The Best of the Solar System (Grades 4-7)

Extremely large or extremely small numbers are difficult to comprehend. To help understand the massive scale of the solar system, learners complete two activities. First, they create a model to compares the size of the bodies in the...

A brief reading comprehension exercise, this activity covers the characteristics of the outer planets. It still considers Pluto a planet and Charon its moon. It is therefore a little out of date, but this fact can be discussed as part of...

Introduce basic Earth and space science to your budding astronauts. This handout works in two ways, the first part provides information about the sun, moon, eclipses, and Earth to be read to or by the class. The second part is composed...

All of the gas giant's atmospheres consist of hydrogen and helium, the same gases that make up all stars. The third in a series of 22, the activity challenges pupils to make scale models of the interiors of planets in order to...

Explore the solar system in detail, from it's origins to its components.  Visual data gathered by actual space missions has been used to create the images and animations on each page of this stellar electronic book about the solar...

Travel through space as you learn about the galaxy, solar system, planets, and much more. An extensive resource for studying astronomy in upper-elementary and middle school classrooms.

Pair earth scientists up to use an amazing online arctic portal mapping tool and Google Earth to analyze permafrost changes. They compare changes to data on atmospheric concentrations of methane to see if there is a correlation. Then...

Do other planets experience night, day, and the seasons like humans do here on Earth? Examine planetary motion using real images of the planets through a simulation from PBS's Space lesson series. After observing the motion of each...

This survey of the planets includes all the basics, size, mass, atmosphere, length of day, and the like. It features interactive activities and learning exercises and compares all of the planets in colorful tables.

Scientists are always sorting and classifying objects based on their characteristics. In a hands-on learning activity, young space explorers work together to categorize solar system cards based on their properties. It is up to the young...