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The Solar System and the Forces Behind It
Sixth graders discover why planets stay in orbit. In groups, they use everyday materials to examine the effect of gravity of objects and calculate how mass changes based on gravitational pull. To end the lesson, they discuss how...
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Space Science: Locating Voyager 6
Sixth graders, in groups,create fact sheets about a lost space craft. Using data charts and additional compiled information, other teams of students attempt to locate the craft based on the clues given. In groups, 6th graders compile...
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Planetary Surface Evolution and Resurfacing
Students study the concepts of planetary surface terrains and resurfacing. For this surface lesson students simulate the history of a planet's surface and devise ways to remove craters from their models.
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Fractions, Decimals, and Gravity
Young scholars discuss how weight is directly related to gravitational force on a planet. Students then choose Space Traveler as companion and compute how much their guide weighs on various planets, based on each planet's relative...
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Distance in Space
Sixth graders explore space science by measuring distances between planets. In this solar system lesson, 6th graders view a Bill Nye video and discover the conversion between the metric system and imperial measuring systems. Students...
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What on Earth is Greater Than?
Students compare things that are greater than, less than, or equal to, compare the Earth to other planets, and list planets from greatest size to smallest size.
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Out of This World (Solar System)
Fifth graders, in groups, create a pictorial model of the solar system and place the planets in correct order.
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Ordinal Numbers Are Out of This World
First graders identify and write ordinal numbers by following the sequence the school bus followed during a field trip to the nine planets in the solar system. This is based on the book The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System.
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American Idol Presents: Solar System Night
Young scholars explore facts about the solar system. They conduct research, and compose lyrics to well-known songs about one of the planets or various members of the solar system.
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MARS Dead or Alive
Learners describe the design and construction of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs). They imagine that they can visit Mars and think about what they want to find out about the planet. The review the solar system and discuss distances...
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TE Activity: A Roundabout Way to Mars
Students investigate Hohmann orbit transfers using cardboard and string while focusing on the orbits of Earth and Mars. They look at the planets orbits around the sun and transfer orbit form one planet to another to determine what a...
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The 'Solar' System Past and Present
Students identify cardinal and intermediate directions, recognize that models changes due to new or improved observations and technology, identify the major characteristics of the planets including their positions in the solar system,...
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What's Up? Astronomy Curriculum
Students study astronomy. In preparation for a field trip to a planetarium, students discuss the stars, planets, and light. They explore the importance of the north star and constellations. The Digitarium system is used to assist the...
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Objects in the Solar System
Eighth graders define a planet by the orbit around the sun, have a large enough gravitational force to hold a sphere shape and needs to clear the neighboorhood of it own orbital zone. They describe comets, meteoroids, meteor, meteorites...
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Homework on Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion
In this Kepler's Law worksheet, students answer questions given a diagram of the orbits of two planets about the sun. They use Kepler's Three Laws of Planetary Motion to answer the questions.
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Hello, Anybody Out There?
Students understand that people believe there may be life in other solar systems. In this communication with other solar systems lesson, students analyze our planet and write things they want to communicate to other solar systems.
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Unit 2 Sun & Stars
Students describe stellar objects using terms such as stars, planets, satellites, orbits and light. In this sun and stars unit, students research stellar objects through seven individual lessons discovering star characteristics, how...
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Star Systems
Students study a star system and see how the planets move around stars. In this star system lesson students complete an activity and see what an eclipse is.
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Scale Model of the Solar System
Students explore the size of the planets. In this science lesson, students create a scale model of the solar system. Students determine a scaling factor and calculate the size of their planets. Students create a scale drawing of the...
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How Many Days Are in a Year?
Students create a calendar for an imaginary planet. In this earth science instructional activity, students analyze the errors on the different calendars used on Earth. They present their work in class.
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The Rare Earth - How Rare Is Earth-Like Life?
Students systematically investigate the time frame for complex life to develop on Earth. They approximate how many other planets there may be harboring Earth-like complex life in our galaxy.
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Kepler and his Laws
Students examine Kepler's Laws. They confirm Kepler's 3rd law by comparing orbital periods and mean distances for all major planets and study conic sections, qualitatively.
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Scale Model of the Solar System
Students work in groups of 4-6 for the experiment/activity part of this exercise. Students know that earth is the third planet from the sun in a system that includes the moon, the sun, eight other planets and their moons, and smaller...
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The Little Prince and his Pendulum
In this function worksheet, students read a fairy tale about a prince on a tiny planet. They explore the length of a pendulum and gravitational acceleration. Students use the multi-variable change rule to compute the rate of change. ...