Curated OER
Suited for Space
A fantastic lesson 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, and enables...
Curated OER
Gingerbread Spacecraft
Learners explore the different parts of the Cassini spacecraft. In this space science lesson, students create a model of the spacecraft using food products. They compare and contrast their model with the real one and evaluate its...
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Understanding Space Travel
Students study the unique environment of the moon and Mars. In this space science lesson, students design a city located in the outer space. They create a computer aided design, models or drawings of their cities and share them with the...
Curated OER
Modeling the Solar System
Students build a scaled model of the solar system. In this space science instructional activity, students arrange them according to their distances from the sun. They analyze each planet's unique features such as density and relative...
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Solar Arrays for the Space Station
Students explore the challenges that are faced when transporting materials into space. They review the various forms of energy, including solar arrays, that are used on the International Space Station and how generating this energy calls...
NASA
Space Shuttle Glider
Your charges will enjoy putting together this model of the space shuttle and completing the three challenge activities described in the lesson plan. The worksheets embedded in the plan that pupils use to cut out their gliders are...
NASA
Radiation Shielding on Spacecraft
Here is a terrific science lesson for your elementary schoolers. In it, learners analyze different materials to simulate space radiation shielding on spacecraft, then select the best material to use to build one. This is a classic...
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Space: Our Star, the Sun, and Its Friends, the Planets
Students examine the solar system. In this space lesson, students identify the order of the planets and their relative size to the sun. Students create a scale model of our solar system using a variety of household objects.
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Getting to Know Saturn: Moons, Rings, and Relationships
Students identify the different objects that orbit Saturn. In this space science lesson, students plot the graph of orbital speed and distance. They explain why planets and asteroids remain in orbit around the sun.
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Strange New Planet
Students simulate different spacecraft missions using materials provided. In this space science lesson, students observe and record a planetary model's features from a distance. They relate this activity to scientists' space exploration...
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Meteorites
Learners model how meteors fall to the surface of planets. In this space science lesson, students identify different types of meteorites using an interactive online website. They investigate the relationship between a meteorite's size...
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Probing Below the Surface of Mars
Students simulate the search for water in Mars using simple apparatus. In this space science lesson, students explain how soil temperature affects the cooling of probes. They graph the data collected from the simulation.
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Space Exploration to Find Habitable Planets
Learners explore space science by reviewing scientific vocabulary terms. In this planet identification lesson, students identify the nine planets in our solar system and discuss which ones could potentially harbor life at some point....
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Solar System Hall Model
Not novel, but fun, this lesson gets your space science learners to model the size of the planets and the solar system along your school's hallway. Scaled measurements as well as actual distances are provided for both planet diameters...
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Space Science: Zodiac Track
Learners create posters of the constellations using glow-in-the-dark glue and black paper. They hang their posters around the room starting with Aries and moving through all the signs. Students create a jingle or acronym to help them...
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Earth's Movement in Space
Students explain how the Earth's tilt and rotation causes night and day. In this earth science lesson, students determine how seasonal changes are caused by Earth's revolution. They play a jeopardy team game at the end of the unit to...
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Meteor, Meteoroid, Meteorite: What's the Difference?
Students explore the difference between a meteor, meteorite and meteoroid. In this space science lesson, students first read information about these space bodies. Students make Comet Cookies and use them to model a meteor shower with a...
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Robot Earth
Young scholars construct a simple robotic energy transformer. In this space science lesson, students explain how energy is transformed from one form to another. They identify the different uses of robotic devices.
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Astronomy and Me: Moons Over New Haven
Third graders study the features of different moons orbiting the planets. In this astronomy lesson plan, 3rd graders explore the different phases of the moon using an interactive online website. They compare and contrast the features of...
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People and Space
Learners eat dehydrated foods that the astronauts would eat in space. In this dehydrated foods lesson plan, students make lists of food they could eat, discuss how dehydration takes place, eat food, and complete discussion questions.
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Earth Science Astronomy Unit: Seasons on Earth
Eighth graders describe how the Earth's position causes seasonal changes. In this astronomy instructional activity, 8th graders explain how solar radiation varies depending on the season. They create a collage or poster on each of the...
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Design a Space Station
Sixth graders investigate living in space. In this science lesson, 6th graders discuss what it is like to live in space and create their own space station or space city of the future.
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The Earth in Space
Students use computer images to explain why the Earth has seasons and examine the phases of the moon. They create 3-D images and present them to the class. They answer a series of questions at the end of the lesson.
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The Story of the Solar System
There is more to the solar system than the typical study of the sun and planets. Launch a study of asteroids, meteoroids, and comets by watching the video The Story of the Solar System, available for purchase through this resource on the...