Curated OER
The Sun, Moon, and Our Solar System: Teacher/Student Notes
Introduce basic Earth and space science to your budding astronauts. This handout works in two ways, the first part provides information about the sun, moon, eclipses, and Earth to be read to or by the class. The second part is composed...
Curated OER
The Layers of the Sun
Here is an excellent worksheet on the layers of the sun. Each of the pages has an illustration of sun with the layer highlighted. There are lines underneath the drawing which are used to write the definition of the layer.
Curated OER
Suited for Space
A fantastic instructional activity on survival in outer space should excite your learners! Pupils explore the challenges that living, working, and surviving in space elicit. They focus on the spacesuit itself; how it protects astronauts,...
Curated OER
Discovering Saturn, The Real "Lord of the Rings"
Reading, writing, and rings! A lesson from NASA combines space science with authentic reading and writing tasks. Included in this lesson are pre-reading activities, four mini informational booklets on Saturn, a structured note-taking...
Curated OER
Destination Outer Space
Students investigate space travel. In this space travel instructional activity students examine space exploration history, engineers and scientists involved in space exploration, and Newton's third law of motion. Students make rockets.
Curated OER
Wright Again: 100 Years of Flight
Aspiring aeronautical engineers demonstrate different forces as they construct and test paper airplanes. This lesson plan links you to a website that models the most effective paper airplane design, an animation describing the forces...
Curated OER
Planetary Place Value
Third graders explore place value to the ten thousands place. This incredibly thorough, 24-page lesson has learners construct, order, and compare numbers to 9,999. This three-day lesson includes reteaching and extension activities...
Curated OER
Out of this World: Inquiry-Based Teaching
Connect classroom learning with real-life experiences by using photographs and data taken by the Mars Pathfinder.
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
Class Activity: Satellite Tracker
Demonstrate how the Skywatch website works, locating your city via The International Space Station. Have cooperative groups use string and a protractor to identify an azimuth. When each groups' height has been marked, you will have a...
Curated OER
Galaxy Adventure
Working in groups, learners create a mnemonic device, give an oral presentation, and create a pictorial representation of the correct sequence of the planets and asteroid belt from the sun. An assessment rubric is included in the lesson...
Curated OER
Dancing Lights
Students view artwork and navigate the Internet, and read books to learn about the Aurora Borealis. For this Northern Lights lesson, students complete a KWL and separate the facts from the myths about the Northern lights. Students...
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Mercury
After reading a short excerpt about Mercury, your class will answer four comprehension questions. The worksheet challenges them to fold over the paper and answer the questions without referring back to the excerpt. An answer sheet is...
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Mars
After reading a short excerpt about the planet named after the Roman god of war, Mars, your class will answer four comprehension questions. The activity challenges them to fold over the paper and answer the questions without referring...
Curated OER
What's Out There? Space Shuttle Exploration and Simulation
Students simulate life in space aboard the space shuttle. In this space exploration lesson, students work in small groups to model life aboard the space shuttle. Each student is given a job, conducts Internet research on space, and...
Curated OER
Star Stories
An unusually inventive and entertaining presentation awaits you and your class. The first few slides introduce the animals that certain constellations represent. There are also creative stories by other students of fictitious animals...
Curated OER
Planet PowerPoint Lesson
Looking for a good, technology-based science lesson for your 3rd graders? This lesson is worth a look! They will utilize PowerPoint to create a presentation for the class on a planet of their choice. They also use document cameras, a...
Curated OER
Planets on Parade
Review all of the planets in our solar system with this informative PowerPoint. Each planet is listed on its own slide, accompanied by facts and an image. There are three multiple choice question listed at the end of the presentation.
Curated OER
Chalkboard Challenge: Science Vocabulary
Review science vocabulary with your students using this Jeopardy-style PowerPoint. Categories for this game include: Solar System, Plants, Weather, Cells, and Rocks. There are a total of 25 clues; five for each category.
NASA
How Rockets Work
Now, that's some fire power! A five-page handout provides a description of the basics of how rockets work. The reading explains Newton's Laws of Motion by beginning with defining some of the important terms. The article finishes by...
NASA
Pop! Rocket Launcher
How do I build a launcher to launch paper rockets? A teacher reference provides directions in order to build a rocket launcher out of PVC pipe and a two-liter bottle. The plans also contain directions on how to use the launcher.
NASA
Heavy Lifting
Accept NASA's challenge to design heavy lifting vehicles. Groups of three design balloon-powered rockets to carry as much payload to the ceiling as possible. The teams are encouraged to launch several times while making improvements to...
NASA
3...2...1...Puff!
Which will make it fly better? Individuals build paper rockets with fins that are launched using straws. After determining an average flight distance, they make adjustments, such as size and location of fins, and try again. A second...
NASA
What Comes Next
Where is NASA going next with their rockets? A reading provides an overview of the next generation of rockets for space exploration. A full-page diagram gives the reader a scaled perspective of what this rocket may look like, for both...