Curated OER
Our Home in the Milky Way
Students gain appreciation of the vastness of our galaxy by viewing an applet about the Milky Way. Students hypothesize about how long it would take to get from Earth to Pluto.
Curated OER
Watershed Management
Students investigate the concept of a watershed. They conduct research into the concept using a variety of resources. Students take a field trip to a local watershed to make observations. The outcome is a report concerning the outside...
Curated OER
A DISAPPEARING ACT Astronomy: Do Stars Always Shine?
Students observe why stars are not visible during the day with a classroom demonstration using an index card punched with holes.
Curated OER
Astronomical Scales
Students describe the different units of measurement. In this space science activity, students calculate astronomical distances using a scale. They explain the significance of using scientific notation in expressing very small or...
Smithsonian Institution
National Air and Space Museum: Exploring the Planets: Our Solar System
Take a tour of our solar system and learn fascinating details and observations about the planets.
California Institute of Technology
Cool Cosmos: Ask an Astronomer for Kids: Solar System
Resource presents information about the solar system through a list of most frequently asked questions. Click on each question and be transported to a wealth of knowledge about our solar system and the planets within it.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Study Jams! Science: Our Solar System: Inner Planets
A slideshow and a short multiple-choice quiz on the four inner planets of our solar system, which include Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Earth.
NASA
Nasa: Welcome to From Earth to the Solar System (Fettss)
A collection of high-resolution images of space. Images "showcase the discoveries and excitement of planetary exploration, with a focus on the origin and evolution of the Solar System and the search for life".
NASA
Nasa: Solar System Exploration: Planets: Venus
Comprehensive look at the planet Venus, with many useful facts, figures, photos, and related links. Provides an account of how Venus got it's name and a timeline of significant dates.
NASA
Nasa: Solar System Exploration
This stunning site on the solar system gives a great overview of the planets and our sun. Learn about each object's size, vital statistics, and moons. Then go on for a more in depth look at these objects in the column on the left.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Solar System Fact Sheet
Use this handy chart to help acquaint yourself with major facts about the solar system. This chart is broken down by planet and displays data such as the size of the planet, distance from the sun, rotation period, orbital period,...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Scaled Images of the Solar System
Use the following lithographs to envision the scale of our solar system. View different models of planets at different scales, an infographic about the relative sizes of the planets and distance from the sun, and images of the largest...
Other
Sea and Sky: A Tour of the Solar System
Take a virtual tour of the solar system starting with detailed information about the sun.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Earth Science: Planets of the Solar System
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Examines the eight planets of our solar system and their orbits and rotation.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: The Sun Is the Center of the Solar System
See what you know about the solar system by taking this brief interactive quiz and learning module.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Solar System!
An introduction to our solar system: the planets, our Sun and our Moon. Students begin by learning the history and engineering of space travel. They make simple rockets to acquire a basic understanding Newton's third law of motion. They...
Other
Sunaeon: Solar System Scope
Experience the solar system as you've never seen it before; up close and personal. Visit each planet by clicking on it, then selecting the play button to track its rotations through the calendar year. Watch the constellations move...
Other
University of Leicester: The Solar System
Resource explores the solar system, with an in depth discussion of each of the planets and their properties.
Other
Space Science Institute: Alien Earths: Star and Planet Formation
Learn about the lives of stars, and how stars and planets form. The Interactive activity, 'Planet Families' requires Adobe Flash and cannot be launched.
PBS
Pbs: Tour the Solar System
Click on each space object to discover facts and other information about the many space objects that make up the solar system.
NASA
Nasa: Eyes on the Solar System
This interactive experience allows users to assume different positions and vantage points in space while moving through the Solar System. Also, explore the 2011 Juno spacecraft mission to Jupiter with real-time positioning in space.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Solar System Scale Model
Teach the concept of scale models and the size of the solar system through this extensive lesson plan. Young scholars will learn about scale models, estimate which objects to use to create a scale model of Earth and Sun, and figure out...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Space Math Scale of the Solar System
Practice Space Math! Math is the cornerstone of space travel. Familiarize yourself with all the ways math can help you study the solar system. Practice math problems in areas such as speed of light, the distance of planets to the sun,...
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Open Course Ware: Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences: Solar System
A university-level course that looks at the structure of the solar system, the sun, the planets, and other bodies in space. Includes course readings, assignments, and study notes.