This computer activity has students use data to locate the planet Jupiter and determine if there is a nearby planet with an atmosphere habitable for humans. Data includes mass, surface temperature, composition of atmosphere, and number of satellites. Full description.

This Classroom Connectors lesson plan teaches students about the Sun's energy and how it affects life on Earth. This includes knowing what light is, using it to explain certain phenomenon, and knowing what the electromagnetic spectrum is. The site provides goals, objectives, an outline, time required, materials, activities, and closure ideas for the lesson. The Classroom Connectors address content ... Full description.

Students create a model to demonstrate the scale distances of the solar system using astronomical units that have been converted to a 10 cm scale and in doing so, understand the distances between the Sun, planets and small objects in the solar system. Full description.

This lesson plan is part of the DiscoverySchool.com lesson plan library for grades 6-8. It focuses on how star positions shift over long periods of time. By using a program called Skyglobe, students gain understanding of movements of the stars, and predict how objects will be different with different changes in time. It includes objectives, materials, procedures, discussion questions, evaluation ideas, ... Full description.

This interactive multimedia feature introduces students to asteroids. Topics include what they are, where they occur, and the probability that a large asteroid might strike the Earth. There is a discussion of Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) and particularly the asteroid Apophis, an asteroid over a thousand feet wide that is expected to pass very close to Earth in 2036. There is also discussion of possible ... Full description.

In this lesson, students learn about the Moon's changing appearance and its pattern of movement. Through class discussion, activities, and multimedia resources, students will learn to identify the phases of the Moon, understand that it completes one revolution around Earth per month, and recognize that the Moon is visible sometimes at night, sometimes during the day, and sometimes not at all. Full description.

This resource is part of the Science Education Gateway (SEGway) project, funded by NASA, which is a national consortium of scientists, museums, and educators working together to bring the latest science to students, teachers, and the general public. In this module, students investigate the weather similarities and differences between Earth and Mars. Eight investigations allow students to use the internet ... Full description.

This collection of animations and video, designed to accompany a textbook on astronomy, is intended to enhance students' understanding of astronomy concepts. The animations cover an extensive selection of topics, including astronomical distances, the celestial sphere and seasons, and the motion of Earth's moon. There are also features dealing with the solar system and planets, stars and stellar evolution, ... Full description.

The purpose of these activities is to strengthen the skills of visual perception, observation, and recording by using repetition of the North Polar Constellations and graphing those star patterns. Students will learn to recognize patterns of constellations, graph the constellations on graph paper, and draw their own versions of the constellations using star patterns. Full description.

This lesson plan is part of the DiscoverySchool.com lesson plan library for grades K-5. It focuses on the relationship of the nine planets in our solar system to the Sun by creating a 3-D representation. Included are objectives, materials, procedures, discussion questions, evaluation ideas, suggested readings, and vocabulary. There are videos available to order which complement this lesson, an audio-enhanced ... Full description.