Star Date
Modeling the Night Sky
Dramatize the stars and planets as they become a visual representation of the solar system in this activity. Young astronomers track and simulate various constellations as they orbit the Earth to learn the position and motion of objects...
Curated OER
Animals of the Chinese Zodiac
Third graders study the elements of the Chinese zodiac. They observe the placement of the animals on the zodiac chart while studying the Chinese New Year.
Curated OER
What's Your Sign? The Science Behind The Zodiac
Students investigate the concepts dealing with the motions of celestial objects, the ancient origins of the Zodiac and the science behind the Zodiac.
Curated OER
Chinese Zodiac
Fifth graders identify the basic elements of a narrative story, such as the beginning, middle, and the end; to analyze the character traits in the story to write a summary using the 5 Ws and How chart included; through sample stories...
Curated OER
The Chinese Zodiac
Students create their own personalized Zodiac page on a word processing
document after researching and discussing the origins of Zodiak signs. This lesson plan does include resource links and may be controversial.
Curated OER
The Chinese Zodiac And The Western Zodiac
Students create individual horoscopes that contrast and compare Western and
Chinese views of their futures using poster boards and magic markers. In-class discussion is used to evaluate the use of the Zodiac in different cultures.
Curated OER
Space Science: Constellations and the Sun
Students review the zodiac signs and illustrate their movement using constellations on the wall and themselves to represent earth. Individually or in groups, they stand in the center of the room while a shadeless lamp is placed between...
Curated OER
Astrology: Fact or Fiction?
Students explore the topic of astrology and review the beliefs behind it. They read sample horoscopes. Using a portable digital planetarium, they view the night sky and the zodiac constellations. They examine and discuss the science...
California Academy of Science
Kinesthetic Astronomy: Longer Days, Shorter Nights
A lamp, four globes, and some signs taped around the room are all you need to set up a solar system simulation for teaching how Earth's tilted axis creates the seasons. (Sticky dots are also needed, but not mentioned in the materials...
Curated OER
The Path of the Sun, the Ecliptic
Students are introduced to the ecliptic, the zodiac and the apparent motions of the Sun, Moon and planets across the sky.
Curated OER
The Path of the Sun: The Ecliptic
Students investigate the celestial sphere and the paths it takes in the solar system.
Curated OER
Watch This Space!
For this space worksheet, learners, with a partner, answer five questions about the universe and read and discuss ten questions regarding astronomy.
New York City Department of Education
Learning about Lunar New Year
Rich in images and information, a teacher's guide to the traditions of Lunar New Year's celebrations in various cultures addresses celebrations of Buddhism and Daoism. It includes background information about the origins of the...
California Academy of Science
Kinesthetic Astronomy: The Meaning of a Year
How many times have you traveled around the sun? Aspiring astronomers grasp what a year is and they differentiate between orbit and rotation by walking around the sun right within your classroom. Place a lamp in the center of the room to...
Curated OER
The Seasons
Discover the change of the seasons by modeling the Earth-Sun system. Learners model the orbit of the Earth around the sun and explore how and why the patterns of winter and summer occur.
Curated OER
Astrology: Fact Or Fiction?
Students investigate the concept of astrology and how it evolved from history. They use the Zodiac in order to find the location of constellations in the night sky. The differences between astrology and astronomy are compared and any...
Curated OER
A Multicultural Study: Chinese New Year
Learners study the customs and beliefs of the Chinese people as they experience Chinese New Year; students become aware that they live on one planet but their festivals and holidays vary.
California Academy of Science
Kinesthetic Astronomy: Earth's Rotation
After completing the activity, "Kinesthetic Astronomy: The Meaning of a Year," zoom in on Earth's rotation using the same simulation setup and this outline. Each class member dons a map of the Western Hemisphere and plays the part of...
California Academy of Science
Kinesthetic Astronomy: Mars Opposition Dance
Your class will watch as one child orbits the sun as Earth, while another orbits as Mars. If the timing is right, they will see the repetitive dance between the two planets and discover how often they are opposite from each other. For...
Curated OER
Communism
Seventh graders study communism. In this world history instructional activity, 7th graders discuss the similarities and differences between communism and democracies by writing Venn Diagrams.
Curated OER
Cultural Calendar
Students design their own cultural calendar. In this calendar making lesson plan, students decide on a culture for a calendar theme and discuss how calendars differ from the US calendar. Students create their own calendar using a...
Curated OER
Heavens Above
Students study the stars and their positions. For this astronomy lesson students see how scientists can predict the positions of the stars and can tell how they would have appeared in the past.
Curated OER
Taking Risks: Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Students discuss a video about drug and alcohol abuse and their connection to risk-taking. They answer questions on a risk factor sheet about the use of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol. They discuss long and short term goals and how not...