In this planetary conjunctions instructional activity, students read about planetary alignments and they solve 2 problems. They determine the location of 3 planets given their orbit time after 1, 2 , 3 and 4 years and they determine when...

Fourth graders explore communications by reading assigned space science text. In this satellite lesson, 4th graders identify the concept of orbiting and examine gravitational pull by viewing diagrams. Students are assessed based on...

Students examine the motion of pendulums and come to understand that the longer the string of the pendulum, the fewer the number of swings in a given time interval. They see that changing the weight on the pendulum does not have an...

In this gravity instructional activity, students read about the solar system and the effects of the gravity of the sun, the planets and the moon on the orbits of the planets. They answer three critical thinking questions about gravity.

Students write electron configuration of elements using atomic numbers and they identify valence electrons. In this electrons lesson plan, students observe a demonstration showing the space-filling property of an electron. They also...

Students explore how to visually identify asteroids in SDSS images. They are able to explain that stars are so far away that they do not appear to move, even over the course of a human lifespan. Students identify the location of most...

In this algebra worksheet, 11th graders apply ellipses to real life scenarios such as football, satellite and planet orbits. They discuss a variety of way sto apply ellipses.

Eighth graders study weight, force and mass as it pertains to the earths pull.  In this weightlessness lesson students are divided into groups and complete an activity. 

Students design and construct a paper rocket that can be launched with a drinking straw. They participate in a lecture and read an article about rocketry and how Newton's Third Law applies to rocket launches. Each student constructs...

High schoolers plot and analyze NASA data to determine the period of an invisible planet orbiting a wobbling star. They explore the motion of a two-body system around a center of mass to better explain how extra-solar planets are...

In this black hole worksheet, students read about the black hole in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy called Sagittarius A and observe a Chandra image of the area where the black hole exists. Students solve two problems which include...

Students experience the rotation of the Earth and the Moon, and the revolution of the Moon around the Earth using a playground model.

Students explore the main concepts of astronomy through the eleven lessons of this unit. The past, present, and future methods of studying the science are examined in this unit.

Students explore the characters and plot of the story, "Charlotte's Web" through the twenty-two lessons of this unit. Characters, facts, and details of the story are recalled and discussed and form the basis of several activities in this...

In groups, students create their own scientific impact experiments using ordinary materials, and observe and measure results with a variety of impacting bodies and velocities.

Eighth graders draw the paths of the planets in the solar system. For this astronomy lesson, 8th graders calculate speed of objects using distance and time information. They research about the work of scientists in the 16th and 17th...

Pupils observe and discuss motions of the Earth and the Moon as they spin and orbit the Sun.

Students will use their bodies to act out the motions of Earth by exploring orbits, rotations, and the turning of the earth as it revolves around the sun. Doing research to find correct answers to their questions will help them act out...

Middle schoolers explore the major constellations. After reviewing the Earth's basic motions and their significance, students discuss the moon's orbit and revolutions. Using a Digitarium Alpha portable planetarium projector, they...

Learners investigate that an unbalanced force, acting on an object, changes it speed or path of motion or both, and know that if the force always acts toward the same center as the object moves, the objects path may curve into an orbit...

High schoolers examine Kepler's Laws. They confirm Kepler's 3rd law by comparing orbital periods and mean distances for all major planets and study conic sections, qualitatively.

Middle schoolers observe the movement of pendulums, they begin to understand the relationship between gravitational forces and the mass of objects, the changes in speed and direction of objects, and the distance between objects. They...

In this motion worksheet, students calculate the initial angular acceleration, and the angular speed before and after impact for different objects. This worksheet has 3 problems to solve.