Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mission Survival

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students determine ways to survive the extreme conditions of Antarctica. For this space and earth sciences lesson, students work as a group to determine how to survive after a plane crash in Antarctica. They relate...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Comet's Tale

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students gain an introduction to comets by viewing many examples on websites imbedded in this plan. They discover the origin of comets, what effect they have on Earth and they construct an example of a comet in class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Satellites and the Radiation Budget

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students engage in a prelab discussion about the earth's radiation budget and global warming. They use "trading cards" to find specific websites to research radiation budget questions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

LIFE IN SPACE Human Body: An Un-Earthly Home

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students examine an effect of zero gravity on the human body using a baby food jar, balloons and a jar with a large mouth.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Spaceship Earth

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students consider the earth and its problems as a system. They examine the fragility of that system when population, pollution, 1st world verse 3rd world, terrorism, etc., are considered as interactive parts of a spaceship earth.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Can a Spacecraft Always Face the Sun?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students determine the correct orbital path for a satellite that collects data about the sun so that its view of the sun never be obstructed by the Earth.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Astronauts Train in Deep-Space Brine

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students examine an article on astronauts training in deep space brine then discuss what they learned.  In this investigative lesson students get into groups and design an exercise that includes isolation, silence and conflict...
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Earth's Ecosystems

For Students 6th - 11th
In this ecosystem worksheet, students complete 6 short answer questions and complete 10 word puzzles about marine and land ecosystems.
Unit Plan
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NASA

The Atmospheric Filter

For Teachers 5th - 8th
What is the difference between a comet and a meteoroid? An educational lesson includes five demonstrations of how the atmosphere can inhibit our ability to measure many things in the galaxy. 
Lesson Plan
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University of Colorado

Astro-Chronology

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Class members play a version of the game Chronology to determine when certain scientific events occurred in history. Teams play until someone has 5-10 events in the correct order.
Lesson Plan
Messenger Education

Look But Don’t Touch—Exploration with Remote Sensing

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
Mars is home to the tallest mountain in our solar system, Olympus Mons. In this set of two activities, learners review geologic land formations through the analysis of aerial maps. They then apply this knowledge to aerial maps of objects...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change

For Teachers 1st - 12th
Learners analyze the impact of climate variability and change utilizing a broad span of topics over a wide range of grade levels. This three lesson unit is easily adapted for the various instructional levels listed.
Activity
Consortium for Ocean Leadership

Measure for Measure

For Teachers 5th - 8th
How does your class measure up? Young scientists create a scale drawing of the JOIDES Resolution in a collaborative activity. The lesson incorporates mathematical principles with deep-sea exploration to focus on enhancing measurement...
Lesson Plan
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Teach Engineering

The Amazing Red Planet

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Introduce your class to Mars with a resource that provides information about its size, location, length of day, length of year, number of moons, and average temperature. Also includes is information about the lans for past...
PPT
Glynn County School System

Cosmology

For Students 6th - 12th
The past, the present, and the future ... there's so much to discover about the galaxy. Scholars learn about the creation of the universe, its current structure, and how it is changing. The PowerPoint presentation begins with a...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Flip Books!

For Students 3rd - 6th
These aren't exactly worksheets, but rather a selection of pdf files of different atmospheric or solar events. Print your chosen pdf file for each aspiring astronomer in your class, have them cut out the individual mini pages, arrange...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Interplanetary Travel Guide

For Teachers 4th - 6th
In groups of six, middle school space scientists create an imaginative travel brochure for attracting visitors to the planet Mars. Information must include surface features and atmospheric conditions. Although time-consuming, this is a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Galaxies

For Teachers 4th - 6th
The first thing to note is that this lesson plan was written for use in a parochial school. Even if you are in a non-religious setting, however, the website exploration of galaxies and the accompanying worksheet make for an engaging...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lunar Learning

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students learn about the phases of the moon. In this moon phases instructional activity, students learn about what causes the moon to look different to us everyday and how the Earth and Sun's position determine what phase the moon is in.
Lesson Plan
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BioEd Online

Gravity and Buoyancy

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Would a baggie filled with water have the same shape sitting on a table as it would in a bucket of water? Why not? Allow learners to find out first-hand the effects of gravity acting alone on the baggie, as well as when gravity is...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Groundwater Movement

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Students study groundwater movement beneath the surface of the Earth. In this agriculture lesson, students experiment with how water moves through rock materials such as sand, gravel, and clay.
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Watching Crystals Grow

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Amazing science can sometimes happen right before your eyes! The class gets cozy as they watch crystals grow. They use Epsom salts, rocks, and food coloring to create crystals. They'll observe the entire process, documenting every step...
Activity
San Francisco Symphony

Lesson Ideas for Any Music

For Teachers K - 12th
Music is a wonderful tool you can add to enhance the learning process for every subject. Here is a list of music selections that are categorized by subject, along with some neat teaching suggestions. You'll find songs suited to...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Break the Code: Astronomy

For Students 4th - 8th
Here is a quick puzzle-style worksheet for your aspiring astronomers. A code is printed at the top of the page and learners use it to fill in the blanks describing different phenomena or objects in outer space. The material does not even...