Researchers think they have evidence of a new planet deep in our solar system that is the size of Neptune and orbits the sun far beyond Pluto. The orbit simulator shows the orbits of our well-known planets, as well as Pluto and the comet...

Take your class on a journey through our solar system. Learners explore each planet, from Mercury to Pluto, and discuss various features that differentiate one from another. They complete activities related to the topics and discuss the...

Students discuss what heat is and how it travels. They discover that one way to cool an object in the presence of a heat source is to increase the distance from it or change the angle at which it is faced.

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...

Things are about to heat up in your classroom! A kinesthetic lesson asks learners to play the part of the gases in the earth's atmosphere and interact with the sun's radiation. The focus is to learn the impact of the increasing...

Neptune takes 164.8 Earth years to travel around the sun. In the fifth of 22 lessons, young scientists create a travel guide to a planet in our solar system. They provide tips for others on what to bring, what they see, and their...

Explore outer space and decorate your classroom with an astronomy project. Learners create a visual model with the creation of a scaled solar system using different sized balls.

The climate at the equator is hotter than the climate at the poles, but why? The lesson goes in depth, explaining how the angles of illumination relate to the heating rate at different latitudes and seasons. Scholars use a strong lamp,...

In this gravity worksheet, students read about the solar system and the effects of the gravity of the sun, the planets and the moon on the orbits of the planets. They answer three critical thinking questions about gravity.

Students examine the different planets in outer space. Each class studies a different planet and creates a scavenger hunt for the other classes to explore that planet.

Fifth graders explore the solar system. In this solar system unit, 5th graders investigate numerous projects while rotating through learning centers. Students write about space and construct a space shuttle model. Students practice map...

Eighth graders identify the different stages in the life cycle of a star. In this astronomy lesson, 8th graders read H-R diagrams and analyze data. The describe how the Sun's evolution will affect Earth in the future.

Students study the structure and features of the sun. In this earth science lesson, students explain how the sun's energy drive the processes on Earth. They perform temperature conversions using appropriate equations.

Students examine the power that is possible from the sun through an interactive program. They also analyze how energy turns into different forms in different parts of the human body. They finally explore how wind is created and how wind...

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. 

First graders identify the sun as a source of heat and light. They identify features of houses that help keep use sheltered and comfortable throughout daily and seasonal cycles. Students are told that summer is the best season to...

Students relate meteorites to the mantle and crust of asteroids.  In this planetary lesson students complete experiments to model the separation of light.

Sixth graders investigate the relative diameters of planets and distances between them and the cause for seasons on Earth using the 5-E Learning Model. They appreciate the size and distances involved with objects in the real universe....

Sixth graders examine and investigate the solar system. They participate in a Webquest, and create a Powerpoint presentation that is meant to be a research guide to help alien visitors find a suitable habitat in the solar system.

In this basic astronomy activity, students respond to 20 true or false questions pertaining to the Earth, the Sun, and Earth's moon.

Motivate your class with this instructional activity. Learners explore the solar system and practice working with fractions using this resource. They construct scale models of our solar system, and use fractions to correctly configure...

Leading the students to draw a representation of ellipses of planets, this handout will help understanding the planet movement around the sun.  There are ten questions about the analysis of those orbits and a conclusino specifically...

Jupiter has 67 moons! As the seventh in a series of 22, the exercise shows learners the size and scale of Jupiter and its Galilean moons through a model. They then arrange the model to show how probes orbited and gathered data.

Can people really measure time just by using the sun? Scholars venture outside on a nice, sunny day to build sundials and learn how people measured time 600 years ago. The class builds two different sundials while gaining practice with...