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Sculpt-a-Planet
Learners study the moon and the planets. They create a painted, paper mache moon or planet sculpture.
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Learning Lesson: The Shadow Knows I
Students examine the elevation of the sun to discover the changes in seasons. They observe and measure the length of their shadow. They compare this measurement to one taken four months later.
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Learning Lesson: The Shadow Knows II
Students discover and practice how to calculate the circumference of the Earth. They measure the length of their shadows and use the distance they are away from the equator to complete the calculations. They discuss winter or summer...
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Fall Lesson Plans
Fall lesson plans can combine science, history, and writing into an enticing combination.
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The Climate Change Skeptic's Argument: Natural Solar Cycles or Human Activity?
Teachers explore patterns in sunspots and total solar irradiance to understand the counterpoint to the human effect of global warming. In this professional development tool, teachers work through a lesson plan on the sun's natural...
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Science Videos
Young scholars plan, practice, and act in a 2-3 minute videotaped production about a specific topic. Students from a local high school give presentations pertaining to seasons, earth rotation, and moon phases. Young scholars analyze the...
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How Does the Loss of Ozone Affect Our Climate
Students explore the greenhouse effect and what it does to the environment. They discuss if and how human behavior contributes to global warming and test natural materials for carbon content.
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Our Sky Clock
Students explore space science by completing a worksheet in class. In this astronomy lesson, students discuss and identify star patterns in the night sky and relate these patterns to the approximate time they appear. Students complete an...
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To Drink or Not to Drink?
Second graders compare water conservation issues as they impact the past, present, and future in Nevada. In this water conservation lesson, 2nd graders perform and ice experiment to comprehend water collection differences. Students...
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Astronomy Merit Badge
Students explore astronomy through the Starry Night Constellation Adventure software. They print star charts and identify constellations. They sketch the Big Dipper and describe the Milky Way. They list the five most visible planets and...
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Making Sense Of A Round World On A Flat Surface
Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the development of geography skills. They take part in a number of activities that center around finding and traveling to different locations. The lesson has resource links that can be...
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Life Cycle of a Butterfly
In this activity on the life cycle of the butterfly, students look at 4 pictures representing the life cycle stages, and choose words from a word box that match each picture. Students then number the pictures in the correct order of life...
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Solar System: Let's Take a Trip
Third graders consider outer space. In this introductory solar system lesson, 3rd graders complete a KWL chart and listen to the story The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System, by Joanna Cole & Bruce Degen. They will contribute...
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Wonderful, Wild Weather
Learners study the different types of weather, how it affect what they wear, and how it is related to the seasons. They compare the seasons and tell how they prepare for the change in seasons. They design a creative presentation about...
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Exploring the Night Sky: Fall/Winter
Students explain how moon phases occur. They explain three ways that the night sky has been used through history. Students locate some of the constellations in the night sky. They discuss stories and myths surrounding stars.
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Phases of the Moon: Cooperative Learning
Third graders examine the phases of the moon. In this moon phase instructional activity, 3rd graders listen to a read aloud of The Moon Seems to Change by Franklyn M. Branley and discuss the phases of the moon. They complete a moon phase...
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Building a Scale Model
Third graders create a model of the solar system. In this solar system lesson, 3rd graders create a scale model of the solar system. Working in pairs students solve mathematical problems to correctly measure the distance each planet is...
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The Solar System
Students describe the different bodies that make up our solar system, explain the place of our solar system within the Milky Way Galaxy and the universe, explain day and night and the Earth's movement, and describe the relationship...
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Ride the Tide
Students examine the cause-and-effect relationship between tides and the rocky coast ecosystem. They complete a worksheet that illustrates the intertidal zone.
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Plop! Plop! Fizz! Fizz!
Fourth graders study physical and chemical weathering. They explain how the processes of weathering and erosion change and move materials that become soil. They create a K-W-L chart to show what they know and list what else they would...
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Working on the Moon
Students take a mission to the moon. In this space science lesson plan, students visit selected websites to discover information about Earth's moon and the solar system. Students may take virtual missions to the moon and share...
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Objects in the Sky
Young scholars explore what the sky looks like at different times. They identify objects in the sky and recognize changes over time. Students observe the sky and look for objects that are common in both the daytime and the nighttime sky.
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Weather-Air Temperature
Pupils complete activities to learn about changing air temperature. In this air temperature lesson, students study various ways to measure air temperature and learn factors that influence temperature. Pupils study the weather in a...
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My Place In Space
The purpose of this unit is for students to make the rich set of connections between astronomy and the rest of science and technology, language arts, cultural studies (social studies), math, art, and music.