Students discuss the benefits of the International Space Station. They evaluate the challenges the designers faced when trying to design the space station. Students discuss the use of scale models when designing large structures and...

Students, working in groups, research planets in terms of the size, temperature, number of moons, and potential for life. They use packets and worksheets as guides for their research. Students may role-play as aliens visiting their...

Students examine space exploration and its domination by governments as well as the fact that some private businesses want to explore space too. They investigate the ethical questions surrounding a space exploration through research and...

Set the timer for five minutes (or less), and distribute this resource to your class. There's a very short reading passage followed by a set of three questions. What a great tool in prepping your class for upcoming state testing. 

People have been using solar energy for many generations to dry crops, heat homes, and for light. This presentation explains how now it is possible to capture the solar energy and store it for future use, details how and where...

Did you know every state in the U.S. has at least one observatory? During the instructional activity, scholars research the cost of building and maintaining an observatory. They must present their information in a proposal to build a new...

The classic "Egg Drop Activity" is described in this fine science lesson plan. Young scientists work together to design a container that will protect the eggs inside of it when dropped from a high place. Lots of good scientific...

Middle schoolers explore Global Positioning Systems.

Students compare and contrast the voyages of early explorers with the space explorations of the present day. After reading the biographies of Benjamin Banneker and Timothy Livengood, students create a Venn Diagram comparing and...

Young scholars tudy space and what it takes to be an explorer.  In this space explorer lesson students examine the characteristics of explorers and create an exploration log. 

Students complete a unit of lessons on the four seasons. They examine the effect each season has on plants, animals, and people during the actual season, read magazine and newspaper articles, and create a calendar and poster about each...

Charon, the largest of Pluto's moons, was discovered in 1978. Lesson is a walk through of how to solve for the phases of Charon. It uses two different points on Pluto and takes into account the tilt of the pole, the rotational axis, and...

Students, viewing an Internet site, plot the path of several satellites using latitude and longitude over the course of an hour. They learn the four basic types of satellites and their purpose.

Students explore the significance of the four space programs: Sputnik, Apollo, Viking, and Voyager. In this space exploration lesson plan, students view a space exploration slideshow and complete an included chart of space exploration.

In this cosmic rays and solar cells instructional activity, learners read about how cosmic rays damage the electrical output of solar cells over time on satellites. Students use a graph of the solar power output compared to the year for...

Young scholars participate in an outdoor activity in which they make direct but safe observations of the Sun. Students use a solar cell and voltmeter apparatus to collect data on the amount of DC voltage produced by the solar cell...

Young scholars model how meteors fall to the surface of planets. In this space science instructional activity, students identify different types of meteorites using an interactive online website. They investigate the relationship between...

Students locate different places on globes and maps by learning about latitude and longitude lines. In this latitude and longitude lesson plan, students identify specific locations based on the degrees of latitude and longitude.

Students investigate the temperature and wind data locally, nationally, and internationally and compare these conditions to those on Mars. Conclusions are drawn about the differences of these conditions and the causes for the variance...

Students design and construct an experiment that will be launched into space aboard a NASA research shuttle. How better to gain and appreciation for (and, hopefully, a love of) scientific investigation than to do real science and be...

Students analyze an article written by an engineer at NASA proposing colonizing Mars with human explorers on the fastest track possible. They are invited to react to the article through several activities.

Sixth graders are introduced to the correct terminology for the phases of the moon and arrange picture cards in the correct order. They use flashlights and Styrofoam balls to illustrate the phases of the moon. They write science journal...

Third graders create a model of the moon and use a flashlight to illustrate the various stages of the moon.

Middle schoolers work in small groups to arrange moon phase cards into the correct sequence. The goal is to circle as many consecutive numbers as possible in two minutes.