Curated OER
Eclipses
In this eclipses instructional activity, students are given diagrams of a solar and lunar eclipse. They fill in each diagram with given terms and color the diagram to indicate the process for each type of eclipse.
T. Smith Publishing
Earth
Young astronomers read an informational text passage and then answer questions based on what they read.
NASA
Seasonal Science: Building Claims from Evidence
A lot can change in a year! Investigators observe a video of Earth over the course of a year and complete a KWL chart. Astronomers view a second video, participate in a guided discussion, and discuss the rubric for successfully...
McGraw Hill
Eclipse Interactive
Give your classes a visual model of a rare phenomenon. Learners use an interactive activity to explore the connection of location, tilt, and size to the occurrence of an eclipse. Pupils consider both solar and lunar eclipses throughout...
Curated OER
Earth And Its Moon
In this earth and moon worksheet, students read 4 different statements about the placement of the earth and moon during different times. Students write in the effect of each of these statements. This worksheet is a graphic organizer.
Curated OER
Weather and Climate
It's hot today, but is that the weather or the climate? This colorful presentation isolates both concepts to allow for better understanding by covering the positioning of the planet, making comparisons of land versus water, and looking...
Curated OER
The Trip Around the Sun
Sixth graders investigate the relationship between the tilt of the Earth's axis and the seasons. In this earth science lesson plan, 6th graders sing the song "Why Do We Have Seasons" and use simulate the Earth's tilt by using their bodies.
Curated OER
Reason for the Seasons
Students study the seasons of the Earth. In this seasons lesson, students study the science of the seasons on Earth by studying the tilt and axis of the Earth's orbit. Students read background information and four experimental activities...
PBS
Experience a Solar Eclipse
Didn't catch the last solar eclipse? Now every day can be eclipse day, thanks to an interactive lesson from PBS' Space series for middle schoolers! The well-rounded multi-media experience includes video clips, an interactive, and...
Curated OER
Heating the Earth
Students explore how the angle of sunlight affects the Earth's temperature and seasons and then apply this understanding to their local situation.
Curated OER
Earth Science Astronomy Unit: Seasons on Earth
Eighth graders describe how the Earth's position causes seasonal changes. In this astronomy instructional activity, 8th graders explain how solar radiation varies depending on the season. They create a collage or poster on each of the...
Space Awareness
Climate Zones
The climate at the equator is hotter than the climate at the poles, but why? The lesson goes in depth, explaining how the angles of illumination relate to the heating rate at different latitudes and seasons. Scholars use a strong lamp,...
Curated OER
Earth and Seasons
Sixth graders comprehend that the path Earth takes as it revolves around the sun is called its orbit. They also comprehend that the axis is an imaginary line that passes through Earth's center and its North and South Poles. Students...
Curated OER
Day and Night
Fifth graders investigate the Earth's rotation and revolution and the moon's orbit around the Earth. They participate in a class discussion about how night and day occur, and take notes. Next, they watch a video about the solar system...
Vosonos
Interactive Minds: Solar System
Travel through space as you learn about the galaxy, solar system, planets, and much more. An extensive resource for studying astronomy in upper-elementary and middle school classrooms.
Curated OER
Catching Some Rays
Sixth graders explore the tilt of Earth's axis. In this Earth lesson plan, 6th graders read a Greek mythology story explaining why there are seasons. Students build a sun-ray gathering tool from styrofoam, glue, thermometers, skewers,...
Curated OER
Astronomy Test
In this astronomy test, students answer 50 true/false and multiple choice questions about the relationships of the earth, moon, and sun. The test also includes questions about the solar system, galaxies, and the universe. An answer key...
Curated OER
Apparent Motion of the Sun
Demonstrate the path of the sun across the sky at different times of the year with an engaging science lesson. Learners use a series of questions and diagrams to examine the movement of the sun and appearance of the sky around their...
Curated OER
Reasons for Seasons
Students investigate a model of the tilt of the Earth in its relationship to the Sun during the different seasons of the year. They study the solstices and equinoxes, while determining how sunlight hits the Earth with different angles in...
Curated OER
Seasons and Shadows: Investigate How Shadows Shift Throughout the Year
Pupils examine their shadows and why they are different in the summer and winter. In this seasons lesson students complete an activity to see how the earth's tilt on its axis changes the length of shadows.
Curated OER
Seasonal cycles
Young scholars understand that the rotation of the Earth is responsible for the seasons. In this seasonal cycles lesson, students learn how the rotation of the Earth affects the seasons. Young scholars answer questions about the...
Curated OER
Surface Air Temperature Trends of the Caribbean
Students use real satellite data to determine the changes in near-surface air temperature at different times of the year over the Caribbean Sea. They discover how Earth's tilt causes seasonal differences in incoming solar energy. They...
Curated OER
Season Worksheet #5
Sunrise, sunset, swiftly fly the years! Your earth scientists can also fly through a year of daylight data. They analyze a graph and then answer five multiple choice questions about the rising and setting of the sun, the total number of...
Curated OER
It's A Meteor
Students complete a webquest to find Earth's relationship to the sun. In this webquest lesson, students complete tasks to understand the effect of the sun on weather and time. Students create a multimedia presentation as an end product...