Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History of Mythology, Astronomy and Astrology

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders examine the relationships of science and technology and how it influences people's perceptions of places.  In this mythology and astronomy lesson students view a PowerPoint presentation and complete a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Life of A Star

For Teachers 7th - 9th
In this astronomy worksheet, students read through a description of the development of a star and its life cycle. The description provides detailed explanation and key vocabulary terms.
Lesson Plan
1
1
University of Colorado

Astro-Chronology

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Class members play a version of the game Chronology to determine when certain scientific events occurred in history. Teams play until someone has 5-10 events in the correct order.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Mars

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Students, working in small groups construct scale models of the planets and solar system. They examine images of Mars and discuss what might have caused the features. They record facts about their planetary research in their journals and...
Website
American Museum of Natural History

A Closer Look at Mars

For Students 6th - 12th
A website looks at how we know so much about Mars—telescopes, robots, and spacecraft—and the search for martian life. Following the informational text are three questions that quiz pupils about possible life on Mars. 
Unit Plan
Intel

Starquest

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Almost every ancient culture observed the stars and saw pictures in the patterns. Studying stars allowed them to guide travelers, determine when to plant crops, when to harvest food, and the stories surrounding the images include some of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring the Constellations, a WebQuest Activity

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore space science by participating in a class WebQuest. In this constellation identification instructional activity, students view star charts based on the four seasons and identify the changes our sky goes through in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History of the Universe

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students describe how the universe was formed. In this astronomy lesson, students listen and respond to questions in a PowerPoint lesson that includes various theories about how the universe was created.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Best of the Solar System (Grades 6-8)

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students are introduced to planetary research and become familiar with the planets and their features. They view images of the planets, and fill in an information chart which is imbedded in this plan.
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.
Website
American Museum of Natural History

Beyond Planet Earth

For Students 6th - 12th
Scholars take a journey through space with 16 eye-catching images. Along the way, learners read captions starting with the moon, then move onto asteroids, Mars, and Jupiter.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Get the Picture!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Astronomers practice downloading data from a high-energy satellite and translate the data into colored or shaded pixels. As a hands-on activity, they use pennies to simulate high-energy satellite data and they convert their penny...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"A Slice of the Cone"

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Here is a set of lessons that explore conics in a number of different ways. Starting with modeling how a conic is produced by the way a plane cuts the cone, to solving complex word problems, algebra learners progress through a series of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science as a Source of Social Controversy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the two opposing views and biographical information about Ptolemy and Copernicus in order to be familiar with the societal viewpoints that influenced the thinking of these two scientists. Students role-play supporters...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Drake Equation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students 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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Meteorite Mysteries: Building Blocks of Planets

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students simulate the formation of chondrites and asteroids. In this astronomy instructional activity, students demonstrate accretion using balloons and static electricity. They compare and contrast their models to the actual process of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mayan History

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students examine Mayan contributions to the world. In this Mesoamerican culture lesson, students view a slideshow about the Maya and then peruse books about the accomplishments of the culture. Students create...
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 Plan
Curated OER

Qur'an: Sacred Scripture of Islam

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Pupils discover the strong emphasis Islam puts on education. Using the Internet, they identify advancements in ethics, math and astronomy. They explain the importance of madrasahs, or traditional places of learning in Islam, and...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Using the Internet

For Students 7th - 8th
In this using the internet worksheet, students search several websites to review information about the heart, human senses, the solar system, and planets. Students also read information about the rock cycle and answer provided 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

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

Astronomy and the Cold War: How the United States Used the Moon to Target the Soviet Union

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students examine how astronomical observations were used to help target sites in the Soviet Union during Cold War and why such targeting was needed. Students then make predictions and observations of same astronomical events for their...
Worksheet
1
1
Curated OER

Civilization in Ancient Mesopotamia

For Students 6th - 8th
For this ancient Mesopotamia worksheet, students respond to 29 short answer and fill in the blank questions about the ancient civilization.