Space Awareness
Sun, Earth and Moon Model
The moon orbits Earth while the Earth is rotating, and the Earth revolves around the sun. This can be a tricky concept for young astronomers. Implement an activity that helps distinguish between the movements of Earth's systems around...
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Doin' The Moonwalk
If you are looking for an outstanding instructional activity 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...
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Exploring the Moon
First graders complete an experiment illustrating why the moon appears to change over time using a flashlight and ball. Students discuss the shape of the moon and identify it as a sphere. Students write a short informational piece after...
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Can an Astronaut on Mars Distinguish Earth from its Moon?
Young scholars explore the possibility of being on Mars and being able to identify the Earth. In this space lesson students complete a set of calculations to see if this is possible.
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Sky 4: The Moon
Young scholars will draw the moon's shape for each evening on a calendar and then determine the pattern in the shapes over several weeks. Students' understandings should be confined to observations, descriptions, and finding patterns.
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How Big Are Earth, Sun, and Moon?
Third graders draw what they believe is in space on a dry erase board. In groups, they are given a beaker half filled with water and they add a teaspoon of oil, observing the different layers that form. To end the lesson, they identify...
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Starlight, Star Bright
First graders read books and use the Internet to identify several constellations and stars in the night sky. They make star pictures and write a class report about the night sky including a title, complete sentences and a cited reference.
Journey Through the Universe
Where to Look For Life?
Every year we discover new planets including more than 1,000 in 2016 alone. Will we ever find life on another planet? The lesson includes two activities to help scholars understand this concept. First, they analyze the temperature range...
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What's Up?
Students compare and contrast the various heavenly bodies found in the sky at night. They identify the moon and stars in the sky as well as how the stars form pictures called constellations. Students also experiment with reflection and...
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Space Science
Eighth graders study the objects in our solar system. In this space lesson students identify and describe planets, then classify them as terrestrial or gaseous.
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Daily and Seasonal Cycles
First graders identify the sun as a source of heat and light. They identify features of houses that help keep use sheltered and comfortable throughout daily and seasonal cycles. Students are told that summer is the best season to...
Space Awareness
Know Your Planets
Does your class know their planets? Implement an activity that has them describing the solar system, identifying properties of the planets, and placing them in order from their distance from the sun.
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Moons
Students practice rote counting to 20. After a lecture about the planets and the moons that surround them, they identify the number of moons surrounding various planets. Students compare and contrast the quantity of moons surrounding...
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My! What a Sky!
First graders read "Goodnight Moon" or "Day And Night" and discuss what they see in day and night skies. They read and sing lyrics to the "Day and Night" song. They identify objects in the sky as day or night objects. They illustrate day...
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The Starry Night Time and Day Time
Second graders complete a unit of lessons on the solar system. They complete various art projects inspired by Van Gogh's 'Starry Night,' create a moon phases book, create a moon phase wind chime, develop a timeline of space exploration,...
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Sky Pictures
Students investigate constellations. In this space science instructional activity, students view transparencies of constellations and identify the zodiac constellations. Students research the legends connected with the constellations.
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Stellar Magnitudes
Students analyze the stellar magnitude scale. In this stellar magnitude instructional activity, students examine the stellar magnitude scale. Students predict the Sun's magnitude from various planets.
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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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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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An Introduction to the Night Sky and Movement Astronomy
Basically, this is an interactive exploration of educational astronomy software and an app. Young astronomers discover how the apparent motion of the sky relates to Earth's movements and the position of the observer. It is out of this...
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The Solar Cycle
Learners research the solar cycle. In this Science lesson, students use the internet to investigate the solar cycle. Learners produce a spreadsheet and graph from the information collected.
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Sky 2: Shadows
Pupils explore space science by participating in a shadow experiment. In this sky observation lesson, students identify how the sun creates different sized shadows by moving across the horizon. Pupils utilize yard sticks, markers,...
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Measuring the Speed of Light
High schoolers explore physics by completing measurement problems in class. In this speed of light lesson, students discuss the importance of knowing the speed of light and how it affects many aspects of human life on Earth. High...
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Solar System (Lesson 2)
Eighth graders identify the objects that make up the solar system. They define new vocabulary and practice using them. They discover that the sun is a star.