Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Water Planet

For Teachers K - 4th
Students use NASA photographs and hands-on activities to compare the amounts of land and water on our planet. They discover that the world has five oceans and that they cover seventy percent of Earth's surface. Students learn how this...
Activity
NASA

The Drake Equation

For Students 9th - 11th
In this Drake Equation worksheet, students read about how scientists can estimate the number of intelligent civilizations that may exist in our galaxy. Students answer 7 questions about the Drake Equation and they use the internet to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth Science

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars explore the planets and celestial bodies in our solar system. In this outer space lesson, students identify the planets and record journal information about them and other celestial bodies. Young scholars define outer...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planets in Our Solar System

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders research climate and landforms on nine planets in our solar system, choose one planet to visit, gather information about their chosen planet's climate and landforms, and "invent" space suit that would enable them to...
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Solar System Cloze Activity

For Students 3rd - 4th
In this cloze activity worksheet, students read the passage about the Solar System. Students use the 14 words in the word bank to help them complete the passage.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Earth Day

For Students 5th - 10th
In this Earth Day worksheet, learners complete activities such as reading a passage, matching phrases, fill in the blanks, choose the correct word, multiple choice, unscramble the words, sequencing, unscramble the sentences, write...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Physics of the Planets: How 16th and 17th Century Physicist Helped Us Understand Our Solar System

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders draw the paths of the planets in the solar system. In this astronomy lesson, 8th graders calculate speed of objects using distance and time information. They research about the work of scientists in the 16th and 17th century.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changes Inside Planets

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students relate meteorites to the mantle and crust of asteroids.  In this planetary lesson students complete experiments to model the separation of light.
Unit Plan
Curated OER

The Sun: Earth's Friend and Foe

For Teachers 5th
Students study the structure and features of the sun. In this earth science lesson, students explain how the sun's energy drive the processes on Earth. They perform temperature conversions using appropriate equations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Two Views of the Universe

For Teachers K - 6th
Students build the two models of the universe created by Aristotle and Copernicus. They compare and contrast the two universes. They create hypothesis on how each model functions.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Seeing a Dwarf Planet Clearly: Pluto

For Students 9th - 11th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stellar Evolution and the Fate of Earth

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders identify the different stages in the life cycle of a star. In this astronomy instructional activity, 8th graders read H-R diagrams and analyze data. The describe how the Sun's evolution will affect Earth in the future.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water, Weather, and the World

For Teachers 4th - Higher Ed
Students in a special education classroom examine the role of weather and water in their lives. Each day, they add a symbol for the weather outside and identify the proper activities for the weather on that day. In groups, they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Universe

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners describe what scientists mean by an "expanding universe" in their own words. They explain how scientists comprehend the universie is expanding. Students comprehend the vast scale of the universe. They comprehend how theory...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dark Matter In The Universe

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers investigate the concept of dark matter and how it occurs in the universe. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Students use the information by reading at least two articles about dark matter. They also...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Explosive Ideas: Oregon quarter reverse

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Explore Earth and her amazing layers with this lesson on planetary change. Students will research the ways in which Earth's layers cause change. They will complete a "Tectonic Puzzle" and use a worksheet to answer questions about Earth's...
Interactive
Curated OER

The Scoop on Tornadoes

For Students 6th - 9th
Use an online interactive worksheet to guide your young scientists into the fascinating world of tornadoes! Links to weather articles from the National Weather Service and Planet Diary give clear explanations as well as visual depictions...
Lesson Plan
Carnegie Mellon University

Bathtub Model

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Using a colorful infographic handout and a guide sheet, hold a class discussion about how a bathtub can serve as a model for the greenhouse effect created by Earth's atmosphere. Participants will understand that as energy or matter is...
Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Energy: A Day in My Life

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
If only we could harness the energy of fifth graders, our energy problems would be over! The class discusses where different forms of energy come from and how we use them. They complete a chart of the activities that they do daily...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Interstellar Real Estate - Defining The Habitable Zone

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the orbital characteristics a planetary home needs to support Earth-like life forms. They develop an understanding of critical planetary mass to determine which newly discovered planets might be capable of supporting life.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life Beyond Earth

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students investigate the solar system and what makes a planet habitable. They complete an online Webquest, simulate a NASA training program online, take an online quiz, answer discussion questions, and locate newspaper articles about the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Sky: Home of Stars and Planets

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students discover that astronomy is a branch of science that includes the study of planets, stars, and constellations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Finding Out About the Stars and Planets

For Teachers K - 4th
Pupils complete a web-based activity to study the planets and solar system. Students complete a number of activities including a slide show that depict the true facts about planets.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Inner Planets

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students create a booklet about the inner planets after researching the characteristics of each planet. Students research the following items for each planet: moons, size, rotation, orbit, atmosphere, an interesting fact. Their final...