Have your class learn about the solar system using this hands on technique. Learners review what they know about the planets, and create a clay model of the solar system. There are a list of resource links to make this lesson a complete...

Young scholars are introduced to the ecliptic, the zodiac and the apparent motions of the Sun, Moon and planets across the sky.

In this solar system activity, 8th graders make a scale model of the solar system, answer 5 questions and write a conclusion.

Young scholars demonstrate how the moon affects the tides, a neap tide, and spring tides by using their bodies as models. After students observe the model they created, they draw and label the diagram on a provided worksheet. They then...

Middle schoolers simulate the phases of the moon using a lamp and styrofoam balls. In this lunar phases lesson, students stand around a lamp and act as Earth. They hold styrofoam balls and rotate to show the phases of the moon.

Students, through hands-on activities, teacher demonstrations, pictures, and informational books, complete a unit on the Earth and its place in the Universe. They make mobiles of the Milky Way and watch demonstrations of lunar and solar...

Students build the Voyage scale model of the Solar System on a playground and "travel" to each planet. They recognize that the Sun and planets are tiny worlds in a vast space, giving them a new perspective on the Solar System, and...

Students examine the use of a sundial to tell apparent time. In this sundial lesson, students watch a teacher demonstration using a flashlight to create shadows. They discuss what happens to shadows of different objects as the position...

In this stars rise in the east activity, students use geometry to show how the Earth rotates from west to east and why celestial bodies appear to rise in the east and set in the west. Students draw a figure and label given points in...

Students work in small groups to arrange moon phase cards into the correct sequence. The goal is to circle as many consecutive numbers as possible in two minutes.

Students explore space science by conducting an experiment in class. In this Moon lesson, students define a list of space science vocabulary and read the book The Moon. Students utilize shoeboxes and string to conduct a sunlight...

Demonstrate the lunar cycle to youngsters using flashlights and lollipops. The procedure is somewhat vague, so it will need to be modeled for them before turning them loose to try it. The questions that follow the activity are not...

Do all lunar eclipses look the same? Find out in an activity where astronomers use the Danjon Scale of Lunar Eclipse Brightness to describe the color and brightness of the moon during an eclipse. Explorers make three observations using...

Outer space may be a lot closer than you think! Science scholars model the layers of the atmosphere using transparencies to gain insight into the scale of space. The resource includes ideas to tailor the activity to the skill level of...

Students give examples of each of Newton's three laws as they occur in everyday experiences. They visually represent and differentiate the difference between a direct proportion and an inverse proportion. Students explain how the...

A website looks at how we know so much about Mars—telescopes, robots, and spacecraft—and the search for martian life. Following the informational text are three questions that quiz pupils about possible life on Mars. 

First graders identify and explore the four inner planets. In this planet science instructional activity, 1st graders watch a PowerPoint about the planets. Students read the book Our Solar System and discuss the inner planets. Students...

Students construct a food web to identify producer, consumer, herbivore, carnivore and predator. They complete an online activity collecting plants and animals and arranging them in the web. They describe the interdependence between...

Students investigate what happens to solids and liquids when they change from one form to another. In this states of matter lesson, students work in groups on a virtual experiment that requires them to collect data regarding the melting...

In this moon activity, students fill in the different phases on the moon on a diagram and label each phase. Students compare a solar and lunar eclipse. This activity has 2 fill in the blank and 3 short answer questions.

Students explain how moon phases occur. They describe and explain at least two common misconceptions that people have about the moon. Students explain what a star is. They explain 3 ways that the night sky has been used throughout history.

In this eclipses worksheet, students are given diagrams of a solar and lunar eclipse. They fill in each diagram with given terms and color the diagram to indicate the process for each type of eclipse.

Eighth graders study the objects in our solar system.  In this space lesson students identify and describe planets, then classify them as terrestrial or gaseous.

In this space worksheet, students answer questions about the size comparison of the moon, Earth, Solar System, Virgo Cluster, Milky Way Galaxy, and Universe, they answer questions about the Milky Way Galaxy and they sketch the life cycle...