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 diagram worksheet has 4th graders label all eight planets in order from the Sun, then answer four questions about the diagram. An answer key is included, so review takes only minutes.
This Drawing Moon Phases Worksheet gives 4th grade students eight circles to shade, one for every phase of the moon in order, plus two questions to explain what they see. An answer key is included.
This seasons causes worksheet asks 4th graders to read a tilted Earth diagram, name the season in the northern half, and sort real causes from common myths. An answer key with a model response is included.
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.
This outer planets worksheet has 4th graders read a short Fact File, order Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune from the Sun, and compare gas giants with ice giants. Answer key included.
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.
This Solar System Worksheet has 4th graders research asteroids, meteoroids, meteors, meteorites and comets, recording where each is found and one key fact. Answer key included.
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.
This Moon Phases Cookies Worksheet asks 4th graders to name all eight moon phases from drawings and explain what they see. An answer key is included, so it is ready to print and teach.
This inner planets worksheet has 4th graders read a Fact File, order Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars by distance from the Sun, and explain why Venus runs hotter. Answer key included for fast, no-prep science practice.
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.
These Space Shuttle Cut Outs will quickly give you templates for classroom decoration or student activities.
This earth shadows the moon worksheet helps 4th grade students draw Earth's shadow, spot a total lunar eclipse, and explain when eclipses happen. An answer key is included for quick checking.
UsingIts Just a Phase Phases of the Moon Activity, students put the phases of the moon in order so they can understand the pattern of the moon.
Orbits, phases and seasons, oh my!
Fourth graders go beyond naming the planets. They compare the rocky inner planets with the gas and ice giants of the outer solar system, and they learn how motion explains what we see: Earth spins once a day (day and night) and orbits the sun once a year. They find out that the moon's phases come from how much of its sunlit side we can see, and that seasons happen because Earth is tilted, not because we get closer to the sun. The click comes when kids can use a flashlight and a ball to explain a pattern they see in the sky.
Fourth graders are ready for the why. These moves deliver it.
Have kids label a solar system diagram, then color-code inner and outer planets. Ask, "What do the inner planets have in common?" The diagram becomes a tool for comparing, not just naming.
Why it works: pairing a picture with each word gives kids two ways to remember it, a well-tested principle of how people learn (Mayer, 2009).
Try it withSolar System Diagram WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Kids scrape frosting from sandwich cookies to make each moon phase, then arrange them in order. It's delicious, hands-on and makes the cycle easy to see.
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 withMoon Phases Cookies WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Ask kids, "Why is summer hot?" and record their ideas. Many will say Earth is closer to the sun. Then use a globe and flashlight to show the tilt and have them answer again. Correcting a misconception sticks better than just teaching the right answer.
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 withSeasons Causes WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Explore the solar system with these:
VideosAn animated music video takes kids on a tour of every planet. Sing along and keep the beat!
Open Planets Song (Animated Music Video) →
WorksheetsKids compare Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars and race to find the most surprising fact.
Open Inner Planets Worksheet →
WorksheetsKids model how Earth's shadow falls on the moon with a lamp and a ball.
Open Earth Shadows the Moon Worksheet →Teacher favorites right now: Planets Song (Animated Music Video), Solar System Diagram Worksheet and Drawing Moon Phases Worksheet.
The planets and their features, how Earth's rotation causes day and night, how its orbit and tilt cause seasons, and why the moon has phases.
Earth's tilt. As Earth orbits the sun, different parts lean toward the sun and get more direct sunlight, which makes summer. Distance from the sun isn't the reason.
Rotation is Earth spinning on its axis, which takes one day. Revolution is Earth traveling around the sun, which takes one year.
Use a lamp as the sun and a ball as Earth to show day, night and seasons. Watch the moon over a month and draw each phase.
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