While watching the Planets Song (Animated Music Video), students learn about the order of planets in our solar system as well as cool facts about each planet.
This solar system activity is a Space Race game where 2nd to 5th Grade students spin, write and color the eight planets in order. Includes trivia cards, practice and answer key.
While listening to the Planets Song (MP3), students learn about the order of planets in our solar system as well as cool facts about each planet.
This Jupiter Planet Worksheet gives 4th graders a short science passage, a word bank, and two written-response questions about the largest planet. Answer key included for fast, no-prep solar system practice.
Students read a short Neptune Fact File, then use it to finish five sentences and answer two written questions. This Neptune planet worksheet is built for 4th grade and includes a complete answer key.
In this solar system sequencing planets activity, kindergarten to 5th grade students put the eight planets in order from the Sun and match their names. Answer key included.
Space flash cards with bright pictures of the sun, moon, planets and more help kindergarten to 4th grade students learn space words and facts. An answer key is included.
Eight planets, one very big neighborhood
Fourth graders learn the eight planets in order from the Sun and what makes each one special. They sort them into the four rocky inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) and the four giant outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune). They learn that planets orbit the Sun because of gravity and that the farther out a planet is, the longer its year. The click is realizing just how huge the distances are: Neptune takes about 165 Earth years to go around once!
Space is a topic kids already love. These moves turn that excitement into facts that stick.
A catchy song locks in the order of the planets faster than any list. Play it a few times across the week and soon kids are humming Mercury to Neptune in the hallway.
Why it works: a catchy, repeating tune gives the brain a hook to hang words on, so sung text is remembered better (Wallace, 1994).
Try it withPlanets Song (Animated Music Video)SongsOpen it →Hand out planet cards and have kids physically line up in order across the room, with the Sun at the front wall. Spread the outer planets way out so kids feel how far apart they really are.
Why it works: the U.S. Department of Education's guide for teaching elementary math recommends moving from hands-on objects to drawings to numbers.
Try it withSolar System Sequencing Planets ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Hold up a space card and ask one quick question: "Rocky or gas giant?" or "Which planet has the most famous rings?" Short daily rounds beat one big review before the test.
Why it works: pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than rereading it, one of the strongest findings in learning research (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).
Try it withSpace Flash CardsFlash CardsOpen it →Hands-on and on-screen favorites for a solar system unit.
ActivitiesKids put together the whole solar system and label every planet.
Open Solar System Activity →
WorksheetsRead about Jupiter, the biggest planet, and answer questions about its storms and moons.
Open Jupiter Planet Worksheet →
WorksheetsExplore Neptune, the farthest planet, with its supersonic winds and deep blue color.
Open Neptune Planet Worksheet →Teacher favorites right now: Planets Song (Animated Music Video), Solar System Activity and Planets Song (MP3).
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. A favorite memory sentence: My Very Excited Mother Just Served Us Nachos.
In 2006, astronomers decided Pluto is a dwarf planet because it hasn't cleared other objects out of its orbit. Kids love debating this one!
The inner planets are small and rocky. The outer planets are huge giants made mostly of gas or ice, and they all have rings.
Venus, even though Mercury is closer to the Sun. Venus has a thick blanket of clouds that traps heat, so it is hot enough to melt lead.
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