Curated OER
There's More to Light than Meets the Eye
Learners explore the concept that not all light is visible to the
human eye. Although UV light is not visible, it can still be harmful, causing sunburns or skin cancer. They use special beads to detect UV light around the school....
Alabama Learning Exchange
Planetary Cereal Project
Sixth graders decorate an empty cereal box with information and games showing their comprehension of factual information about an assigned planet. This is a nice, creative lesson about the solar system.
Core Knowledge Foundation
A Time for All Seasons - Spring
Celebrate the arrival of spring with this fun primary grade science unit. Engaging young scientists with a variety of hands-on activities and inquiry-based investigations, these lessons are a great way to teach children about seasonal...
Curated OER
Dark Matter In The Universe
Students 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 generate...
Curated OER
Asteroids!
Students explore how to visually identify asteroids in SDSS images. They are able to explain that stars are so far away that they do not appear to move, even over the course of a human lifespan. Students identify the location of most...
Curated OER
Dangers Of Radiation Exposure
Students investigate the effects of radiation exposure and how it can effect objects on earth and space. They conduct research using a variety of resources and use the information to create a project that is reflective of good research...
University of Colorado
Phases of Charon
Pluto, although no longer considered a planet, has five moons. Pluto's moon, Charon, is the focus of a resource that describes how the moon is viewed from the surface of Pluto. Photos help individuals see how Charon would look at...
Curated OER
Artificial Satellites and Space Probes
In this satellites worksheet, students match the list of facts given with the artificial satellite or space probe that it describes. This worksheet has 12 matching questions.
Curated OER
Bouncing Sunlight
Third graders use flashlights and balls to demonstrate how the light bounces off of the sun and reflects onto the moon. They record their observations in a journal.
Curated OER
The Four Seasons with "Charlotte's Web"
Students explore the characters and plot of the story, "Charlotte's Web" through the twenty-two lessons of this unit. Characters, facts, and details of the story are recalled and discussed and form the basis of several activities in this...
Curated OER
Astronomy
Students complete a unit of lessons on our solar system, its stars, and astronomers. They record information in a space journal, design constellations, define key vocabulary, observe the phases of the moon, and create a group planet...
Curated OER
Reasons for the Seasons
Students discover how the Earth's axis of rotation affects the angle of sunlight and the length of day. They take a survey and give the survey out to family members and friends. They tally their findings and then determine the correct...
Curated OER
As the World Turns
Students will use their bodies to act out the motions of Earth by exploring orbits, rotations, and the turning of the earth as it revolves around the sun. Doing research to find correct answers to their questions will help them act out...
Curated OER
Lunar Language
Students use a Lunar Language Graphic Organizer to draw and describe the phases of the moon. They explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.
Curated OER
The Solar System and the Forces Behind It
Sixth graders discover why planets stay in orbit. In groups, they use everyday materials to examine the effect of gravity of objects and calculate how mass changes based on gravitational pull. To end the instructional activity, they...
Curated OER
Inner Planets
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...
Curated OER
Tides of Change
Students use the Internet to gather information on tides and then use this information to determine the period of revolution of the moon around the earth (part 1) and the relative pull of the sun and the moon on the tides (part 2).
Curated OER
Specializing in Space
In this literature book review activity, students read a nonfiction book about space or space exploration before choosing a topic to explore further. They choose from 7 activities such as designing a model, writing a letter, write about...
Illustrative Mathematics
Global Positioning System II
Intricate details of a modern technology that many of us take for granted in our phones, computers (and some cars) are laid bare in a short but deeply investigative activity. The math behind a seemingly simple GPS device is...
Curated OER
Tracking Satellites Using Latitude and Longitude
Students investigate how to track satellites using latitude and longitude. They investigate what man learns from all the satellites currently being studied today. Students analyze the four basic types of satellite orbits.
Curated OER
Oceans
First graders recognize that nearly three quarters of the Earth is covered by ocean. They locate the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Antarctic oceans on a map. They describe the difference between ocean water and fresh water.
Curated OER
The Analemma
Middle schoolers describe the relationship between the tilt of Earth's axis and its yearly orbit around the sun, by learning about analemmas. They determine what they can do to show that the sun's position doesn't change, and they find...
Curated OER
Going Through A Phase
Students are introduced to remote sensing equipment used to gather information about the moon. They learn basic facts about the moon such as size, landforms, temperature and gravitational influence on the earth's tides.
Curated OER
Hubble Space Telescope
Students investigate the universe through the eyes of the Hubble space telescope. They conduct research from looking at the universe that is simulated with a digital projector. The images are projected onto the wall in a simulation of...