LibGuides: Science Education Resources: Space Science

Lesson Plans and Teaching Activities

Amazing Space: Images and information about the universe gathered from the Hubble Space Telescope and other space explorations are featured in this website from the Space Telescope Science Institute. The section, For Educators, features many Teaching tools, including graphic organizers, astronomy basics, and interactive activities. Tonight's Sky is a monthly feature that identifies phenomena that can be seen with and without binoculars and telescopes.
Grades: 4 - 12

Imagine Mars Project: Formerly known as the Mars Millenium Project, this site challenges students, K-12, to design a community for the planet Mars, and provides lesson plans and project ideas. Sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
Grades: K - 12

K12 Science: A Portal to SERC's Resources: The Science Education Resource Center (SERC) @ Carleton College has organized this extensive collection of lessons, activities, lab investigations, projects and field trips on a wide range of topics. Searchable by type of type of activity, subject and grade level.
Grades: K - 12

NASA Education: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's website provides space and astronomy resources for both educators and students. As an educator, you can find resources under the "For educator" section arranged by grade level. Each grade level has a link to a section called "Classroom Combos" which gives lesson ideas, projects, internet and multimedia resources. Students can also join the NASA Kid's Club which offers them a variety of fun science games and activities. You can even check out what is going on at the Space Station.
Grades: K - 11

NASA Education Program: Learning activities and materials for students and teachers at all grade levels, K -12, encompassing Aerospace Technology, Biological and Physical Research, Earth Science, Space Exploration and Space Science.
Grades: K - 12

NASA Space Place: Developed by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Space Place includes articles, videos, podcasts, games and other activities that teach about space and earth topics. Explore through topics or do a search to find content of interest. A Spanish version is available.
Grades: 4 - 8

NOAA's SciJinks: SciJinks is a joint project of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheris Administration) and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Adminstration). With informative articles and videos that teach about weather, satellite meteorology, and Earth science. It includes information about careers, web games and teaching activities, including learning modules, pdf's, etc.
Grades: 6 - 12

Science Explorations: Through this Scholastic webaite students can explore six different science areas: Science Web Quests, Classify Insects, Journey into Space, Soar with Bats, Uncover Lizards and Snakes, Investigate the Giant Squid and Animals, Adaptation and the Galapagos Islands. Most topics begin with a video clip, followed by suggested activities. Each section has a Teacher's Guide.
Grades: K - 8

SciJinks: A joint project of the NOAA and NASA SciJinks provides information and activities on a variety of weather topics. The Educators section includes some sample lesson plans. The Multimedia section has photos and short videos of weather phenomena. There are also interactive games and biographical information about meteorologists.
Grades: 4 - 12

Smithsonian Learning Lab: There are over a million resources available in the Learning Lab representing the Smithsonian's 19 museums, 9 research center and the National Zoo. Educators can use the content and collections for free.
Grades: 3 - 12

Space Today: This site is edited by Anthony R. Curtis, PH.D. who is a professor at UNC-Pembroke and a NASA Solar System Ambassador). There is an abundance of space and astronomy information on here, which is broken down with bold headings and links to the information. Other features include science news, images, timelines and mission data.
Grades: 8 - 11

UCAR Center for Science Education: Sponsored by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), a consortium of higher education institutions with programs in the atmospheric sciences, the Center for Science Education includes online resources to teach about the weather and weather related topics. The Learning Zone provides videos, games, simulations and other activities.
Grades: 3 - 12

Web Weather for Kids: This site is sponsored by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Students learn information and answer questions related to climate, weather,sun/space and atmosphere. The learning zone provides games, simulations, videos and images. Under classroom activities, teachers can find lesson plans, teaching boxes, and experiments that coordinate with these topics.
Grades: 7 - 12