Use the Franklin Institute's exhibition "An Inquirer's Guide to the Universe" to have students research ideas for a science fiction story. After completing their research, writers will compose science fiction stories that incorporate...

What a neat interactive that interacts with the amount of water on Earth's surface. It begins with a brief audio introduction of the Blue Planet and how it got its name. Then, users click on the activity to play a game...

Students identify and explain natural cycles and patterns in the solar system. They write short reports about the solar system. Students plot the order of the planets in a colorful diagram. They use Crayola Gel Markers to add a colorful...

Research the necessary components of a planet that supports life after reading the article "All of a Sudden, The Neighborhood Looks a Lot Friendlier" from The New York Times. After finding their information, middle and high schoolers...

Utilizing the classic Magic School Bus series, young scientists explore the solar system. Some excellent worksheets are included in this plan, such as Planet Roll Call and Solar System in Motion. This is an ambitious 5-day unit that...

Young astronomers travel through the solar system in the pages of this printable book. With clear pictures and simple sentence structure, this is a perfect resource for exploring the planets in the early elementary grade levels.

Take young scientists on an exploration of the cosmos with this cross-curricular writing exercise. Tasked with producing an expository composition describing a planet of their choosing, students perform research and...

Determine what young pupils already know about earth science with a brainstorming activity. After class members work together to complete a KWL chart about the Earth, they craft an acrostic poem to demonstrate their understanding.

For this planets worksheet, students use Internet research to complete 5 pages about solar system facts. Students answer 25 essay questions and label a diagram of the solar system.

Fourth graders research the planets and create brochures to share their information.  In this planets activity, 4th graders navigate the Internet to gather information for a brochure about an imaginary trip to their planet....

Need some helpful images for your astronomy unit? Check out a slide show that hosts several pictures of planets with their names. 

A superb interdisciplinary approach highlights this lesson plan which incorporates space science knowledge and narrative skills. After reading The Magic School Bus, two excellent poems, and watching a video, all about our solar system,...

Learners engage in science, math, and language activities as they do research on the components of the solar system. The class begins with some anticipatory activities and discussions before it is divided into small groups to conduct...

Travel through space as you learn about the galaxy, solar system, planets, and much more. An extensive resource for studying astronomy in upper-elementary and middle school classrooms.

What are characteristics of a planet? With this plan, learners investigate the characteristics of the planets in our solar system. They gather research of the nine planets by using the Internet and other research tools. Then they create...

After reading five short paragraphs about planet earth, students must answer 4 comprehension questions about the topic. This worksheet provides great practice for state testing in language arts. 

Water is the source of life. It appears in poetry in both peaceful and torrential descriptions; it appears in earth science in its liquid, gaseous, and solid states. Combine these interpretations of our planet's most precious and...

Reading, writing, and rings! A instructional activity from NASA combines space science with authentic reading and writing tasks. Included in this instructional activity are pre-reading activities, four mini informational...

Use the Internet to find facts about the planets. Cooperative groups design a travel brochure for a planet. They use a desktop publishing program to create the travel brochure.

Students gain knowledge about earth and space science by studying the nine planets in the solar system as well as their key characteristics. In this solar system activity, students identify the nine planets. Students work in groups to...

Young scholars examine the concept of a solar system. In this research based lesson, students compare a star and a planet. They explain the requirements for life in a biosphere.

Young scholars use the internet to research the planets in the solar system. Using the information they collect, they design and create a webpage with the data. They present their material to the class and answer any questions...

Student develop their technology skills. In this solar system lesson, 3rd graders create a movie featuring planets that they research. Students use flip video cameras to film commercials to market their planets.

In this online interactive planets learning exercise, students respond to 9 multiple choice and fill in the blank questions regarding the information included in the provided paragraphs.