Astronomy/Space Lessons

Astronomy & Space Lesson Plans

Updated: April 8, 2002

Astronomy & Space Lessons - Grades 4-12 - This collection from the Science Education Gateway at U.C. Berkeley includes lessons for elementary and middle school students that use the web to introduce concepts such as measuring the temperature of the sun and tracking the orbits of satellites. As a group, they introduce serious science in an approachable manner. Students will need Internet access to use most of the lessons.

Astrophysics Lesson Plans - Grades 6-12 - Created by the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center which is located within the Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics (LHEA) at NASA/GSFC. This is an incredible site. It gives easy to read tables of previously taught background necessary for the students to successfully complete the experiments, necessary materials (for both teacher and students), and copy ready data tables.

The All Star Network - Grades 5-12+ - NASA AllStar Project - This extensive site provides online lessons at three levels, from middle school to early college, on History of Aeronautics, Aerospace Education and Careers, and Principles of Aeronautics. Each lesson module includes an online quiz (multiple choice) to assess knowledge gained. Students first register for a NASA ALLSTAR ID when they enter the site. This is used to submit their quiz results. A separate section of the site is just for teachers. Your students are sure to learn from and enjoy this site. You could assign it as independent work or have students work at the same time in a computer lab. Highly able students could work at a higher level.

Exploring Planets in the Classroom - Grades 3-12 - This site offers a collection of activities to explore the planets and solar system. They were developed by K-12 teachers in Hawaii as part of a summer continuing education program. While there are a number of attractive units here, the lack of specified grade levels will require that you sample for yourself before determining whether any of these items might be useful in your science class. Still, if the planets are the topic, this collection is worth a look.

Graphing Stratospheric Ozone - Grades 8-12 - Neil Fetter, The Exploratorium - This site, one of several at the Exploratorium which use NASA resources, gives detailed lesson plans to teach traditional and web-based lessons about ozone. Students use data collected from the NASA sites to graph atmospheric ozone levels in another set of activities explained in the site. The graphing section assumes knowledge of graphing on two axes.

The Great Satellite Search - Grades 8-12 - Regan Lum, The Exploratorium - This site gives thorough lesson plans for a research project using the Internet. Students research and present information about a specific satellite, working in cooperative groups. Even the handouts are provided, just print and go!

Imagine the Universe Lessons - Grades 6-12 - This is the lesson plan section of the larger Imagine the Universe site. It contains a nice collection of lessons for middle and high school students dealing with the astronomy, physics, and mathematics involved in studying the stars and the universe. Each lesson is presented clearly and in detail, along with applicable national and state mathematics or science standards. Some of the content is challenging, but the presentation helps make it an interesting, manageable challenge.

K-8 Aeronautics Lessons - These lessons are designed to complement the K-8 Aeronautics Textbook developed in cooperation with NASA. They provide a set of lessons keyed to the material presented at the site.

Live from Earth and Mars Educational Modules - Grades 3-6 - This site from the University of Washington includes lesson plans and projects for students relating to meteorology and space science.

Exploring Planets in the Classroom - Grades K-12 - This site is a series of Hands-on Activities developed by the Univ. of Hawaii School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. The site includes more than 25 Hands On activities developed and tested by the Hawaii Space Grant Consortium. There are 9 subdivisions, all dealing with space topics. There are links to other sites involved in the study of space and sites where resources can be purchased. Each lesson includes teacher pages, student reproducibles, charts and photographs.

Spectra From Space - Grades 7-12 - Neil Fetter, The Exploratorium - This well-designed site explains four different kinds of space telescopes, including the Hubble, then outlines hands-on activities to reinforce key concepts. Photos of the activities help explain what to do. This site is a set of lessons in itself.

STELLAR Activities - Developed by NASA Ames Research Center and UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science- Grades K-12. Detailed lesson plans include ready to use student handouts. Cross referenced by grade level and science strand.

The Wonders of Space - Grades 3-6 - Here's a simple introduction to the stars and solar system presented in a visually attractive format. Created as part of a collaborative effort with Philadelphia's Franklin Institute, this lesson will keep young students interested while they learn first facts about the stars and planets.

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