Determine what young pupils already know about earth science with a brainstorming activity. After class members work together to complete a KWL chart about the Earth, they craft an acrostic poem to demonstrate their understanding.

Springboard your fourth and fifth graders into the study geologic time. They will complete 7 activities to learn about geologic time and the topics most often associated with it: astronomy, creation, planet formation, volcanology,...

Part of a unit on Arizona's biotic communities, this lesson focuses on the vocabulary to be used. Terms include biodiversity, topography, desert, hybridization, niche, and more! Youngsters will define these words from contextual...

How do scientists know the difference between a meteorite from space and a regular rock from the earth? Scholars read a passage and answer comprehension questions about the creation of the solar system. They extrapolate the main ideas to...

The Grand Canyon formed between five and six million years ago, but is it still changing? Scholars explore 10 sites in the United States, including the Grand Canyon, to better understand the geoscience processes that formed these...

Come take a ride on the space bus! Scholars go on an imaginary trip to pick up their peers from the inner and outer planets while reinforcing math skills. First, learners round decimals to identify each planets' distance from Earth....

A read-aloud anthology focuses on Earth's history. Over three weeks, young scholars listen to and discuss stories about the layers of the Earth, minerals, fossils, different kinds of rocks, and dinosaurs. After the lesson's text, each...

Students explore the solar system.  For this solar system science lesson, students choose 3 out of 12 centers to visit, each of which contains an activity related to the planets. The station activities are designed to address...

First graders learn the basic needs of plants and identify geometric shapes while planting a fall garden. Combining math and science in one lesson, the resource guides kids through starting their class garden as they...

First graders identify and explore the four inner planets. In this planet science lesson, 1st graders watch a PowerPoint about the planets. Students read the book Our Solar System and discuss the inner planets. Students create a book...

Young scholars explore their weight on other planets. For this science lesson, students view a presentation about the other planets and complete a worksheet in which they make predictions about their weight on the moon and other planets.

Students analyze their knowledge about the solar system. In this solar system review instructional activity, students look at a picture of the solar system on the SMART Board, name them in order, and are able to identify the sun as the...

Students complete an in-depth study of the known planets in the solar system. As a class, students identify the planets that are known in the universe, in the night sky. They explain the differences between planets and stars and the...

Students investigate how tides affect sea life. For this video based lesson, students view a video on how tides affect sea life. They do web-based research to find the answers to a series of questions and then play Tidal Trivia to test...

New Horizons began its journey to Pluto in 2006. Ten years later, it continues its mission. In that time, scholars have surely grown, but how much more will they grow by the time New Horizons reaches its destination? Find out with an...

Winter, spring, summer, and fall—take the learning of the seasons beyond the elementary level to the middle school classroom. Curious learners begin by watching videos about the seasons and the rotation of planet Earth. Then,...

Young scholars participate in various hands-on activities to visually demonstrate the positions of the planets from the sun. Then they draw a pictorial representation of the order of planets from the sun.

Students use various ball skills to reinforce the names of the planets, their order in relation to the sun, and the revolving of the planets around the sun.

Kindergartners identify geometric shapes by planting a fall garden. They start their seeds in containers that have different shapes, and keep track of their plants based on those shapes. This brilliantly designed and incredibly thorough...

Use the Internet, write an expository text, and have students share their knowledge of the planets in our solar system. They compose an expository writing piece and publish it to a web page.

Scientists are always sorting and classifying objects based on their characteristics. In a hands-on learning activity, young space explorers work together to categorize solar system cards based on their properties. It is up to the...

A passage about an astronomy lesson may leave readers starstruck. Fifth graders read about a class's exploration into the makeup of the galaxy and its constellations before answering six questions about the terms and vocabulary...

Students review the concept of respect and that they should respect, not only themselves, but those around them. They comment on some example pictures in which the environment is NOT being respected and decide what should have been done...

Sixth graders explore the concept of biodiversity.  In this biodiversity instructional activity, 6th graders discover a variety of planets and animals that live in forests, and how a rotting log benefits that environment. ...