Curated OER
Planet Vacation
In this planets worksheet, learners fill out a chart where they fill in the distance each planet is from the Earth, and how much travel time in years and hours it would take to get there. Students do this for 8 planets.
Curated OER
Planets Curriculum
Students complete an in-depth study of the known planets in the solar system. As a class, students identify the planets that are known in the universe, in the night sky. They explain the differences between planets and stars and the...
Curated OER
The Planets in Our Solar System
Young scholars gain knowledge about earth and space science by studying the nine planets in the solar system as well as their key characteristics. In this solar system instructional activity, students identify the nine planets. Young...
Curated OER
Sculpt-a-Planet
Students study the moon and the planets. They create a painted, paper mache moon or planet sculpture.
Curated OER
Planets Curriculum
Students investigate the planets in our solar system. They conduct research using a variety of resources in order for students to make cognitive connections with the demonstrations made by the teacher. Students discover how to recognize...
Curated OER
The Earth and Moon
An outstanding space science PowerPoint is here for your charges. It provides an effective overview of the Solar System; specifically the Earth and the Moon. The slides contain illustrations of the planets and focus on the Earth's...
Curated OER
How Hot is that Planet?
For this planet worksheet, students read about finding the temperature of a planet using the distance to its star, its reflectivity and the luminosity of the star. Students use a given equation to determine the surface temperature of the...
Curated OER
Kepler-The Hunt for Earth-like Planets
In this hunt for planets worksheet, students read about the Kepler satellite used to detect exoplanets. Students solve 6 problems including drawing a sun disk and determining the scale in kilometers/millimeter, finding the area of the...
Curated OER
The Outer Planets
In this outer planets learning exercise, students determine if 15 statements about Neptune, Pluto, Saturn and Uranus are true or false. If they are false, students change the italicized words in the sentences to make the statements true.
Curated OER
Asteroids Between Mars and the Sun
In this asteroids of the solar system worksheet, students observe a diagram showing all the minor planets found in the orbit of Mars. Students answer 4 questions about the minor planets inside the orbit of other planets, they find the...
Curated OER
Could the Solar System have Ten Planets?
Students react to statements about the solar system, then read a news article about a recently discovered object that could be another planet. For this space science and current events lesson, the teacher introduces the lesson with a...
Curated OER
Exploring Dwarf Planet Eris
In this planet Eris instructional activity, students read about the discovery of this dwarf planet and its characteristics. Students answer 3 questions about the planets, the classification of planets and the definition of planets....
Curated OER
The Webb Space Telescope: Detecting Dwarf Planets
In this detecting dwarf planets worksheet, learners read about the Webb Space Telescope that will be launched in 2014 to detect dwarf planets using an infrared telescope. Students solve 3 problems and create a graph for each using given...
Curated OER
It's A Meteor
Students complete a webquest to find Earth's relationship to the sun. In this webquest instructional activity, students complete tasks to understand the effect of the sun on weather and time. Students create a multimedia presentation as...
Curated OER
How Big Are Earth, Sun, and Moon?
Third graders draw what they believe is in space on a dry erase board. In groups, they are given a beaker half filled with water and they add a teaspoon of oil, observing the different layers that form. To end the lesson, they identify...
Curated OER
Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Solar System
Fifteen questions about our solar system make up this interactive review game. It was written by a teacher in the UK, and therefore the monetary winnings for answering correctly are in pounds. The content applies, however, to any...
TLS Books
Neptune
Did you know that Neptune is named after the Roman god of the sea? Young astronomers read about this and other facts about the eighth planet from the sun in a short informational text passage.
Journey Through the Universe
Our Solar System
Take your class on a journey through our solar system. Learners explore each planet, from Mercury to Pluto, and discuss various features that differentiate one from another. They complete activities related to the topics and discuss the...
Space Awareness
The Engine of Life
There is a specific zone, or distance from a star, that a planet must be in order to have water in a liquid form. The activity demonstrates how flux density depends on its distance from the source. A photovoltaic cell gets power to drive...
Scholastic
Lesson Three: The Earth, Movement in Space
If you feel like you're standing still, you're wrong! The Earth is constantly rotating and orbiting under our feet. Demonstrate the Earth's movement within the solar system with a collaborative activity. With a candle or lamp in the...
It's About Time
Orbits and Effects
What does your world revolve around? Challenge the class as they learn about orbits and the effects of them on our modern world. Young astronomers begin by measuring ellipses and calculating the eccentricity of Earth's orbit. Then, they...
University of Colorado
Terra Bagga
One way to identify possible volcanic activity on other planets is by testing the planet for magnetism. A science lesson begins with pupils constructing their own planet from a dead battery, magnets, paper, and tape before labeling the...
University of Colorado
Terra Bagga
Earth's magnetic poles switch positions about every 200,000—300,000 years. In the activity, groups create a planet with a magnetic field. Once made, they use a magnetometer to determine the orientation of the planet's magnetic field....
Journey Through the Universe
How Far is Far?
The earth only revolves around one thing — and it's not any of your pupils. The lesson includes two activities dealing with the distance to the sun and the moon. First, scholars create a pin hole camera and use the rules of similar...