Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Crashed On the Moon

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students compare/contrast the environments of our moon and earth, and examine examples of how these differences would affect their daily activities on our moon. They develop lists of emergency supplies to bring if their spaceship crashed...
Organizer
Curated OER

Fly Away Moon Experiment

For Students 5th - 6th
In this fly away moon experiment learning exercise, students follow the procedures to demonstrate the effects of gravity on the earth and the moon.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plan a Mission to Recently Discovered Planet

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students plan a mission to a recently discovered planet. In this science lesson plan, students research spacecraft design, distances in space, long-term missions in space, and life-sustaining planets. Students work in groups to research...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Clay Planets

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Students create scale models of the planets out of clay and compare them to the real planets.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth, Moon, Mars Balloons

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students demonstrate size and orbits of Earth, Moon, and Mars. In this space science lesson plan, students will use balloons to show how the size and distance between the planets and satellite compare.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Be A Planet

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students identify the name, order and attributes of the planets. They role play the position of planets, and draw pictures of the planets as well.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Inner Planets

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students create a booklet about the inner planets after researching the characteristics of each planet. Students research the following items for each planet: moons, size, rotation, orbit, atmosphere, an interesting fact. Their final...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Sky: Home of Stars and Planets

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students discover that astronomy is a branch of science that includes the study of planets, stars, and constellations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Phases of the Moon

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students research and identify the phases of the moon. They consider the moon's rotation, as well as that of the earth and sun. They write a description of their research and present it to the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Phase In, Phase Out, the Magnificent Moon

For Teachers 1st
First graders discuss why the moon appears to change shape. They use flashlights and balls to simulate the sun's light shining on the moon during its different phases. They read books, paint pictures and write sentences about the moon.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Science – Sun, Earth and the Moon

For Students 1st - 3rd
For this basic astronomy worksheet, students respond to 20 true or false questions pertaining to the Earth, the Sun, and Earth's moon.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Big Are Earth, Sun, and Moon?

For Teachers 3rd
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planets in Our Solar System

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders are introduced to the various planets, stars and moons in our solar system. Using photographs, they place the planets into the correct order from the sun. In groups, they research one planet, create a fact sheet and make...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's "In" There: A Study of the Inner Planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars

For Teachers 1st
First graders identify and explore the four inner planets. In this planet science lesson, 1st graders watch a PowerPoint about the planets. Students read the book Our Solar System and discuss the inner planets. Students create a book...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Finding Out About the Stars and Planets

For Teachers K - 4th
Students complete a web-based activity to study the planets and solar system. Students complete a number of activities including a slide show that depict the true facts about planets.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Inner Planets

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research characteristics of the planets and record their findings on Planet Web worksheet. They create fold paper to create a foldable booklet to display the information they discover about the planets.
Interactive
Curated OER

Planets

For Students 3rd - 5th
In this online interactive planets worksheet, students respond to 9 multiple choice and fill in the blank questions regarding the information included in the provided paragraphs.
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Outer Planets

For Students 7th - 9th
In this outer planets worksheet, students determine if 15 statements about Neptune, Pluto, Saturn and Uranus are true or false. If they are false, students change the italicized words in the sentences to make the statements true.
Organizer
Curated OER

The Outer Planets

For Students 3rd - 8th
In this outer planets worksheet, students will write in the names of the outer planets on a chart. Then students will fill in the chart with information about each of these planets including size and composition, atmosphere, below the...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Orbits Worksheet #2

For Students 9th - 12th
Brief, but beneficial, this resource draws space scientists into the orbit of a moon around its planet. Assignees answer five multiple choice style questions using a diagram of the planet, the moon's orbit, its focal points, and the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planetary Surface Evolution and Resurfacing

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students are provided with drawings of planet surfaces in order to investigate different types of planetary terrain. They make observations for each planet and discuss the characteristics observed. The lesson includes background...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lunar Myths

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore the phases of the moon. In this moon lesson, 4th graders research myths regarding the moon and create a PowerPoint presentation to share their findings.
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Solar System Model

For Teachers 9th - 12th
How many planets can you name? Did you get all 13 in our solar system, including the dwarf planets, or were you surprised when you read there are 13 planets? The lesson helps scholars understand the scale of the universe including the...
Lesson Plan
University of Colorado

Enceladus, I Barely Knew You

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Use spectral knowledge to make discoveries on a distant moon. Small groups gather information from images of one of Saturn's moons. The moon orbits within the E-ring made up of mainly water ice. Using information about the composition of...