Curated OER
Natural Hazards
Students evaluate the hazards of naturally occurring events. After watching a video concerning safety hazards, students work in groups to discuss the safety issues involved in taking a trip to a mountainous region. Recommendations are...
Curated OER
Origins: Earth is Born
Learners collect and identify micrometeorites from space. Students create collection devices and retrieval methods for matter. They prepare slides and view particles found. Learners discuss where the identifiable particles originated...
Curated OER
Rotating Rings of Ice
Students work together to develop a model of Saturn and its rings. They identify what types of materials make up the rings and how they revolve around Saturn. They write a short paragraph describing the rings.
Journey Through the Universe
Is There Anyone Out There?
What is an alien's favorite game? All-star baseball! Scholars start defining living and non-living. Then, they conduct experiments to research if life exists, keeping in mind that life could be in many forms, not just human.
Curated OER
Robots from Junk
Students create balloon and rubber band models of robotic rovers to investigate the concepts of mass, torque, and friction. Through research and planning, students construct a rover test-bed that simulates the Martian environment.
Curated OER
How to Celebrate Digital Learning Day
Leverage technology to boost student engagement and achievement.
Curated OER
Sundials and Shadows - What Can They Teach Us About Seasons?
Students collect and analyze data relating to seasonal changes. They view a video, research web sites and build a sundial to collect their data.
Curated OER
Database
Second graders collect daily weather information and introduce them to databases.
Curated OER
Ecological Relationships
Middle schoolers identify ecological elements and their factors on species, populations and food webs. They analyze ecosystems for these elements and research how these factors influence species survival rate. Predictions on conditions...
Curated OER
Does Humidity Affect Cloud Formation?
Students use NASA's S'COOL database to identify factors that affect cloud formation.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Solar System Scale Model
Teach the concept of scale models and the size of the solar system through this extensive lesson plan. Students will learn about scale models, estimate which objects to use to create a scale model of Earth and Sun, and figure out how far...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Scaled Images of the Solar System
Use the following lithographs to envision the scale of our solar system. View different models of planets at different scales, an infographic about the relative sizes of the planets and distance from the sun, and images of the largest...
CPALMS
Florida State University Cpalms: Florida Students: Center Stage: Models of the Solar System
An explanation of two very different perspectives of the solar system.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: The Solar System
A podcast explaining a model of the solar system which students can visualize, or even try to recreate. [1:38]
The Wonder of Science
The Wonder of Science: Ms Ess1 3: Scale Properties in the Solar System
Work samples, phenomena, assessment templates, and videos that directly address standard MS-ESS1-3: scale properties in the solar system.
Other
Sunaeon: Solar System Scope
Experience the solar system as you've never seen it before; up close and personal. Visit each planet by clicking on it, then selecting the play button to track its rotations through the calendar year. Watch the constellations move...
South Carolina Educational Television
Know It All: Solar System Simulation
Fourth graders will begin to understand the solar system by using and creating models to demonstrate the layout of the solar System.
Other
Making a Scale Model of the Solar System
In this lesson plan site, middle schoolers are asked to construct a scale model of the planets to help visualize the relative size of planets and their relative distance from the Sun. Links are provided to the Sun and the planets which...
TOPS Learning Systems
Tops Learning Systems: Top Science: Scale Solar System [Pdf]
Practice drawing the solar system to scale.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Build a Solar System
Make a scale model of the Solar System and learn the REAL definition of "space." You tell it how large to make the sun (in inches or millimeters) and the page will do all of the calculations for your scale model solar system and provide...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Build Your Own Solar System
This Java applet creates a model of a solar system with user-defined data. Users can create a solar system with up to four planets, choosing the star type at the center of the solar system, planet name, size, eccentricity of orbit and...
Science Struck
Science Struck: Simple Ideas for Your Kid's Solar System Project
Provides detailed instructions for how to help a student make a solar system model, and additional suggestions for making a constellation poster, making a model showing phases of the moon, and creating a solar system model to scale.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Creating the Solar System
This two-part lesson begins with a lecture which describes the complex process of creation from molecular cloud to planetesimals to planets to organized solar system. The lecture is followed up with a draw/write activity in which the...