Solar System Activities
The lessons below are teacher-favorite lessons focused on our solar system. 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.
Our Solar System Lessons:
Active Accretion
Topic: Modeling Solar System Objects
Grade Level: 5-8
Body: Our Solar System
Short Description: Students act as dust grains that come together to model early planet formation by the process of accretion in our solar system.
Are We Related? Looking for Patterns in Planetary Diversity
Grade Level: 9-12
Body: Our Solar System
Mission: Genesis (Our Solar System)
Short Description: In this activity, students use measurements (and results of calculations involving these measurements) regarding the planets' physical and chemical characteristics. They will start with some of the most universally accepted planetary data. Students will also be working with information that is often presented as known facts when, indeed, those "facts" may be conclusions based on limited basic data. Students should be encouraged to look for their own methods of grouping or "patterning."
Best of the Solar System
Grade Level: 5-8
Body: Our Solar System
Short Description: This activity introduces students to planetary research. Using some of the most famous and interesting images of the solar system, students learn to focus on details by studying uncaptioned images. Next students increase their knowledge of the planets and their features by comparing their observations to those of real researchers. Students organize their findings to infer a key difference between inner and outer planets.
Build a Solar System
Grade Level: 5-8, 9-12
Body: Our Solar System
Short Description: This resource from the Exploratorium allows teachers and students to select a size for an object to represent the sun and all other sizes and distances in the solar system and distances to other interesting stars are calculated. The resource can be very good for a differentiated classroom to reduce the math requirement.
Changes Inside Planets (Differentiation and Breakup)
Topic: Modeling Solar System Objects
Grade Level: 5-8
Body: Our Solar System
Short Description: Students conduct experiments to model the separation of light and heavy materials within a planetary body using gelatin. In a second activity, students model the break-up of a differentiated body using frozen hard-boiled eggs.
Cosmic Chemistry: Planetary Diversity
Grade Level: 5-8, 9-12
Body: Our Solar System
Mission: Genesis (Our Solar System)
Short Description: The goal of this module is to acquaint students with the planets of the solar system and some current models for their origin and evolution. Students will make decisions concerning possible patterns or groupings of the physical and chemical compositions of internal structures and atmospheres of planets. Through classroom activities, they will be encouraged to examine some contemporary models proposed to explain the origin and evolution of the planets.
Discoveries in Planetary Science Slide Sets
Grade Level: 9-12
Body: Our Solar System
Short Description: These slide presentations for use in undergraduate classes cover new discoveries in planetary science. (Available in Spanish and English.)
Dunking the Planets
Topic: Modeling Solar System Objects
Grade Level: K-4
Body: Our Solar System
Short Description: In this 30-minute demonstration, children ages 9-13 compare the relative sizes and masses of scale models of the planets as represented by fruits and other foods. The children dunk the "planets" in water to highlight the fact that even a large, massive planet -- such as Saturn -- can have low density. They discuss how a planet's density is related to whether it is mainly made up of rock or gas.
Dwarf Planets as a New Way of Thinking About an Old Solar System
Grade Level: 5-8
Body: Our Solar System, Asteroids, Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud
Mission: Dawn (Dwarf Planets)
Short Description: This middle school activity utilizes a researched-based instructional strategy called direct vocabulary instruction to help students understand the new definitions of planet and dwarf planet.
Evaporation Investigation
Grade Level: K-4
Body: Our Solar System
Short Description: Students observe and understand the process of evaporation.
