Lesson Plan
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Categorizing Celestial Objects

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers 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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

You Are Here

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers determine the relative size and distance of the planets in the solar system. They use ratios in their mathematical calculations to make models of the planets after discussing the relative sizes of the planets. They keep...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Causes the Seasons?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students conduct experiment to examine how tilt of globe influences warming caused by lighted bulb. They monitor simulated warming of their city by sun in winter and in summer by using light bulb, interpret results, and submit lab report.
Lesson Plan
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KNOW YOUR PLACE IN SPACE

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students examine the positions of the nine planets in respect to our solar system and explain the unique characteristics of each planet.
Lesson Plan
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Solar System Differentiation

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students explore the solar system.  In this solar system science lesson plan, students choose 3 out of 12 centers to visit, each of which contains an activity related to the planets. The station activities are designed to address...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wobbling in Circles

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders role play the parts of the sun, the moon and the Earth as they simulate the concepts of revolution and rotation. They act out the parts in small groups and discuss the concepts as a class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

World In Motion Curriculum

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the night sky and its solar system. Using a Digitarium planetarium system, students observe four constellations. They discover the phases of the moon and eclipses. Students recognize the difference between normal and...
Lesson Plan
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Sucking Students into an Understanding of Air Pressure and Vacuums

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students develop and test their ideas about air pressure and vacuums by conducting several investigations into the movement of fluids in tubes.
Lesson Plan
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Third from the Sun

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Students examine images from space.  In this third from the Sun lesson, students examine images from, Landsat, the satellite launched by NASA in 1972.   
Lesson Plan
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Bringing the Solar System Down to Earth

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students develop a scaled down model of the solar system. In small groups, they calculate the scaled-down diameters of the planets and the sun, the scaled-down distance of the planets from the sun, complete two charts, and create a...
Lesson Plan
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Connect the Spheres: Earth Systems Interactions

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Is everything really connected? Take your class on a walk outside, where they will make observations and write them down on a worksheet. Once they are back in the classroom, learners will work to determine if and how things like birds,...
Lesson Plan
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Earth's Water

For Teachers 4th - 8th
If the majority of our planet is covered with water, why do we need to bother conserving it? With a thorough and varied investigation into the location and types of water on the earth, learners will gain an understanding of why this...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Scientific Notation

For Teachers 7th Standards
Writing a number is all in the notation. The resource introduces the class to scientific notation. Pupils learn the process of taking a very large or small number in standard form and write it in scientific notation. To practice,...
Lesson Plan
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Water Conservation

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Open learners' eyes to the challenge of finding safe drinking water – something we often take for granted in our country. The PowerPoint presentation includes images, graphs, diagrams, and even a video to stimulate discussion on how we...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water in the Biosphere

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Environmental explorers examine the campus and take note of living organisms. Introduce them to the biosphere and the questions of the day: How much water can be found in the biosphere? A slide show helps you along, and even contains a...
Lesson Plan
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Astronomy and Me: Moons Over New Haven

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders study the features of different moons orbiting the planets. In this astronomy lesson, 3rd graders explore the different phases of the moon using an interactive online website. They compare and contrast the features of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planets in Proportion

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners apply estimation strategies and proportional reasoning to determine a scale comparing the planetary bodies to Earth. They convert measurements of time and distance using scientific notation. Both the metric and customary units...
Lesson Plan
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Not Your Average Planet

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore median, mode, mean, and range using information about the planets and our solar system.
Lesson Plan
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Observing and Sketching the Lunar Surface

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Young scholars explore space science by conducting an illustration activity. In this lunar lesson, students discuss what the moon is and the role it plays for our environment on Earth. Young scholars view images of the moon and utilize...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sky Time: On the Astronomical Meaning of the Day, Year and Seasons

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students simulate the movement of the Earth using their body motion. In this earth science lesson, students explain how this causes seasonal changes on Earth.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar System Hall Model

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Not novel, but fun, this lesson gets your space science learners to model the size of the planets and the solar system along your school's hallway. Scaled measurements as well as actual distances are provided for both planet diameters...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planet Research

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students recognize that the other eight known planets, which revolve around the Sun, have characteristics and surface conditions that are different from Earth; and identify examples of those differences.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Outer Space and Beyond

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students compare and contrast the size, characteristics, composition, and orbits of the planets in our Solar System. They view a PowerPoint presentation, and in small groups conduct Internet research on a selected planet. Each group...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Inner Planet Properties

For Teachers 7th - 10th
In this planets worksheet, students complete a graphic organizer by determining their weight on that planet, its distance from the sun, the days it would take to travel from the Earth, and any other special features.

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