Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Planet Line-Ups

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Should Pluto be considered a planet or a dwarf planet? Scholars research planets in our solar system to understand their similarities and differences. It also includes memory activities related to the order of the planets. 
Lesson Plan
University of Colorado

Looking Inside Planets

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Researchers use scientific data to understand what is inside each of the planets. The first in a series of six, this instructional activity builds off of that concept by having pupils use a data table to create their own scale models of...
Lesson Plan
Journey Through the Universe

A Scale Model Solar System

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Between the time scientists discovered Pluto and reclassified it as a dwarf planet, it did not even make one full revolution around the sun. In two activities, scholars investigate scale models and their properties. Pupils find that it...
Lesson Plan
Voyage Solar System

Round and Round We Go — Exploring Orbits in the Solar System

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Math and science come together in this cross-curricular astronomy lesson plan on planetary motion. Starting off with a hands-on activity that engages the class in exploring the geometry of circles and ellipses, this lesson...