Worksheet
Curated OER

Out of this world! 2

For Students 5th - 10th
For this solar system worksheet, students fill in the blank to sentences that refer to the solar system. Students fill in 15 blanks with planet names.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Out of this World! 2

For Students 5th - 6th
For this science and research skills worksheet, students use Internet searches to find the answers to 15 questions about the planets in the solar system.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

WebQuest Solar System Colonization Project 2000

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders complete a WebQuest to study the names and locations of the planets in the solar system. They investigate the causes of the seasons and the distance between the planets using astronomical units. They use technology to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth in Space

For Teachers 8th - 9th
In this reason for the days and nights on earth worksheet, young scholars study the reasons the Earth has days and nights by answering 28 questions about earth's rotation, the equator, the relationship between the sun and moon, and the...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Heliocentric and Geocentric Models

For Teachers 5th - 6th
In this worksheet, students read an informational article and view drawings of the two models. In this comprehension worksheet, students answer twelve questions.
Activity
Illustrative Mathematics

Solar Eclipse

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
Learners take on the role of astronomers, calculating conditions necessary for a total solar eclipse. Concepts of similar triangles and properties of circles come together as pupils create ratios and use real measurements in determining...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The North (Wall) Star

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars engage in a lesson which shows them that celestial navigation is the art and science of finding one's geographic position by means of astronomical observations, particularly by measuring altitudes of celestial objects -...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar System Hall Model

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Not novel, but fun, this lesson gets your space science learners to model the size of the planets and the solar system along your school's hallway. Scaled measurements as well as actual distances are provided for both planet diameters...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

As the World Turns

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read books and participate in class discussions about the motion of the stars and planets and moons in relation to the Earth. In small groups, 3rd graders act out these movements to music.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Path of the Sun, the Ecliptic

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers are introduced to the ecliptic, the zodiac and the apparent motions of the Sun, Moon and planets across the sky.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Path of the Sun: The Ecliptic

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the celestial sphere and the paths it takes in the solar system.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Planet Earth

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students explore the planet Earth, outer space, and Earth's axis. They demonstrate reading comprehension skills, including literal meaning, inference and critical analysis.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Astronomical Data

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
In this astronomy worksheet, learners use a chart with planetary data comparing the inner planets to each other. Students will use the period of rotation, period of revolution, and distance from the sun for these inner planets to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Calculating Orbital Speeds

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Learners are introduced to the regularities of planetary motion. They create a spreadsheet to calculate the speed of any orbiting body at apogee and perigee. Students then use the spreadsheet to compare the speeds of planets, moons,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Precession

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explain how Hipparchus, around 130 BC, used a shift in the predicted location of a lunar eclipse to detect a slight shift in the path of the Sun around the sky. They examine the elliptical orbit in which the Earth travels around...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sampling Rocks

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students investigate rocks. In this earth science lesson plan, students collect rocks from the schoolyard and describe each of the rocks. Students measure and weigh each rock and record the results. Students create a rock guide for the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students study the earth in relation to the solar system.  In this planetary lesson plan students complete several investigations into the measurement of the earth and its magnetic field.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Scavenger Hunt: Who am I?

For Students 6th - 8th
In this space science worksheet, students use the sites listed on the Solar System and Planets page of the Kid Zone to locate the names of the people credited with each discovery. They identify and name 26 different scientists who made...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar System

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders identify the basic concepts of celestial bodies. They discover the difference between perihelion and aphelion and demonstrate how the universe is expanding. They also discover how gravity and centrifugal force are...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Asteroids

For Teachers K - 12th
Students examine the different types of asteroids and how they enter the atmosphere.  In this space lesson students use mashed potatoes to create an asteroid they can eat.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reasons for Seasons

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students investigate a model of the tilt of the Earth in its relationship to the Sun during the different seasons of the year. They study the solstices and equinoxes, while determining how sunlight hits the Earth with different angles in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar System: Let's Take a Trip

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders consider outer space. In this introductory solar system lesson, 3rd graders complete a KWL chart and listen to the story The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System, by Joanna Cole & Bruce Degen. They will contribute...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Planetary Cereal Project

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders decorate an empty cereal box with information and games showing their comprehension of factual information about an assigned planet. This is a nice, creative lesson about the solar system.
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...