Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making a Sundial

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students create their own sundial and explore how to read it.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Make a Shadow Clock

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students make shadow clocks. In this earth science lesson, students follow the provided steps to make shadow clocks out of the provided pattern and tagboard. A game, a song, a craft, and a recipe are all included with the lesson.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Analemma

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students describe the relationship between the tilt of Earth's axis and its yearly orbit around the sun, by learning about analemmas. They determine what they can do to show that the sun's position doesn't change, and they find ways to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Shadow of Yourself

For Teachers K - 5th
Young scholars measure the length of their shadows three times during the day, Students determine the differences in shadow lengths after each measurement. They discuss why the length changed from one time of day to another.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Three Bears and Three Goats in the Morning Sun

For Teachers 1st
First graders listen to the story Three Bears from the book, Three Tales of Three, focusing on the one-to-one correspondence while counting various items in the story. They create pages for the number 3 for their counting books.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 1 Activity 1: Tools of the Ancients

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine how Christopher Columbus determined his latitude.
Lesson Plan
Captain Planet Foundation

Fall into Healthy Shapes

For Teachers K Standards
Kindergartners identify geometric shapes by planting a fall garden. They start their seeds in containers that have different shapes, and keep track of their plants based on those shapes. This brilliantly designed and incredibly thorough...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

High School Mathematics Problems from Alaska: Azimuth and Arc Length

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students track the Azimuth sunrise and sunset over time by creating a chart.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

View of a Comet from Earth

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students investigate comets. In this space science lesson, students study overhead transparencies of the orbits of Earth and a comet. Students identify various locations and times where comets would be visible from Earth.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Makes Shadows? Observing and Drawing Shadows

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students make accurate drawings of a classmate's shadow. They note position of the sun in the sky. They identify a connection between the direction of the shadow and the location of the sun. They observe changes in shadows over time.
Worksheet
Marcia's Science Teaching Ideas

Observing the Moon Activity

For Students 3rd - 8th
In this moon activity, learners observe the moon on three consecutive nights and draw their observations. They answer questions about the phases of the moon and its position in the night sky. They identify the position of the sun, earth...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar Racing

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students harness the power of the sun to design, construct and evaluate a solar-powered model car of their creation. They race their cars in a "Solar Sprint" race modeled after the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Junior Solar...
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

Our Sky Clock

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explore space science by completing a worksheet in class. In this astronomy instructional activity, students discuss and identify star patterns in the night sky and relate these patterns to the approximate time they appear....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Models of the Earth and Moon

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students explore the earth's rotation and phases of the moon. In this planets lesson, students rotate and revolve around a light representing the sun. Students use movement and props to simulate what causes the phases of the moon as well...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Intro to 1D Kinematics with Physlets

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders examine illustrations and animations on a Physlets CD in which they must describe motion, analyze graphs, and calculate initial velocity. The Physlet assists in providing active class participation in discussion.
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Weather Patterns and Seasonal Changes

For Teachers K - 2nd Standards
Get your class outside to observe their surroundings with a lesson highlighting weather patterns and seasonal changes. First, learners take a weather walk to survey how the weather affects animals, people, plants, and trees during...
Lesson Plan
Poetry4kids

Personification Poetry Lesson Plan

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
Scholars take part in two exercises to boost their knowledge of personification. After reading a detailed description and excerpts from famous poems, writers list action verbs and objects then combine words to create a humorous...
Activity
Star Date

Build Your Own Galaxy

For Students 6th - 12th
Don't just look at pictures of the Milky Way galaxy, build it with this hands-on activity in which scientists recreate the galaxy we live in.
Activity
Novelinks

Words by Heart: Guided Imagery

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Sad, depressed, miserable, inconsolable, forlorn: so many synonyms have a lot of variety with their connotations. Through the guided imagery activity, writers explore the use of connotation and its influence on imagery and description by...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shadows All Around Us

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Young scholars create shadows. In this shadow casting lesson, students read books about shadows, view a demonstration on shadow casting and then practice shadow casting on their own. Young scholars cast a shadow using the position of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lunar Lollipops

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students 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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Demonstrating Moon Phases

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders participate in a demonstration of the moon's phases. In this moon phase lesson, 3rd graders watch as the teacher demonstrates moon phases with a bright light and a Styrofoam ball. They answer questions associated with the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning Lesson: Moonlight Serenade

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students complete experiments as they act as the earth. They observe how different angles affect the phases of the moon seen by us. They discuss the differences in light and dark.