Graphic
PBS

The Planets of the Solar System

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Launch a lesson that's sure to capture middle schoolers' interest! Exploration enthusiasts examine the planets of our solar system using an activity from PBS's Space series. The resource includes images and information for each planet,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar Kit Lesson #7 - Positioning Solar Panels I: Explorations with Tracking

For Teachers 6th - 9th
In this first part of a two-part lesson, learners track and record the sun's azimuth using a solar panel. They graph and analyze the data to identify relationships among the time of day, the altitude and azimuth of the sun, and the...
Interactive
McGraw Hill

Extra Solar Planets Interactive

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
Studying what you can't see can be challenging. Discover how scientists use indirect measurements to prove the existence of planets and estimate their sizes. The introduction explains the symbiotic movement of planets and stars during an...
Unit Plan
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NASA

The Science of the Sun

For Teachers K - 6th Standards
There's more to that glowing ball of light in sky than most children realize. From the overall structure of the solar system, to the changing of the seasons, these hands-on lessons open the eyes of young scientists to...
Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

Planet X

For Students 8th Standards
How did the earth become the mass that it is now? Your young scientists explore this question through the concept of density. Their inquiries consider the impact of gravity on the formation of planets. The culminating activity of the...
Lesson Plan
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PBS

Lessons - Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Volcanoes are among the most spectacular geological features on the planet. Jump into an exploration of these amazing phenomenon with this multimedia lesson series. Working collaboratively in small groups, young scientists view videos...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making Models of the Solar System

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Learners make several models of the solar system to learn the positions of the planets in the solar system as well as relative distances and sizes. Creation of these models will help them identify the planets by size, shape, color,...
Lesson Plan
NASA

Let's Investigate Mars

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Take your science class on a hypothetical field trip to Mars with an engaging astronomy lesson. After first learning about NASA's Mars rover missions, young scientists plan their own scientific investigations of Earth's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's Your Favorite Planet?

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders, after listing the nine planets and their differences, choose one planet as their favorite. From the information acquired on each students favorite planet, they make a graph illustrating their favorites and then transform...
Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Exploring the Planets

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students study robotic spacecrafts that have provided detailed information about the inner and outer planets. For this exploring the planets lesson plan, students use posters and diagrams to study the various robotic spacecraft sent to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Physics of the Planets: How 16th and 17th Century Physicist Helped Us Understand Our Solar System

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders draw the paths of the planets in the solar system. In this astronomy lesson, 8th graders calculate speed of objects using distance and time information. They research about the work of scientists in the 16th and 17th century.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Planet: Black Carbon - a Dusty Situation

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Introduce your young meteorologists to black carbon produced by the burning of fossil fuels by showing the video, "Changing Planet: Black Carbon." Viewers discover that deposition of this carbon on polar ice impacts the absorption of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Planet: Permafrost Gas Leak

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Pair earth scientists up to use an amazing online arctic portal mapping tool and Google Earth to analyze permafrost changes. They compare changes to data on atmospheric concentrations of methane to see if there is a correlation. Then...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changes Inside Planets

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Learners relate meteorites to the mantle and crust of asteroids.  In this planetary lesson students complete experiments to model the separation of light.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Intriguing Star, the Sun!

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Explore the sun in a lesson plan about space. The lesson spans ten weeks, with students performing activities to answer weekly questions about the Sun and Earth.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Makes a Habitable Planet?

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students list conditions necessary for humans to survive. They then mix yeast with a nutrient broth consisting of warm water and table sugar in a plastic bottle, capping it with a party balloon and compare the factors within the bottle...
Lesson Plan
NASA

Mystery Planet

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
What can one learn about a planet based on a small surface sample? Learners will explore artifacts from a mystery planet and see what they can determine about the planet based on the evidence in front of them. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Planet: The Case of the Leaky Gyre

For Teachers 7th - 10th
The fascinating video "Changing Planet: Fresh Water in the Arctic," introduces your oceanographers to the world's gyres. They learn that melting sea ice is making the gyres larger, and that the changes could, in turn, contribute even...
Lesson Plan
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California Academy of Science

Our Hungry Planet: Design Thinking Challenge

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
Scholars investigate an issue associated with food systems and design their own solutions. Working collaboratively, they follow each step in the design process to complete the 10th lesson of the 13-part Our Hungry Planet series.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Planet: The Warming of Our Large Lakes - Reasons for Concern

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Another A+ lesson on the impact of climate change comes to you from the National Earth Science Teachers Association. In this installment, learners model the stratification of water in lakes due to temperature differences. The lab also...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Planet: Ocean Acidification - the Chemistry is Less than Basic!

For Teachers 7th - 10th
A video and laboratory investigation are highlights to this lesson on acidification of ocean water due to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. Using bromothymol blue (BTB) as an indicator, pupils analyze the amount of carbon dioxide...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Poetic Planet - Writing Poems about the Earth

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
As a way to combine language arts and science, try this instructional activity on writing cloud poetry. Begin by showing a PowerPoint presentation and images of cloud types. Take meteorology masters outdoors to explore the sky using the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Planet: Withering Plants - Stressing Over Lost Water

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Expectant earth scientists examine the bottom side of a leaf and learn the role of the stomata. They consider the gas exchange that occurs through these structures and relate how the climate is changing to its impact on food crops. This...
Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Changing Planet: Sea Levels Rising

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Begin by showing a six-minute video, Changing Planet: Rising Sea Level as an anticipatory set. Pupils draw a topographic map of a potato continent. Finally, they will visit NOAA's sea levels online map and NASA's carbon dioxide...

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