Pluto Teacher Resources

Did you know there are more than six hundred thousand minor planet objects in our solar system? A video shares the findings from New Horizons' fly-by of Pluto. The features were not as we expected, and we still can't answer many questions. 

In 2006, scientists launched a mission to explore Pluto and beyond. In 2015, after a challenge just days before approaching Pluto, New Horizons completed its first objective. The mission continues, and detailed reports are set to begin...

Jupiter's magnetic field is 20,000 times that of Earth's. An awareness of the strenght of Jupiter's magnetic field is just one of the challenges engineers face when designing spacecraft to visit Jupiter and its moons. Learn more about...

Students read a news article about a space mission being launched to the planet Pluto. They study the necessary vocabulary and complete an anticipation guide of questions which they revisit after they read the article.

Poor Pluto! This clip answers this questions by defining what a planet is. It turns out that Pluto doesn't quite fit the definition of a planet and has recently been labeled as a dwarf planet. Amazing stuff!

What are the characteristics of Pluto? After many years, scientists are finally gaining knowledge about Pluto's surface. Using an exciting video from the SciShow Space series, learners investigate Pluto's surface by viewing images that...

View actual images of Pluto just as sophisticated cameras take them. The video instructor of a larger physics playlist follows a probe to take a trip to Pluto. Images show specific characteristics of the dwarf planet. 

Some days seem longer than others, but recent research proves our day actually lasts much longer than in the past. SciShow Space shares recent research on the length of Earth days and how this data confirms past research with much more...

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...

In this writing prompt worksheet students are asked to use personification in discussing the redefinition of "planet Pluto" to "dwarf planet." Students are asked to communicate the feelings of the planet as it pertains to its...

In this everyday editing instructional activity, students correct grammatical mistakes in a short paragraph about the planet Pluto. The errors range from punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and grammar.

Is Pluto still a planet? Using this popular question, kids are introduced to graphic organizers as a writing tool. As a class, they watch a demonstration on how to use them and work together with a partner to research whether Pluto is a...

A slide for each of the planets (including recently downgraded Pluto), the sun, our moon, four of Jupiter's moons, and the rings of Saturn make up this visually appealing PowerPoint. A few facts for each body in the solar system...

A brief reading comprehension exercise, this learning exercise covers the characteristics of the outer planets. It still considers Pluto a planet and Charon its moon. It is therefore a little out of date, but this fact can be discussed...

In this atmosphere of Pluto worksheet, students use an equation for the orbit of Pluto to determine the semi-major axis, the semi-minor axis, the ellipticity of the orbit, the aphelion and the perihelion. They also determine the...

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...

Scholars read about each planet then bake a plate of cosmic cookies—no-bake cookies decorated to look like the planets; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

In this reading comprehension worksheet, students read a passage about Pluto, then complete a set of 5 multiple choice questions. An answer key is included as well as a reference web site for additional activities.

Charon, the largest of Pluto's moons, was discovered in 1978. Lesson is a walk through of how to solve for the phases of Charon. It uses two different points on Pluto and takes into account the tilt of the pole, the rotational axis, and...

For this outer planets worksheet, 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.

New Horizons set forth on a mission to Pluto in 2006. Ten years later, the spacecraft is still on its way. Here, enthusiastic scholars predict what they will be like—likes, dislikes, hobbies, etc.—when New Horizons arrives at its...

Students help to create a list of planets in the solar system. They review the terms in the news section and complete the sentences given. They then read the article together and discuss.

In this writing prompt worksheet, students learn the date February 18, 1930 as the date Pluto was discovered. Students then answer the following prompt: 'What is your personal opinion about the scientist no longer considering Pluto to be...