a class, they share what they already...

In this planets worksheet, learners read information about Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto and then complete 18 multiple choice, 4 true or false, and 2 fill in the blank questions.

Students explore the major constellations. After reviewing the Earth's basic motions and their significance, students discuss the moon's orbit and revolutions. Using a Digitarium Alpha portable planetarium projector, they observe at...

Students arrange the planets according to their distances from the sun. In this astronomy lesson, students list interesting properties about each planet. They identify an unknown planet photo.

Students calculate the diameter of planets and their relative distances.  In this space science lesson, students discover how small or big the planets are in comparison to each other. Students use cross multiplying fractions to find...

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.

Teachers explore patterns in sunspots and total solar irradiance to understand the counterpoint to the human effect of global warming. For this professional development tool, teachers work through a lesson on the sun's natural...

Students create scale models of the planets out of clay and compare them to the real planets.

Fourth graders design a brochure based on the planet that they researched. In this planets lesson plan, 4th graders include the data, important facts, and completed as a team.

Students discover that astronomy is a branch of science that includes the study of planets, stars, and constellations.