Have you ever wanted to turn off gravity? This simulation allows learners to do just that in addition to altering other variables. Scholars can move the sun, Earth, moon, and space station to see how distance affects gravitational pull....

To gain an understanding of the significance of Galileo Galilei's revolutionary ideas, class members watch the short video "Stargazing Before Galileo," and conduct a close reading of Galileo's Sidereal Messsenger. They then...

Math and science come together in this cross-curricular astronomy lesson plan on planetary motion. Starting off with a hands-on activity that engages the class in exploring the geometry of circles and ellipses, this lesson...

How in the world can something as big as the solar system possibly fit in your pocket? Complete this simple modeling activity and find out, as young scientists gain an appreciation for the incredible scale of outer space.

Trying to understand the vastness of outer space can be quite a challenge for young scientists. Help put things in perspective with this cross-curricular activity as students work in pairs creating scaled models of...

Students view a teacher demonstration of comet composition. In this comet science lesson, students watch as the teacher combines sand, ammonia, cola, and dry ice to simulate the composition of a comet. They answer discussion questions...

The Mars Global Surveyor spent two years creating a mineral map of the planet Mars using thermal emission spectrometry. To help young astronomers understand this remote sensing instrument, have them simulate how data is collected and...

Students, working in small groups construct scale models of the planets and solar system. They examine images of Mars and discuss what might have caused the features. They record facts about their planetary research in their journals and...

Scientists participate in studying how new scientific advances have changed the world. They explain how astronomers have changed the way people view the universe, summarize the advances that were made in chemistry and medicine, and...

Learners build a scaled model of the solar system. In this space science instructional activity, students arrange them according to their distances from the sun. They analyze each planet's unique features such as density and relative...

Need some helpful images for your astronomy unit? Check out a slide show that hosts several pictures of planets with their names. 

Combine science and social studies with this collection of notes on ancient astronomy. Ideas propagated by early scientists influenced the way people viewed life and our place in the universe. Examine the philosophies of Aristotle,...

Questions about water, weather, geology, astronomy, and the scientific process make up this Jeopardy game. It is a pretty well-rounded set of slides, although you may want to be aware that a few of the questions are specific to the state...

In need of a few great ways to teach an arts-enriched lesson on astronomy? This resource contains several interesting ideas that link poetry to the stars in the sky. These suggestions are very simple and could use a teachers touch, but...

Learners simulate different spacecraft missions using materials provided. In this space science lesson, students observe and record a planetary model's features from a distance. They relate this activity to scientists' space exploration...

Students identify the challenges encountered by astronauts in operating a planetary rover. For this space science lesson, students create a rover using their team members. They follow a command sequence from the driver and navigate...

Students create a research proposal and write letters to researchers to explain why their proposals were rejected.  In this astronomy lesson plan students use the Internet to help them to write a proposal on what they observed...

Students research the life cycle of a star. In this astronomy lesson plan, students work in groups to research on stage in stellar evolution and report back to the class their findings. They will discuss as a class the order of the...

Students study the color of stars. In this astronomy based lesson, students observe the colors in an open flame and apply the information collected about color and temperature to the visible light emitting from the photosphere of various...

Tenth graders identify stars based on their line spectra. In this astronomy instructional activity, 10th graders analyze spectrograph and determine the elements present in the star. They explain the relationship between temperature and...

In this astronomy as a career worksheet, students use 2 graphs to answer 4 questions about the number of PhDs awarded, the number of PhD's awarded compared to Bachelor's degrees in astronomy and factors that might be involved in the...

In this solar system worksheet, students use foldable models they made of the planets to answer questions about each planet. They answer questions about the theories and predictions made in our history about the solar system and answer...

Students address a major misconception in astronomy, the understanding of scale. The lesson is designed to introduce students to both celestial coordinates and to the first rung on the distance determination ladder, parallax.