Ahh, lesson on solar system fun! Just the other day, I was enjoying myself looking at the stars from the balcony of my hotel room at the beach with my mom and kids. My kids pointed out this really bright object. My mom didn’t have her glasses so she couldn’t tell if it was an airplane or what! Oh, sweet memories.
Well, me being the science teacher that I am, I whipped out my phone and opened my Sky Map app. There it was, just as plain as day. It was Jupiter. Jupiter is one of the brightest shining objects in the sky. It’s so large, it reflects a lot of sunlight. Come to find out, it was at is brightest during the timeframe that we saw it.
That was such a great time to share with my family, especially my two little ones who talk about the planets all of the time.
It’s always great to share the love of science, and I love to share it with students as well. The solar system is such a wonderful topic to explore. It’s so great because scientists are still exploring it as well. Every single year that you teach it to your students can be different because there is always more to learn!
In this post, I discuss ways in which you can introduce the solar system to your students to help them wonder, then I discuss how to teach the topic while reducing overwhelm, and then I’ll discuss widen activities on solar system topics. This is what I consider the WOW factor lesson plan on solar system.
Solar System Teaching Ideas – Introduction
It’s easier for me to wonder about all of the awesome things happening in our solar system. It’s just AMAZING to me. However, some of your students may not be so intrigued, so before really diving into the content, you should work on introducing the topic, getting them engaged, and helping them to wonder. Once they are engaged and curious, they will be ready to dive into the good stuff!
Here are some ideas to get them excited about learning the solar system! Choose one and explore. Be sure to add them to your science lesson plan on solar system!
Sky Map App
The majority of your students have a smart phone these days, and if they don’t, someone in their household does.
The Sky Map app is a great app that shows what stars, planets, nebulae, constellations, and more are in the sky.
Give your students the task to find something unique in the sky. During class, before this task, research and discuss with your students what they may see in the sky. Are there any planets that are visible during this season? Are there any fun and recognizable constellations?
After students complete this task at home, have a discussion in class about what different students saw in the sky. Are there any patterns? What did students enjoy seeing? What were they disappointed in not seeing?
At this point, students are curious about what is out there beyond our world. This is the time to dive deeper into the content.
DRONE Solar System Model
I love watching Mark Rober videos! This video is great for getting students to fathom the size and scale of the planets in our solar system.
He uses drone footage and random objects to create a model of the solar system that is more to scale than most models you may have seen in the past.
It’s really great to get students wondering and even hints at the question of life outside of the Earth. This is always a fun topic!
Your students will really be curious after this, so it’s time to explore content!
The Size of Space Interactive Activity
This is an interactive activity that shows the size of objects in space, starting with an astronaut and then shows larger objects until the observable universe.
It’s a humbling experience to see how small we really are in space!
This gives students a chance to see relative sizes of different objects in the universe as well as to actually see what’s out there.
Beside planets, there are dwarf planets, asteroids, man-made objects and more!
Gravity Force PhET Lab
One of the number one concepts in learning about the solar system is how gravity impacts orbits, where things are located, and so much more! Before diving into the content, you can allow your students to visually see the gravitational force that two objects exert on each other using the PhET lab.
Have students explore how changing the mass and distance between two objects impacts the gravitational force between them. Ask them some guiding questions.
- How does mass impact gravity?
- How does distance impact gravity?
- What unit is used for force?
- How do you think the planets are impacted by gravity?
Now, let’s dive into the content.
Lesson on Solar System – Interactive
Ok, well that’s really up to you, but these awesome resources are great for lectures, student-centered learning, and so much more!
You can dive into the solar system with these two interactive lessons: the solar system and the planets of the solar system. These interactive lessons focus on engaging students with interactive activities while reducing cognitive load. Research shows that if students are overwhelmed with too much information at one time, they will not learn anything at all.
These interactive lessons are divided into chunks with embedded activities to help students process one piece at time before moving on. This allows them to store information in their long-term memory!
There are so many options for using this lesson as well. A digital copy is included and a paper copy in which students can work at their own pace to complete. There are also guided notes if you want to complete as a class!
They are so much fun!
The Solar System Lesson
This solar system lesson explores all of the different things that you can find in our solar system including moons, comets, planets, dwarf planets, and so much more!
This lesson also discusses things such as astronomical units, Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation, the Kuiper belt, meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites, the Sun, and more.
This lesson includes activities such as an anticipation guide, four corners vocabulary, and serves as a mini-webquest exploring outside resources. This is a great way to introduce the solar system to your students.
This is also found on TPT.
Planets of the Solar System Lesson
This planets of the solar system lesson zooms in on the eight planets of our solar system. Students can learn more about Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
This lesson focuses on these planets and how the inner planets and outer planets share common characteristics.
This lesson also covers what makes a planet a planet, the meaning of the “Goldilocks Zone”, moons on planets of the solar system, discussions of water on Mars, and more!
There are different interactive activities included in this lesson including drag-and-drop options, a KWL to start, exploring the interactive solar system and more.
With 67 slides, this is sure to be a student favorite.
This is also found on TPT.
Coming soon: lesson plan on earth in the solar system
What Activity for Solar System Topics will you Choose?
There are so many widen activities to add to your lesson plans on solar system topics! After students wonder and learn more about the solar system, it’s time to widen their knowledge. There are so many things that you can have your students do to widen their content knowledge, but here are a few ideas.
Solar System Research Project
This is a great way to allow students to dive really deep into a certain planet or other celestial object. Unfortunately , there is just not enough time to learn all that there is about every piece of our solar system (that we even know of), but you can have students to explore just one object, either individually or in groups, and have them present their findings to the class.
For example, a group of 3 students can research the planet of Jupiter. Give them guidelines and questions such as:
- How big is your planet?
- How far away from the Sun?
- What is this planet known for?
- Have humans explored this planet? In what ways?
- What is something unique about this planet?
There are so many ways that you can go about this project! You don’t only have to do planets. Students can explore the Sun, comets, dwarf planets, and more!
They can even present their finding in different ways such as:
- Greenscreen Presentation
- PPT, Prezi, Google Slides
- Skit
- Brochure
Solar System Model
This is another wide open project that you can allow your students to do. Give them time to create their own model of the solar system.
They can use Styrofoam balls, paint, food, plastic lids, balls, and anything you can think of. Pinterest has a ton of ideas! You can have your students to look up how to make planets for a solar system project.
Modeling Gravity Activity
As I mentioned, gravity in the solar system is an important concept for students to grasp. That’s why I love this activity by Science Buddies.
Students can develop a model for gravity and explore why we are attracted to certain objects and do not fly off into space.
You will need some materials for this one: stretchy fabric, marble set, a pool ball, other round objects, duct tap or spring clamps, chairs. You can learn more on their site and add it to your solar system lesson ideas.
What will you add to your lesson on solar system plans?
Help your students master science content!
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