The Solar System
Kids Astronomy http://www.kidsastronomy.com/our_sun.htm
This is a great website for students to explore each planet individually. Children may click on each planet and view a 3D rotation, fun facts, and important information about the planet. The website also dives into meteors, moons, comets, etc. Grades 3-5
Nasa Space Place http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/menu/solar-system/
This is a PHENOMENAL website for students to learn about our solar system! They can play games, take quizzes, explore videos and pictures, and do activities (online and on paper). There are SO many games and interactive activities. I would highly recommend this website to anyone teaching a unit on the solar system! It is extremely engaging. Grades 2-5
Star Child: A Learning Center for Young Astronomers http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html
In kid language, this website depicts what comprises the solar system. There is a giant glossary which I love. Students can engage in countless activities and matching games! The website also has information/activities pertaining to other solar systems, comets, asteroids, etc. Grades 3-6
Smart Exchange Solar System Matching Game
http://exchange.smarttech.com/details.html?id=1869cac7-e90c-44e6-8bc0-301111b76e25
This is a great tool for any teacher with a smart board! It is an interactive matching game where students can review what they have learned pertaining to the location/names of the planets. Grades 3-6
Our Solar System
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/solarsystem/activities.shtml
This is an engaging website that involves print out activities and interactive online activities. Some activities include: astronomy calendars, solar system books, activity books, models, and printable fill in the blank pages. Another great thing this website offers is that is has the activities available in foreign languages! ESL teachers would love this site! Grades K-3
Our Solar System
http://www.wartgames.com/themes/science/solarsystem.html
This website is full of games for students to play. This would be an incredible website for extra practice and review! Grades 1-5
Amazing Space: A Hubble Galaxy
http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/
This website is full of information on our solar system and the graphics/pictures are incredible! You may click on "Tonight's Sky" and view how the sky will look or view amazing images taken from the Hubble. Students will be amazed by space and how beautiful it is! Grades 3-8
Space-Age Living: Building the International Space Station http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/spacestation/
This article discusses the who, what, when, where, why, and how's of building the space station. It includes facts, figures, pictures, view tours, and applications that allow you to track where the space station is located in the sky! Very neat! Grades 3-8
Astronaut Views of Earth from Space
http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/sseop/efs/
This website offers just what the title says! You may click on any city, landscape, time of year, weather, water, etc. and view how it looks from space! I think this would be very educational for the students to see a different point of view of earth and see how it looks from outer space! Grades 3-8
Your Weight on Other Worlds
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight/index.html
This is just a cool website for students to assess how much gravity would affect how much they would weigh on other planets, moons, and stars. It describes the difference between mass and weight and why it changes! Grades 2-8
Brain POP: The Solar System
http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/space/solarsystem/
This is a GREAT kid-language video to introduce the solar system! It introduces all the planets and talks about everything in the big picture. This is on Brain POP Jr., but there is a normal Brain POP on all of the planets as well! Grades 1-3
The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System
http://www.amazon.com/Magic-School-Lost-Solar-System/dp/0590414291
This is a great book to introduce the students to the solar system! This would be a great read aloud and engage the students in how the system works! Plus, we all love Ms. Frizzle :) 2-5
My Place in Space
http://www.amazon.com/My-Place-Space-Robin-Hirst/dp/1741754046/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339113340&sr=1-1
This is such a phenomenal book to put the solar system in perspective for students. A bus driver asks Henry if he knows where he lives, so he starts with his street and expands slowly out to the universe. It is great and so are the pictures! I highly recommend it! Grades 2-4
Exploring Our Solar System
http://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Solar-System-Sally-Ride/dp/0375812040/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339113500&sr=1-1
This is an engaging picture book! Students take a tour of the solar system. The book explains how each planet go to be, what it is like now, and if there is a possibility of life on it! Grades 4-8
The Planets in Our Solar System
http://www.amazon.com/Planets-System-Lets-Read---Find-Out-Science/dp/006445178X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339113609&sr=1-1
This book discusses each of the eight planets in detail and includes instructions on how to make your own mobile! The pictures are exciting and draw the reader in. I'd definitely recommend this for younger readers! Grades K-3
Really enjoyed looking at your text set collection on the solar system. I taught sixth grade this past year and had to teach a lesson on the solar sytem(not really my choice, science teacher was absent). I think if I would have had access to "Amazing Space: A Hubble Galaxy" would have greatly benefited me.
ReplyDeleteHey Erin, I was so happy you chose to do the Solar System! I don't think I'm going to be teaching science next year, but some of these sights can be used for content connections during reading. I will sure pass some of this info. along! Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteI love that you chose this topic. There are so many wonderful space resources out there, and such great graphics! Also, I think that using web resources, especially from trusted science agencies like NASA that are constantly researching and publishing, can keeps students reading current information that might not be available in books.
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