Curated OER
Weightlessness Demonstration
Students explore the concept that free-fall eliminates the local effects of gravity. They discuss what an Earth-orbiting spacecraft experience is like as well as the terminology of weightlessness. Their lab experiment commences.
Curated OER
Reading: Journals from Space by Astronaut Sunita Williams
In this reading comprehension and verb tenses practice activity, students read a passage and respond to 10 true or false questions.
Curated OER
Space Science: A Scoop of Moon Dirt
Students discover soil characteristics and how it is formed on Earth and the Moon by examining local samples to a lunar simulant. They replicate the effects of wind erosion by scraping dry bread with sandpaper. Students use rocks and...
NASA
Packing for a L-o-o-o-ng Trip to Mars
Pack just enough to fit. Crews determine what personal items to take with them on a trip to Mars. Each team must decide what to take with them on a two-and-a-half year trip to Mars and whether their items will fit within the allotted...
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
A Classroom Solar System
Create a scaled model of our solar system in your classroom! Scholars work collaboratively to build paper mache planets and hang them in their proper position to showcase each planet's location in the solar system.
NASA
Eclipse Activity Guide
Ever made solar s'mores? Or recreated the solar system using peanuts? Astronomers young and old investigate all things solar using a variety of activities. Explore how the sun works, types of light it emits, and methods of charting the...
American Museum of Natural History
One-on-One With The Sun
Follow along as Stella Stardust interviews the sun. A fun and informative interview provides scholars with information about the sun.
American Museum of Natural History
Journey to the Stars
Fifteen detailed pictures and informative captions delve deep into the exploration of stars—their life cycle and importance in the universe.
Starry Night Education
The Stars
Three astronomy activities in one resource! Here you will find one hands-on activity, one demonstration, both with discussion questions, and one activity worksheet. During these lessons young scientists discuss how stars are...
National Science Teacher Association
Middle School Sampler: Science
Focus on inquiry-based learning in your science class with a series of activities designed for middle schoolers. A helpful packet samples four different texts, which include activities about predator-prey relationships, Earth's axis...
Curated OER
Solar System Challenge
In this solar system worksheet, students complete 13 multiple-choice questions to demonstrate their knowledge of the solar system.
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
Third from the Sun
Students examine images from space. In this third from the Sun lesson, students examine images from, Landsat, the satellite launched by NASA in 1972.
Curated OER
Asteroids Between Mars and the Sun
In this asteroids of the solar system worksheet, students observe a diagram showing all the minor planets found in the orbit of Mars. Students answer 4 questions about the minor planets inside the orbit of other planets, they find the...
Curated OER
Proportionality, Ratios and Constant Variation
Students use Scion Image to estimate the proportion of space images. In this proportion lesson, students investigate the online site of Image of the Orbitor and relate the dimensions and sizes to known sizes.
Curated OER
Groups, Clusters and Individuals
For this galaxies, clusters and planets worksheet, students solve 5 problems including determining sunspot groups on the sun in a particular day, finding the number of individual galaxies present, determining the number of stars in...
Curated OER
The Deadly Van Allen Belts?
For this Van Allen Belts worksheet, high schoolers read about the deadly affects of the high energy particle clouds located around the Earth. Students answer 4 questions about the dosages of radiation astronauts receive in the zones of...
Curated OER
Planetary Conjunctions
In this planetary conjunctions worksheet, 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 three given...
Curated OER
There's More to Light than Meets the Eye
Students explore the concept that not all light is visible to the
human eye. Although UV light is not visible, it can still be harmful, causing sunburns or skin cancer. They use special beads to detect UV light around the school....
Curated OER
Why are Electrons Important?
High schoolers 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...
Curated OER
Hubble Sees a Distant Planet
For this Hubble telescope worksheet, students solve 4 problems about the image of the distant planet the Hubble telescope discovered. Students determine the distance the planet was from its star in 2006, they determine the planet's...
Curated OER
View of a Comet from Earth
Young scholars investigate comets. In this space science lesson, students study overhead transparencies of the orbits of Earth and a comet. Young scholars identify various locations and times where comets would be visible from Earth.
Curated OER
Our Solar System
In this solar system worksheet, students complete a database comparing the 9 different planets' mass, surface temperature, rotation period, orbital period, moons, and distinguishing features. This worksheet is a graphic organizer.