Meteorite Activities
The lessons below are teacher-favorite lessons focused on meteorites. For more search options or to search by other science target, missions and other criteria, visit our Fast Lesson Finder. You can also search by curriculum standards on our popular Curriculum Standards Quilts.
Meteors & Meteorites Lessons:
Exploring Meteorite Mysteries (Main Portal)
Topic: Modeling Solar System Objects
Grade Level: 5-8, 9-12
Body: Meteors & Meteorites
Short Description: Meteorites are pieces of asteroids that have fallen to Earth; they hold clues to the formation of our solar system. This set of activities investigates meteorite features, characteristics, their connection to asteroids, and the keys they hold to the formation of the planets. These activities are primarily hands-on modeling activities.
Exploring Meteorite Mysteries: Lesson 1 Noblesville Fall
Grade Level: 5-8, 9-12
Body: Meteors & Meteorites
Short Description: Students will listen to the story of an actual meteorite fall and brainstorm on what they want to know and how they would react. The questions students generate will relate directly to the units contained in Exploring Meteorite Mysteries and will help teachers focus students' attention on meteorite investigations. After making a list of what they want to know, they will view a slide show introduction to meteorites.
View the Slide Set Online
Exploring Meteorite Mysteries Slide Set (Power Point, 66.72 MB)
Exploring Meteorite Mysteries: Lesson 11 Changes Inside Planets
Grade Level: 5-8, 9-12
Body: Meteors & Meteorites
Short Description: In this lesson students will observe and describe differentiated samples in the Meteorite Sample Disk (or photographs). They will conduct an experiment using gelatin and food that illustrates planetary differentiation. Hard boiled eggs model the break-up of differentiated planetary bodies.
Exploring Meteorite Mysteries: Lesson 14 Direct Hit at the K-T Boundary
Grade Level: 5-8, 9-12
Body: Meteors & Meteorites
Short Description: In this lesson, students explore information about the effects of large impacts. A critical thinking activity helps students select the likely impact site associated with the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Exploring Meteorite Mysteries: Lesson 15 Historical Meteorite Falls
Grade Level: 5-8, 9-12
Body: Meteors & Meteorites
Short Description: This lesson contains five reading selections and associated questions. The readings and questions are mostly about the responses of people to meteor and meteorite falls.
Exploring Meteorite Mysteries: Lesson 16 Near Miss
Grade Level: 5-8, 9-12
Body: Meteors & Meteorites
Short Description: This lesson involves the students in creative interactions by asking them to take on the roles of community members who react to a large and frightening, but not devastating, impact. There are two activities which require different research and modes of response.
Exploring Meteorite Mysteries: Lesson 17 Asteroid Resources
Grade Level: 5-8, 9-12
Body: Meteors & Meteorites
Short Description: In teams, students wil research and document some of the requirements for mounting an expedition to an asteroid. Activity B allows the students to simulate a miniature mining expedition of an edible asteroid.
Exploring Meteorite Mysteries: Lesson 18 Antarctic Meteorite Teams
Grade Level: 5-8, 9-12
Body: Meteors & Meteorites
Short Description: This lesson is designed to enhance students' awareness of scientific career possibilities and requirements. A series of
slides will provide students with background information about expeditions to Antarctica to recover meteorites.
Exploring Meteorite Mysteries: Lesson 19 The Daily Shooting Star
Grade Level: 5-8, 9-12
Body: Meteors & Meteorites
Short Description: The Daily Shooting Star uses a tabloid format to generate interest in meteorites. The articles may be used as an introduction or preassessment before any lessons are started, or it may be a final assessment after the units are completed.
Exploring Meteorite Mysteries: Lesson 10 Building Blocks of Planets
Grade Level: 5-8, 9-12
Body: Meteors & Meteorites
Short Description: In Activity A students will observe and describe chondrite meteorites. In Activity B they will experiment with balloons and static electricity to illustrate the theories about how dust particles collected into larger clusters. In Activity C students will manipulate magnetic marbles and steel balls to dramatically illustrate the accretion of chondritic material into larger bodies like planets and asteroids.
