Curated OER
An Explorative Journey Through the Solar System
Students explore space science by creating a planetary model in class. In this solar system activity, students identify the many planets and moons that make up the solar system and decide on one entity in which to research. Students...
Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX)
Lost in Space - A Solar System Study
Fourth graders study the planets of our Solar System collecting data on a worksheet. They use online tools to create a puzzle or other digital product using the information from their research.
Alabama Learning Exchange
The Solar System
Students explore the Solar System. In this cross-curriculum space instructional activity, students identify the planets, name them in order according to distance from the sun, and describe major characteristics of each planet. Students...
Curated OER
Schools Going Solar
If your school has a photovoltaic system, you can use this lesson plan to guide learners through an investigation of the factors affecting performance. Familiarize yourself with the data acquisition system, and then provide data for your...
Curated OER
The Earth, Sun, Moon, And Stars
Fifth graders explore the solar system. In this solar system unit, 5th graders investigate numerous projects while rotating through learning centers. Students write about space and construct a space shuttle model. Students practice map...
Curated OER
WEAVING TECHNOLOGY INTO THEMATIC UNITS T.O.O.L.S. 2000
Third graders utilize computers and other technology to explain the solar system. Ten different stations involve students through laserdisc, research, art, GeoSafari, space toys, and the computer.
Curated OER
Sun and Moon Folktale
Students become familiar with characteristics of folktales by reading or listening to African folktale that explains why sun and moon live in the sky. Students then create their own folktales about the sun and moon or another aspect of...
Curated OER
Online Planetary Tour
Young scholars develop an interactive presentation about the planets for their fictional interplanetary travel agency. They demonstrate their knowledge of internet research techniques and the Solar System through their interactive...
Teach Engineering
Manned Mission to Mars
To go or to not to go — the question for a mission to Mars. This resource provides details for a possible manned mission to Mars. Details include a launch schedule, what life would be like on the surface, and how the astronauts would...
Alabama Learning Exchange
The Moon
Young scholars explore the phases of the moon. In this solar system lesson, students listen to several books about the moon including The Moon Book by Gail Gibbons. Young scholars complete a KWL activity concerning the phases of the moon...
Curated OER
Seein' Double, Seein' Double
By using the Internet, hands-on activities, video, and cooperative learning, pupils look into the conditions in which light casts shadows on objects. The lesson includes fabulous hands-on activities, art projects, worksheets, and reource...
Curated OER
Making Regolith
You may not be able to take a field trip to the moon, but that doesn't mean your class can't study moon rocks. Using graham crackers as the moon's bedrock and powdered donuts as micrometeorites, young scientists simulate the creation of...
Curated OER
The Sun-Earth Connection
Third graders research about the location of different planets from the sun. In this earth science lesson, 3rd graders discuss the weather in their place and identify common weather terminologies. They explain how tornadoes form and...
Curated OER
"101 Amazing Earth Facts" Game
Students read for comprehension, work cooperatively to learn "101 Amazing Earth Facts," and compete as teams in a Jeopardy-like game.
University of Colorado
Looking Inside Planets
All of the gas giant's atmospheres consist of hydrogen and helium, the same gases that make up all stars. The third in a series of 22, the activity challenges pupils to make scale models of the interiors of planets in order to...
Curated OER
The Reasons for the Season
Students explain the reason for the changes in season. For this lesson examining the relationship between the Earth and the Sun, students use an applet to discover how the alignment of the Earth and the Sun cause the change in seasons.
Curated OER
Comprehension: Compare and Contrast Topics in Two Texts
A scripted lesson can be a big help for new teachers. This fully scripted three-day learning activity provides teachers with the means to demonstrate how to compare and contrast two topics in two texts. Learners will work as a class to...
NASA
Let's Investigate Mars
Take your science class on a hypothetical field trip to Mars with an engaging astronomy lesson. After first learning about NASA's Mars rover missions, young scientists plan their own scientific investigations of Earth's nearest neighbor.
Illustrative Mathematics
Eratosthenes and the Circumference of the Earth
The class gets to practice being a mathematician in ancient Greece, performing geometric application problems in the way of Eratosthenes. After following the steps of the great mathematicians, they then compare the (surprisingly...
Baylor College
What Is the Water Cycle?
Small groups place sand and ice in a covered box, place the box in the sunlight, then observe as evaporation, condensation, and precipitation occur. These models serve as miniature water cycles and demonstrations of the three phases of...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Galileo: Revealing the Universe
To gain an understanding of the significance of Galileo Galilei's revolutionary ideas, class members watch the short video "Stargazing Before Galileo," and conduct a close reading of Galileo's Sidereal Messsenger. They then compare...
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....
PHET
Features of the Sun
There are so many things to discover about the sun! Pupils discuss their knowledge of the sun, explore its features, apply their knowledge by labeling photographs, and then reflect on their learning by working in groups to draw and label...
Curated OER
Sun and Earth
Young scholars explore the sun, its structure, how big it is and how far away it is. In this solar system lesson students complete a lab activity on dew point and weather.