Students experience the rotation of the Earth and the Sun and the Earth's revolution around the Sun, using a playground mode.

Pupils use a concrete model of the Sun and Earth to observe and manipulate a 3-D model of the Sun and Earth.

Students explore space science by completing a solar system identification worksheet. In this planets lesson, students discuss the different planets in our star system and identify their traits. Students complete an orbital system...

In this Earth worksheet, students review the characteristics of the Earth including it's rotation and revolution. This worksheet has 9 fill in the blank and 7 short answer questions.

Fly around the Martian surface. Pupils view a presentation on the planet Mars featuring a flyover that shows different views of the surface where rovers have landed and explored on different missions. As individuals watch the images, the...

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...

Sundials are more than just primitive clocks. Learners build their own sundials to study the location of the sun across the sky throughout the day. They use shadow evidence related to their sundials to make conclusions about solar movement.

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...

In this mass of the Moon worksheet, students use the lunar orbit and the orbit period to determine the mass of the Moon. They solve 4 problems including finding the mass of the Moon, determining the ratio of the Moon's mass to the...

Sixth graders investigate the phases of the moon. In this moon phase instructional activity, 6th graders discover that the moon changes in a cycle as it orbits Earth. Students label pictures of moon phases and keep a moon phase...

Students describe in words and graphic displays the elevation or depression profile of sections of Mars' Olympus Mons and/or Valles Marineris. They explain how orbiting spacecraft build up global maps one data slice at a time.

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...

In this altitude change of the International Space Station instructional activity, students observe a graph of the change in altitude of the space station over time due to the Earth's drag. Students solve 3 problems using the data in the...

In this math worksheet, young scholars read informational paragraphs and then answer 18 questions using data from their readings. Questions are about vectors, positions, distance and orbits.

Physics apprentices analyze the impact of NASA's Impactor as it collided with the comet Tempel 1 in July of 2005. They calculate the mass and speed of the comet, along with the distance it might drift off of its orbit over time. This...

Young scientists use a globe and a light to simulate the rotation of the earth and sun to show the seasons. Additionally, they simulate direct sunlight and indirect sunlight showing intensity of the sun, and answer questions based...

If you are looking for an outstanding lesson on the Moon for your budding astronomers, look no further! This outstanding plan is full of wonderful, meaningful activities for your charges to engage in. Pupils will discover why there are...

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...

The moon takes just over 27 days to orbit around Earth. Young scientists position themselves as the earth as they rotate around the sun and hold the moon. This allows them to observe the patterns and phases of the moon.

Students examine and study how changes in perspective can change the way that they can observe objects. They explore the relationship between a scene's area and its detail. Each student looks at the ground through cardboard tubes from...

Students study and discuss the planets. They create a visual representation of the layout of the solar system and color it. They also write an informative/narrative summary report on the cultural relevance of the Sun.

Middle schoolers prepare a creative demonstration of how Earth and Mars revolve around the Sun. In this astronomy lesson, students determine the different challenges engineers face when building spacecrafts. They draw possible paths for...

Students explore the challenges that are faced when transporting materials into space. They review the various forms of energy, including solar arrays, that are used on the International Space Station and how generating this energy calls...

Students derive the velocity in a circular orbit of any radius. They derive the Earth escape velocity and prove Kepler's 3rd law for circular orbits # A simple formula for the orbital period in a circular Earth orbit of given radius.