Messenger Education
Look But Don’t Touch—Exploration with Remote Sensing
Mars is home to the tallest mountain in our solar system, Olympus Mons. In this set of two activities, learners review geologic land formations through the analysis of aerial maps. They then apply this knowledge to aerial maps of objects...
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
Orbit Simulator
Researchers think they have evidence of a new planet deep in our solar system that is the size of Neptune and orbits the sun far beyond Pluto. The orbit simulator shows the orbits of our well-known planets, as well as Pluto and the comet...
University of Colorado
Are All Asteroids' Surfaces the Same Age?
There are more than 600,000 asteroids in our solar system. Pupils analyze images of two asteroids in order to determine if they are the same age. They count craters for each asteroid and compare numbers.
Glynn County School System
The Outer Planets
Are outer planets just like inner planets? Nope! The outer planets are much more spread apart than the inner planets. An informative PowerPoint presentation shows why this is true as well as facts about the individual planets in the...
Mr. Jones's Science Class
Planet Presentation
Upper-elementary astronomers take on the role of interplanetary real estate salesmen. They research an assigned planet and create a PowerPoint to persuade the rest of the class to purchase property and move there. This fun project would...
Curated OER
Solar System
In this Solar System worksheet, 5th graders demonstrate knowledge of parts of the Solar System. Students unscramble letters to list these parts.
Curated OER
Craters!
Eighth graders examine the formation of craters. In this craters lesson plan, 8th graders discover the various energies involved in the formation of a crater, where you can find a crater in the Solar System, and observations of craters...
NASA
Moon Phases and Eclipses
Starry-eyed astronomers draw different views of the Moon in order to introduce its phases. Then they experiment with a ball and a lamp to recreate the phases. A demonstration ensures every pupil understands the process, and the...
Curated OER
Changing Faces: A Study of Solar and Planetary Rotation Rates
Middle schoolers determine rotation rates of a variety of solar system objects using images and the Internet.
TLS Books
Neptune
Did you know that Neptune is named after the Roman god of the sea? Young astronomers read about this and other facts about the eighth planet from the sun in a short informational text passage.
Keep it Simple Science
The Earth in Space
Skim the surface of the earth with this brief, compact, summary of outer space. The sun, stars, galaxies, planets, and phases of the moon can be found in this all-in-one resource. Seventh graders will enjoy these simple worksheets to do...
Curated OER
ENERGY, Design Competition: Energy Systems of the Future!
Students examine energy, where it comes from and the different fuels that are used. In this energy lesson students design an energy infrastructure using a renewable energy source.
Curated OER
Planets an Introduction
Fourth graders investigate one planet, enter information into a database, and print the database sorting for each of the attributes.
Curated OER
Super Scientist Quiz
In this science worksheet, students match each of the descriptions on the right to the correct scientist listed on the right. There are thirty scientists to identify and match on the sheet.
NASA
Things Are Not Always What They Seem
Science is magic that works. Magical color-changing beads and a coffee can that follows voice commands are just two examples of magic tricks that rely on science. After completing a hands-on activity and an experiment investigating the...
Curated OER
Making Regolith
You may not be able to take a field trip to the moon, but that doesn't mean your class can't study moon rocks. Using graham crackers as the moon's bedrock and powdered donuts as micrometeorites, young scientists simulate the creation of...
Curated OER
Galileo's Battle for the Heavens
Students examine the nature of sunspot cycles and define solar minimums and maximums. In this sunspot lesson students construct and evaluate graphs of the current sunspot cycle.
Curated OER
Seasons and Cloud Cover, Are They Related?
Students use NASA satellite data to see cloud cover over Africa. In this seasons lesson students access data and import it into Excel.
Curated OER
Understanding Cloud Formation
Students view a demonstration that simulates cloud formation. They read a poem about clouds, participate in a class demonstration using warm water and ice and write a paragraph summarizing their observations.
Curated OER
DASH Sunrise and Sunset/ Seasons Chart
Second graders rotate as the person to enter the information of sunrise and sunset into a spreadsheet. The teacher also demonstrates how to convert the spreadsheet into a chart.
Curated OER
Moon WebQuest
Third graders research basic information about the moon and identify the phases and order of the phases of the moon. They conduct Internet research, complete a moon WebQuest, and write a magazine article about the moon using their...
Curated OER
Super Scientists Code
In this science worksheet, students use the key code on the right to unscramble each of the scientists. They also match each of the scientists found to their correct description.
American Museum of Natural History
If Rocks Could Talk
Meet some interesting rocks. Learners discover information about the three types of rocks and different rocks that are within each group. They read imaginary interviews with six rocks as each rock tells the story of their formation and a...
Curated OER
Fossil Fuels (III), The Geology of Coal: Interpreting Geologic History
Students hypothesize about why various samples of coal have different characteristics. Pupils use information that they found during Internet searches to ascertain the validity of their hypotheses and verify the "story" of coal. ...