Earth and Space Science Units and Lessons Grades for 7-9
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Life Science
Grades 4-6 |
Physical Science
Grades 4-6 |
Earth and Space Science
Grades 7-9 |
Engineering
Grades 7-9 |
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| Lesson | Description | Prep Time | Lesson Time Needed | Complexity |
| Climate |
Activities introduce changes in water, ice and soil as well as understand how they reflect climate. Keywords: global warming, hydrosphere, cryosphere, ice, glaciers, tilt, radiation, sun soil, ultraviolet light |
1 Hour | 4 Hours | Moderate |
| Seasons |
Students explore different factors related to seasonal changes. Keywords: weather, ultraviolet light, Earth tilt, climate change, equinox, day and night, orbits |
1 Hour | 4 Hours | Moderate |
Destination Mars Unit
| Lesson | Description | Prep Time | Lesson Time Needed | Complexity |
| Destination Mars |
Activities that are based on the planet Mars and factors that affect space travel. Keywords: mass, trajectory, ratio, planet distances, design process game, problem solving |
20 Minutes | 4 Hours | Basic |
Earth Moon System Unit
| Lesson | Description | Prep Time | Lesson Time Needed | Complexity |
| Earth's Attic: The Moon |
Activities to help students understand the physical characteristics of the moon. Keywords: cratering, geometry, triangulation, geology, meteorite, meteorite origin |
2 Hours | Advanced | |
| The Sky Is Falling |
Activities to help students understand how meteorites can unlock answers to the early history of the solar system and how meteorites and their big brother, asteroids, have played a role in shaping planetary surfaces. Keywords: meteorite, impact, geography, scientific process, measurement, volume, angle, velocity, rays, scatter pattern, meteor, topography |
2 Hours | Moderate |
Planetology Unit
| Lesson | Description | Prep Time | Lesson Time Needed | Complexity |
| Earth: A One-of-a-Kind Planet? |
Students analyze physical processes that occur on Earth and Mars and compare differences on how particular similar physical features occur. Keywords: surfaces, craters, hydrology, careers, astrobiology, online programs, extraterrestrial |
30 Minutes | Moderate | |
| Finding Earth-Like Planets |
Combines activities used to help students understand how extra-solar and Earth-like planets are detected. Keywords: Mercury, Venus, sun, astrobiology, brightness, stars, galaxy, universe, predictions |
2 Hours | Moderate | |
| How Does Earth Compare? |
Activities to compare models of the size of Earth to other planets and the distances to other planets. Keywords: models, comparisons, solar system, estimation, distances, sizes, Voyager, Gemini, shuttle, space station |
1 Hour | Basic |
Remote Sensing Unit
| Lesson | Description | Prep Time | Lesson Time Needed | Complexity |
| A World of Change |
Activities introduce students to Earth's remote sensing tools and changes observed from space over time. Keywords: satellite imaging, impact craters, water pathways, comparing planets, change over time |
1 Hour | 4 Hours |
Basic/ Moderate |
| Earth Versus Mars |
Remote satellite images of Earth and Mars are used to compare and contrast physical processes that occur on both planets. Keywords: erosion, landforms, craters, channels, planet origin, geography, volcanoes, earthquakes, day, year, charting, compare and contrast, topography, physical processes |
1 Hour | 1 Hour | Basic |
| Finding Impact Craters |
Remote satellite images of the Earth are used to distinguish impact craters from other landforms. Keywords: Earth, topography, atmomsphere, satellite technology, scientific process, satellite images, extraterrestial objects, meteorite, teamwork, data analysis, velocity, kinetic energy, latitude, longitude, geography |
1 Hour | 1.5 Hours | Basic |
| Finding Impact Craters and Water Systems |
Students construct a model of a catchment basin. Students can see how remote satellite images are used to learn about drainage systems and catchment basins on Earth as well as their possible existence on other planets. Keywords: Earth, topography, atmosphere, satellite technology, scientific process, satellite images, extraterrestial objects, meteorite, teamwork, data analysis, velocity, kinetic energy, latitude, longitude, geography |
1 Hour | 3 Hours | Basic |
Universe Unit
| Lesson | Description | Prep Time | Lesson Time Needed | Complexity |
| Is it Safe? |
Activities designed to look at how we are protected from the sun's atmosphere. Keywords: stars, nebula, Hubble Space Telescope, galaxy, stellar evolution |
1 Hour | 4 Hours | Moderate |
| Points of Light |
Activities looking at and measuring objects in the night sky. Keywords: stars, galaxies, constellations, star field, sampling, light pollution, telescope, planetarium, online activity |
2 Hours | 4 Hours | Moderate |
| What's in the Stars? |
Activities designed to look at stellar evolution and composition. Keywords: stars, galaxies, constellations, chemistry, elements, stellar evolution, star cycle |
2.5 Hours | 3 Hours | Moderate |
Weather Unit
| Lesson | Description | Prep Time | Lesson Time Needed | Complexity |
| Air Has Weight and Temperature Affects It? |
Activities that develop a basic understanding about the weight of air and its basic importance to understanding meteorology and determining that a change in temperature of air affects its vertical movement. Keywords: atmosphere layers, weather, moisture, clouds, climate, planetary weather, Coriolis, winds, planet atmospheres, gases, satellites, precipitation, radiation, air pressure, humidity, meteorology |
1.5 Hours | 2 Hours | Basic |
| Moisture and Clouds |
Activities help students develop a basic understanding of the relationship between cloud type and the form of precipitation and the relationship between the amount of water in the atmosphere available for precipitation and the actual precipitation observed by satellite. Keywords: atmosphere layers, cloud types, humidity, water cycle, moisture, MY NASA DATA, precipitation, rainfall, water vapor, climate, climate zones |
1 Hour | 3 Hours | Moderate |
| What Influences Planetary Weather? |
Students create a simulation to model how the principles of the Coriolis effect influence weather patterns on a planet with gaseous atmospheres. Research the characteristics of what makes a planet habitable by engaging in a Web-based interactive game. Keywords: Coriolis effect, mars comparisons, wind, earth cycles, planet rotation, astrobiology, life on other planets, astroventure, planet comparisons |
1 Hour | Basic |
Year of the Solar System Unit
| Lesson | Description | Prep Time | Lesson Time Needed | Complexity |
| Comet on a Stick |
Students strengthen their concepts of a comet by designing and building a model of a comet emulating a process that scientists and engineers follow on all missions. Keywords: solar system, small bodies, coma, tail, nucleus, deep impact, scientific methods, solar wind, sun, orbits, Kuiper Belt, oort cloud |
2 Hours | 1.5 Hours | Basic |
| Make a Comet and Eat It! |
Students develop a comet model that can be eaten and trade another "comet" on which to take measurement using four senses. Keywords: solar system, small bodies, coma, tail, nucleus, deep impact, scientific methods, solar wind, sun, orbits, Kuiper Belt, oort cloud, edible |
2 Hours | 1.5 Hours | Moderate |
| Scale Models of the Solar System |
Students visualize the comparative sizes and distances of solar system bodies by making solar system objects to scale using common objects, walking off the distances between planets and participating in a Web-based Sun/Earth scale model activity. Keywords: planet sizes, planet comparisons, Earth vs. Mars, models, science process, scale, orbits, solar system, sun, sizes |
3 Hours | 3 Hours | Moderate |
| Solar System Missions |
Students investigate the historical and current planetary exploration missions. Keywords: planets, discovery, Dawn, Deep Impact, Voyager, moon, Apollo, Mercury, Gemini, space shuttle, space station, Soyuz, Mir, New Horizons, history, rovers, unmanned, probes, Galileo, Cassini, Messenger, SOHO, Earth vs. Mars, models, science process, scale, orbits, sun, size |
1 Hour | 1 Hour | Basic |
| Solar System Simulator |
Students investigate how to determine the relative position of the sun, planets and a number of planetary spacecraft using a simple Web-based program. Keywords: planet sizes, scale models, distances, modeling, orbits, sizes |
1 Hour | 30 Minutes | Basic |
| Space Rocks! A Giant Meteorite Board Game |
Students assume the roles of meteorites and play a giant board game to learn about meteors, meteoroids and meteorites. They compete to get to Antarctica, where they have the chance to be found and studied by scientists! Keywords: meteoroid, meteor, meteor showers, games, simulations, asteroids |
1 Hour | 1 Hour | Basic |
| Vegetable Light Curves |
Students observe the surface of rotating potatoes to help them understand how astronomers can sometimes determine the shape of asteroids from variations in reflective brightness. Keywords: asteroid belt, solar system, meteorites, small bodies, solar system formation, Dawn mission, rotation, albedo, reflectivity |
2 Hours | 1.5 Hours | Moderate |
| Where Do We Choose To Live and Why? |
Students use a nighttime image to observe areas of light across the United States and to identify patterns and spatial distributions of human settlements. Keywords: history, habitability, life on Earth, populations, U.S. at night, puzzles, problem solving, city lights |
2 Hours | 1.5 Hours | Moderate |
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