Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Earth's Rotation

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students see a model of a globe to watch the Earth rotate. In this Earth lesson, students rotate the globe and shine a flashlight to see where the sun shines and how it rises and sets. They create a diagram and explain day and night in...
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Solar System Cloze Activity

For Students 3rd - 4th
In this cloze activity learning exercise, students read the passage about the Solar System. Students use the 14 words in the word bank to help them complete the passage.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Explorative Journey Through the Solar System

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore space science by creating a planetary model in class. In this solar system lesson, students identify the many planets and moons that make up the solar system and decide on one entity in which to research. Students create...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Earth, Sun, Moon, And Stars

For Teachers 5th
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...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Reading Comprehension Worksheet: Planet Earth

For Students 4th - 6th
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. 
Worksheet
Curated OER

Why do Stars Rise in the East?

For Students 8th - 10th
In this stars rise in the east instructional 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...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Science Crossword Puzzles - The Solar System

For Students 3rd - 5th
Determine the answers to twelve clues using solar system vocabulary. Students will fill in the puzzle using details about defintions and trivia.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Light Can Heat Too!

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders explore absorption and reflection of light energy. In this solar energy lesson, 3rd graders explore how light energy transfers to heat energy through the construction of a solar water heater. Students will discuss and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sun's Impact On Earth's Temperature

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students view NASA images and movies of Venus, Earth, and Mars to deduce weather patterns and manipulate computer models to test competing hypotheses. They manipulate computer models to investigate the influence of solar distance and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Discovery Of The Solar System

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study the heliocentric theory of Copernicus, the ideas behind it and the explanations which it displaced. A discussion of retrograde motion of planets helps students explain the logic underlying the ideas of both Ptolemy and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Is Saturn in the Solar System? Where Am I in the Solar System?

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students engage in a solar system activity, In this activity, students will read aloud as a class about the solar system. The students will then listen to the teacher read a solar system book prior to filling  out a worksheet about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Sky: Home of Stars and Planets

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students discover that astronomy is a branch of science that includes the study of planets, stars, and constellations.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Space Weight, Gravity, and Distance

For Students 9th - 12th
In this planets in space instructional activity, high schoolers calculate their weight on the 9 planets plus calculate the distance of the planets from the sun in astronomical units. This instructional activity has 6 fill in the blank...
Lesson Plan
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The Solar System

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders name the planets of the solar system in order from the Sun to Pluto and recognize the planets by pictures shown in class.
Lesson Plan
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PLANETS IN PROPORTION

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discover scales for both the solar bodies' relative sizes and their distances from the sun. They find equatorial circumference and volumes of their solar bodies. Students apply estimation strategies and proportioanl reasoning to...
Lesson Plan
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Inner Planets

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students create a booklet about the inner planets after researching the characteristics of each planet. Students research the following items for each planet: moons, size, rotation, orbit, atmosphere, an interesting fact. Their final...
Lesson Plan
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Planet Interiors

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students compare and contrast the Earth's interior with 2 other planets by looking at images on the computer. In this planet interiors lesson plan, students write a paper about their findings.
Lesson Plan
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Earth Science: The Structure of the Earth

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students identify and complete activities about the structure of the Earth. In this Earth structure lesson, students view a Powerpoint about the Earth's layers and complete a diagram. students compare temperatures in the Earth's layers...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pocket Solar System

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Motivate your class with this lesson. 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 the solar system...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth: Our Big Blue Marble

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students investigate Earth and its resources. In this Earth, space, and nature lesson plan, students collaborate to design presentations on the Earth, its cycles, and how humans have impacted the planet. Images, diagrams, and background...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Angle on Cooling

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners explore how the angle and distance of an object can change it's temperature. After reviewing how the position of the Earth affects the temperature of the planet, student groups design and perform an experiment to test how...
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Engaging Students with the History of Time

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Researching the history of calendars and time-keeping devices can help students make sense of time measurement.
Activity
International Technology Education Association

Pixel This!

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Did the image I drew match the image you saw? By simulating a satellite and a ground station, teams of two transmit data in the form of pixels in order to recreate an image. They use four different levels of brightness, creating slightly...
Lesson Plan
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University of Colorado

Great Red Spot Pinwheel

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The great red spot on Jupiter is 12,400 miles long and 7,500 miles wide. For this sixth part of a 22-part series, individuals model the rotation of the Great Red Spot on Jupiter. To round out the activity, they discuss their findings as...