Curated OER
Sun and Earth
Students explore the sun, its structure, how big it is and how far away it is. In this solar system lesson students complete a lab activity on dew point and weather.
California Academy of Science
Kinesthetic Astronomy: Earth's Rotation
After completing the activity, "Kinesthetic Astronomy: The Meaning of a Year," zoom in on Earth's rotation using the same simulation setup and this outline. Each class member dons a map of the Western Hemisphere and plays the part of...
Curated OER
Bouncing Sunlight
Third graders use flashlights and balls to demonstrate how the light bounces off of the sun and reflects onto the moon. They record their observations in a journal.
Curated OER
Season's Greetings
Students explore Earth's seasons using an interactive website. For this earth science lesson, students watch video segments and explain Earth's seasonal milestones. They discuss the factors that causes seasonal changes.
Curated OER
Distance in Space
Sixth graders explore space science by measuring distances between planets. In this solar system lesson, 6th graders view a Bill Nye video and discover the conversion between the metric system and imperial measuring systems. Students...
Curated OER
Cometary Orbits
Students study orbits and ellipses and see the differences between orbits and comets. In this investigative lesson students do an activity that shows them what objects are more like comets and fill out a worksheet.
Curated OER
Let the North Star Tell You Where You Are
Students create an astrolabe and locate the North Star in the night sky. They determine the latitude of the North Star, and calculate an average latitude based on class results.
Curated OER
Let the North Star Tell You Where You Are
Students participate in activities in which they find the Big Dipper and locate the North Star in the night sky, examine the relationship between the angle to Polaris and latitude, and determine latitude by using an astrolabe.
Curated OER
Metrics And Measurements
Young scholars engage in a study of measuring distances between geographical locations on a map. They are able to define and use the map scale in conjunction with the metric system. For this lesson they make their own maps and measure...
Curated OER
Physical Science: Solar Energy
Students review and discuss how Solar energy and electricity produce light and heat. They create a photo/picture journal and include pictures taken during solar energy activities to a PowerPoint slide presentation.
Curated OER
The Bible: The Purpose of Creation
Young scholars listen to Haydn's "The Creation" and discuss the purpose of creation. In this religious studies instructional activity, students reflect on the mood of Haydn's piece and view pictures of human inventions. They will...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Spuds in Space
Students explore the effects of velocity on an object when it collides with another object. They design and outfit a potato astronaut in a spacesuit to withstand the hazards of high velocity impacts from space debris and meteoroids.
Curated OER
Sand or Rock? Finding Out From 1,000 km
Students observe how measurements are made with different instruments. In this remote sensing instructional activity students investigate the physical state of surfaces including the surfaces of the solar system.
Curated OER
Exploring the Night Sky: Fall/Winter
Pupils explain how moon phases occur. They explain three ways that the night sky has been used through history. Students locate some of the constellations in the night sky. They discuss stories and myths surrounding stars.
Curated OER
Star Systems
Students study a star system and see how the planets move around stars. In this star system lesson students complete an activity and see what an eclipse is.
University of Colorado
Strange New Planet
The first remote sensors were people in hot air balloons taking photographs of Earth to make maps. Expose middle school learners to space exploration with the use of remote sensing. Groups explore and make observations of a new...
Curated OER
Star Power! Discovering the Power of Sunlight
Students estimate the energy output of the sun. They estimate how much power sunlight the sunlight provides to the earth. They build a simple device to measure the amount of solar radiation the earth receives from the sun.
Curated OER
Exploring the Night Sky: Summer
Students explain how moon phases occur. They describe and explain at least two common misconceptions that people have about the moon. Students explain what a star is. They explain 3 ways that the night sky has been used throughout history.
Curated OER
The Big Bang Theory
Students will use scientific reasoning to formulate ideas about the formation of the universe using the Big Bang Theory. The use of critical thinking skills is part of the activity and the foundation of the scientific method will serve...
Curated OER
Modeling the Big Bang and the Formation of the Universe
Sixth graders conduct an experiment to understand the Big Bang Theory. In this Big Bang Theory lesson plan, 6th graders will observe a balloon with confetti popping to emulate and analyze information related tot he Big Bang theory....
Curated OER
A View Of Home From The Front Door and From Space
Students discover how distance can change how our view of an object. Students build a representative model of where their home is located from different distances. They create three drawn models of their home from various elevations as...
Curated OER
Gaia: The Wisdom of the Earth
Learners are introduced to Gaia theory of natural homeostasis. They graph Earth's temperatures over time, construct terrariums or monitor the outdoor environment. Related videos titles are suggested, but may be outdated. The objectives...
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.