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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making Regolith

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Return to the Moon

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students react to statements about space exploration, then read a news article about plans to resume manned flights to the moon. In this space science and current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and...
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Activity
NASA

Touchdown

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Just how do astronauts stay safe during moon landings? Here's an activity that allows investigators to use the engineering process to explore how shock absorbers protect astronauts during landing. Applying knowledge of gravity, force,...
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Activity
NASA

On Target

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Crash into engineering by sending a marble to land on a target by way of a zip line. Using a zip line, pupils put engineering design processes into practice by modifying a cup to carry and release a marble onto a target. Scientists test,...
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Activity
NASA

Roving on the Moon

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Build a rover for pennies in a fun-filled activity! Young engineers design, build, test, and evaluate a lunar rover model. Using rubber bands, plastic straws, and cardboard, teams collaborate to make a rover model with spinning wheels....
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Activity
NASA

Whip Up a Moon-Like Crater

For Teachers 1st - 6th Standards
The moon is famous for its craters, but they haven't always been there. Young learners experiment with materials to simulate the creation of moon craters. Pupils are able to see patterns in their materials that are similar to the...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Cultural Diplomacy and Propaganda During the Cold War

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
There's a fine line between diplomacy and propaganda. Young historians consider that boundary by examining documents from the Cold War, including memorandum about the lunar program and Peace Corps in addition to a propaganda film. Using...
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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.
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Landing a Man on the Moon: President Nixon and the Apollo Program

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Take the small step for man and giant leap for mankind with the Apollo astronauts using primary sources. Young historians explore the documents related to the American space program up through the lunar landing, including presidential...
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Lesson Plan
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NASA

Watering Your Plants

For Teachers K - 4th
Make sure plants have water to drink regularly. Learners investigate the parts of a watering system for plants. They design and create a watering system for a lunar plant growth chamber before explaining why it is important to have water...
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Lesson Plan
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NASA

Exploring the Moon

For Teachers K - 4th
Can plants grow on the moon? The second activity in a five-part series has pupils explore the resources available on the moon to determine if plant life is possible. They use lava rocks as their soil and draw conclusions about the...
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Meet Our Neighbors: Moon

For Students 1st - 6th
Since a field trip to the moon isn't possible, bring the moon to young astronomers! Participants use everyday materials to create models of the moon and represent the features on its surface. The materials serve as a tactile as well as a...
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Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Moons in Comparison

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Just how big is Earth's moon? With a hands-on simulation, scholars use Play-Doh to model the sizes of the planets Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and their moons. They make predictions as a class, work together to make their models, and discuss...
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Activity
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University of Texas

Observing the Moon

For Teachers K - 8th Standards
Why does it look like there is a man on the moon? Why does the moon look different every night? These are the focus questions of a lesson that prompts class members to observe and record the nightly changes of Earth's natural satellite.
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Unit Plan
NASA

Lunar Colonization

For Teachers 6th Standards
A five-lesson unit challenges teams to design a complex to allow people to colonize the Moon. The teams first work in order to understand the challenge before becoming experts. Expert teams learn about different aspects needed to survive...
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Lesson Plan
NASA

On Target

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
NASA's LCROSS mission is dropping a probe into a lunar crater. Groups design a system to travel down a zip line and drop a marble onto a target in the classroom. The groups then modify their designs based upon testing. 
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Unit Plan
NASA

Lunar Plant Growth Chamber

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Would astronauts be able to grow their food on the Moon? Teams research plant growth in order to design and build a growth chamber that will function on the lunar surface. They narrow down plant choices based upon their strengths and...
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Unit Plan
NASA

Space Transportation: Reshooting the Moon

For Teachers 8th
What does it take to get stuff to the Moon? Design teams create subsystems for a space transportation system to go to the Moon. The teams study Earth transportation components along with historical space transportation systems to guide...
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Unit Plan
NASA

Creating a Space Exploration Infrastructure

For Teachers 7th Standards
What will it take to explore space? Teams of pupils determine the needs of a lunar outpost and research the required systems. The pupils then learn about the past space exploration vehicles. The third and final lesson challenges project...
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Unit Plan
NASA

Engineering Design for Human Exploration

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
What would it take to live on the lunar surface? Small groups build model rockets in order to simulate launching a habitat into space and rebuilding it. Divide the class into groups to design and build a model of a lunar habitat. The...
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Unit Plan
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NASA

Transportation and Space: Reuse and Recycle

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
What can I use in space? The three-lesson unit has groups research what man-made or natural resources would be available during space exploration or habitation. Team members think of ways that resources can be reclaimed or reused in...
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Worksheet
K5 Learning

The Moon

For Students 2nd Standards
Second graders read a short informational text passage about the moon and answer a series of questions based on what they read.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Moon Mining

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Go on a moon mining expedition from the safety of your classroom with this space exploration simulation. Using simple models of the moon's surface prepared ahead of time by the teacher, young scientists are challenged with locating and...
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Activity
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Lunar and Planetary Institute

Oreo Moon Phases

For Teachers 2nd - 7th Standards
Learning about the moon has never tasted delicious! Using the popular Oreo cookie as a model, young scientists carve out the cream filling to represent the different phases of the moon.