Lesson Plan
Curated OER

As the World Turns

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read books and participate in class discussions about the motion of the stars and planets and moons in relation to the Earth. In small groups, 3rd graders act out these movements to music.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Home in the Milky Way

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students gain appreciation of the vastness of our galaxy by viewing an applet about the Milky Way. Students hypothesize about how long it would take to get from Earth to Pluto.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Yin And Yang

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students examine the symbols of change, Heaven and Earth, as expressed in Chinese art and literature in this High School lesson plan. Evaluation is accomplished through a short, small-group research project.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ourselves

For Teachers K - 1st
Students use a website to name and compare external body parts of humans and other animals.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar System Hall Model

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Clay Planets

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Have your class learn about the solar system using this hands on technique. Learners review what they know about the planets, and create a clay model of the solar system. There are a list of resource links to make this lesson a complete...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sweet Candy Comets

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders use candy to make a comet. In this lesson, 4th graders examine the role comets have played throughout history, students watch NASA videos about comets and complete the lesson by making an edible model of a comet. This...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Mathematical Dynamics of Celestial Navigation and Astronavigation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the different methods used in celestial Navigation and astronavigation. In this math lesson, students construct a sextant and demonstrate how it works.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tides - The Ins and Outs of Tides

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Get your junior oceanographers to generate tidal prediction graphs on an interactive website. They will feel like experts in the field, or shall we say, experts in the ocean! This is a brief, but worthwhile activity that could be used to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sky Watching

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explain how our knowledge of the sky has been enhanced by telescopes. They make their own night-sky observations, diagram and describe what they see, and examine pictures taken by telescopes.
Lesson Plan
BBC

Ourselves

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Young biologists identify parts of the body, sort humans from other animals, and list the difference they see. Learners are split up into groups of three, and each group must find pictures in magazines of humans and other animals. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Flying Through the Solar System

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners create a model of the solar system out of candy. They write a book about their travels through the Solar System, beginning at age ten and reaching Pluto at age seventy.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sky Watching

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students complete night-sky observations to understand how our knowledge of the sky has been enhanced by telescopes. Students complete a timeline worksheet giving the history of telescopes. Students then then make their own observations...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scientist Tracking Network

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Students correlate surface radiation with mean surface temperature of several geographic regions. They observe how these parameters change with latitude and construct an understanding of the relationship of solar radiation to seasonal...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scale Model of the Solar System

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students explore the size of the planets. In this science lesson plan, students create a scale model of the solar system. Students determine a scaling factor and calculate the size of their planets. Students create a scale drawing of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sky Watching

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners examine telescopes and understand how they have helped us better understand the sky.  For this astronomy lesson students complete a worksheet and a lab activity.
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Planetary Cereal Project

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders decorate an empty cereal box with information and games showing their comprehension of factual information about an assigned planet. This is a nice, creative lesson about the solar system.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Climate Comparison

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore climate regions. For this climate lesson, students examine the climate regions of Alaska as well as the state of Hawaii. Students research selected Internet sources to gather information regarding the climates present in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plan a Mission to Recently Discovered Planet

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Pupils plan a mission to a recently discovered planet. In this science lesson, students research spacecraft design, distances in space, long-term missions in space, and life-sustaining planets. Pupils work in groups to research an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Taking Risks: Drug and Alcohol Abuse

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students discuss a video about drug and alcohol abuse and their connection to risk-taking. They answer questions on a risk factor sheet about the use of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol. They discuss long and short term goals and how not...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Astronomy Teamwork

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers work together in groups to complete an astronomy project. In the classroom, they find real objects to represent various objects in the solar system. After going outside, they practice using a distance scale and use...
Handout
Other

Buzzle.com: Univer Savvy: Which Is Bigger the Earth or Sun?

For Students 4th - 6th
Find out what the diameter and volume of the Earth and the Sun are and learn just how much bigger the Sun is. Also explains how the Sun compares to the Moon.
Unit Plan
NASA

Nasa: Solar System Exploration

For Students 9th - 10th
Enter our solar system to interact with the planets, moons, asteroids, meteors, and more. Investigate with NASA scientists and explore missions related to space exploration. Read facts, compare statistics, look through resources, and...
Graphic
Other

All (Known) Bodies in Our Solar System Larger Than 200 Miles in Diameter

For Students 9th - 10th
How big is the Earth compared to the Sun? Is Mars bigger than the Moon? Seeing all bodies in the solar system larger than 200 miles in diameter side by side provides an excellent comparison and an interesting perspective.