Curated OER
Exploring Mars
Students, working in small groups construct scale models of the planets and solar system. They examine images of Mars and discuss what might have caused the features. They record facts about their planetary research in their journals and...
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Observing the Sky
Students explore astronomy. In this astronomy activity, students discuss the history of the movement of celestial bodies and then communicate with other students regarding the movements that they observe in the sky nightly. Students...
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There Are So Many Stars
Students explore the night sky. In this astronomy lesson, students discover a song about the stars in the sky and participate in a flannel board activity pertaining to the song.
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Sky 2: Shadows
Students explore space science by participating in a shadow experiment. In this sky observation lesson plan, students identify how the sun creates different sized shadows by moving across the horizon. Students utilize yard sticks,...
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Azimuth and Altitude
Students use a compass and their hands to find positions of stars and planets in the night sky or of the sun during the day.
Curated OER
Galaxy Hunter - A Cosmic Photo Safari
Space science stars journey through our night sky and take virtual photos of galaxies to investigate simple random samples. Higher math is used to analyze the data collected. Copy the evaluation/assessment questions onto a handout for...
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
Goldilocks and the Three Planets
Venus is the second brightest object in the night sky after the moon. Here is an interesting lesson that explores three planets — Venus, Earth, and Mars — specifically their surfaces and atmospheres. Through an analysis of their spectra,...
Curated OER
Small Angle Calculations
Students work with circles, angles and estimating angles in the night sky. In this circles and angles lesson, students practice measuring a degree using the circumference of a circle and apply the degree to determine a way to use their...
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Ranger Rick's Observing Night Lights
In this Ranger Rick's observing night lights learning exercise, students observe and record the lights in their neighborhood at night and the effect on the environment.
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Zodiac Constellations
For this space science worksheet, students learn to identify the 12 constellations of the Zodiac. Students read the information and look at the detailed drawings of each constellation and when it is visible in the night sky.
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Guided Reading "In the Night Sky"
Pupils participate in a variety of reading exercises, such as choral reading and reading response journal, to reinforce concepts about space and nocturnal animals.
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Star Gazing: Understanding the night sky
Pupils observe star charts to understand the difference between a star and a planet. In this star lesson plan, students also explain why we see different stars at different times of the year.
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The Sky Show
Students use lecture and research to answer the question: Why is the sky blue? students research a variety of other sky phenomena, chart their observations and participate in experiments.
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Day and Night
Students using experiments try to demonstrate how observations can be affected by the cycles of night and day.
Toll Middle School
Create Your Own Constellation Mini-Project
When looking up at the night sky, there are many familiar constellations that most people can identify. However, someone had to point those out and create the related mythology. Put your pupils in the place of the creators and invite...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Galileo: Revealing the Universe
To gain an understanding of the significance of Galileo Galilei's revolutionary ideas, class members watch the short video "Stargazing Before Galileo," and conduct a close reading of Galileo's Sidereal Messsenger. They then compare...
Curated OER
Have you seen the man on the moon?
Students study about the phases of the moon and create a picture of the night sky. They use Super print or Kid Pix to create the picture. Students also decide if the picture they have chosen is good for seeing moon and stars or not.
Curated OER
Using a Starfinder
In this starfinder worksheet, 5th graders construct a starfinder in order to determine which stars are in the night sky on a given date and time. Students use their starfinder to answer 9 questions about the stars and constellations,...
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Size of Stars
Fifth graders draw constellations in the sky and use the brightness levels of stars to show how big they are. In this constellations lesson plan, 5th graders describe what they see in the night sky by discussing the star's distances.
Curated OER
Stellar Navigation
Middle schoolers are introduced to the concept of stellar navigation. Inside a portable digital planetarium they identify various stars that were used as a navigational tool. They go through several activities in which they attempt to...
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World In Motion Curriculum
Students explore the night sky and its solar system. Using a Digitarium planetarium system, students observe four constellations. They discover the phases of the moon and eclipses. Students recognize the difference between normal and...
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Sky 2: Shadows
students will explore making shadows and tracking the movement of an object over the course of a day to look for patterns. It is best to couple this shadow activity with reading the book, Bear Shadow, and making a map of Bear's...
Curated OER
The Longitude and Latitude of the Night Sky: Declination & Right Ascension
In this longitude and latitude activity, students identify and write in the correct hours, minutes, and seconds for right ascension. Then they identify and write the correct + or - degree in the space for declination or latitude. There...
Marcia's Science Teaching Ideas
Observing the Moon Activity
In this moon worksheet, students observe the moon on three consecutive nights and draw their observations. They answer questions about the phases of the moon and its position in the night sky. They identify the position of the sun, earth...