Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Clouds

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students explore clouds.  In this weather lesson plan, students identify the steps in the water cycle, define condensation and evaporation, and relate this information to cloud formation.  Students perform a cloud experiment,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Leap of Space

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Students explore how smaller systems exist within larger systems as they build a collage of their place in space! Invite the students to display their posters and talk about their systems and systems of systems.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Got Space?

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students explore our solar system of planets through research and activities. Using cooperative grouping and interaction, students gain an understanding of how the characteristics of the planets differ from one another.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planet Discovery and Identification

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students explore the internet world of Second Life and create a portfolio about the planets in our solar system. In this planets lesson plan, students provide many facts about 1 specific planet.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scientific Notation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the concept of expressing numbers in scientific notation. In this scientific notation lesson, students understand the importance of using scientific notation by finding real world examples where scientific notation is...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Destination Mars

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students study Mars and what it would take to man a mission there.  In this solar system lesson students view a video and complete an art activity in groups. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth's Revolution and Rotation

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders investigate the regular motions of the sun, Earth and the moon and explain how these are related to days, years, seasons, eclipses, tides and moon cycles. They participate in an exercise where they explore the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life in Space: International Space Station

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the potential challenges of living in space.  In this investigative instructional activity students search the Internet to locate 16 nations that are working together to build the Independent Space Station, then...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Discovering Local Food Chains

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study about food chains. With the assistance of a local biologist, Students hike the school trail system. They explore ecosystem and collect data by charting the organisms found and identifying the energy source. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Melt Away

For Teachers K - 4th
Students explore objects before and after heating using their senses.  In this matter and energy lesson, students experiment with a variety of objects and use their senses (except taste) to make predictions and record observations...
Lesson Plan
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Exploring Space Fact

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students visit web sites to gather information about space and space exploration.
Lesson Plan
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Transportation Fuels: What Car Will You Drive?

For Teachers 7th
How many different types of biofuels are out there? Seventh graders watch a series of videos and participate in a series of activities in order to better understand all the transportation options available. They consider what type of car...
Worksheet
NASA

Auroras

For Students 7th - 9th
In this auroras worksheet, students define 11 terms related to space phenomena such as auroras, coronal mass ejections and auroral ovals. Students use a given website to help them define the terms and they write a 500 word essay about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Distance in Space

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore space science by measuring distances between planets. In this solar system lesson, 6th graders view a Bill Nye video and discover the conversion between the metric system and imperial measuring systems. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Can We Live Here? Life In Extreme Environments

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the limits of life on Earth to extend their beliefs about life to include its possibility on other worlds. They investigate three hypothetical environments and the bacterial life forms that could exist on Earth.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Searching For Protoplanetary Disks

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners download NASA Hubble Space Telescope views of star-forming regions in nebulae and look for evidence of planetary systems forming beyond our own solar system. They hypothesize about mysterious objects in NASA HST images.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Space Exploration to Find Habitable Planets

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students 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....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's Up? Astronomy Curriculum

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students study astronomy. In preparation for a field trip to a planetarium, students discuss the stars, planets, and light. They explore the importance of the north star and constellations. The Digitarium system is used to assist the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reflection and Absorption of Light

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students use a microcomputer connected to a light sensor and temperature probe to explore the reflection and absorption of radiation for different surfaces. Students follow instructions in this guided inquiry based lab and are then asked...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ellipse

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore the concept of ellipses including finding the center, vertices's, foci and eccentricity. They assess how to graph elliptical functions and solve application problems involving ellipses. This assignment is to be completed...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Modeling Patterns and Cycles in Our Lives

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students explore how building a model can help them better understand the natural world. They identify common cycles or patterns in nature as well as examples of models in the classroom. After discussion, they choose a pattern or cycle...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

A Season for Chapters

For Teachers 2nd Standards
Art, music, poetry, and the beauty of the seasons is what you'll find in this very nice unit idea. You can use any of the suggested books and activities to engage your second graders in an exploration of the changes that take place...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mars Calendar Project

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars design a calendar that displays time on Mars. They explore the differences between time on Earth and time on Mars while making the calendar.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Soaring Through Space With a Kid Pix Slide Show

For Teachers 1st
First graders create a slide show on Kid Pix about space. In this space lesson plan, 1st graders will explore the earth, sun, moon, and planets. After exploring their motions and locations around the sun, they create a 4 page slide show...