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 sun activity sends 1st and 2nd grade children on a read-the-room hunt for twelve sun fact cards, with a recording sheet, a Yes or No practice page and answer keys included.
This Moon Writing Worksheet gives 2nd grade students five short facts about the Moon, four questions to answer on the lines, and space to write two sentences of their own. An answer key is included for quick checking.
Using thisMoon Song (MP3), students learn about the phases of the moon through catchy, interesting lyrics.
Send students on a read-the-room moon activity with 12 fact cards, a recording sheet and a Yes or No practice page for 1st and 2nd grade, answer key included, so learning about the moon feels like an adventure.
This Sun True or False Worksheet gives 2nd grade students eight short sentences about the Sun to judge as true or false, with bubble answers and a full answer key included.
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.
Our ordering planets worksheet lets 2nd graders number eight planet cards from the Sun and answer order questions. An answer key is included for quick, easy checking.
The Beautiful Moon Reading Comprehension Worksheet gives 2nd grade readers a short non-fiction passage about the moon, four multiple choice questions, a written response, and an answer key, so comprehension practice stays quick and clear.
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.
This Apollo 11 Main Topic Worksheet gives 2nd graders a true informational passage about the first moon landing, four questions and a written response on the main topic. An answer key is included.
These Space Shuttle Cut Outs will quickly give you templates for classroom decoration or student activities.
This space writing paper gives 2nd graders a friendly rocket prompt, ten roomy writing rules and a bright cartoon planet scene, so every child has a story to tell before the pencil moves.
This Solar Eclipse Word Scramble Worksheet gives second grade students six scrambled science words and a word box to unscramble them. An answer key is included, so checking eclipse vocabulary takes only a moment.
Materials available in this Space Lesson Plan include two Space Activities, four Planets Worksheets, and one Planets Flash Cards Set.
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.
3, 2, 1... blast off into learning!
Second graders learn that the sun is a star, the closest one to Earth, and that it gives us light and heat. They notice that the sun seems to move across the sky each day, that the moon changes shape over a month, and that the planets travel around the sun. Many classes also meet astronauts and learn about the Apollo 11 moon landing. The click comes when kids realize the sun isn't moving at all: it's the Earth that spins!
Space is huge, but these moves bring it down to 2nd grade size.
Follow a ready-made lesson plan that introduces the sun, moon and planets in one connected story. A clear, planned sequence keeps big ideas from turning into a pile of random facts.
Why it works: showing first, practicing together, then letting kids try alone is the "gradual release" model teachers have relied on for decades (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983).
Try it withSpace Lesson PlanLesson PlansOpen it →Play the moon song during science time and have kids make each moon shape with their hands as they sing. Music plus motion makes the moon's changes memorable.
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 withMoon Song (MP3)SongsOpen it →Stand a pencil in clay outside and trace its shadow in the morning, at noon and in the afternoon. Kids see the shadow move and connect it to the Earth spinning. Real observations beat any diagram.
Why it works: kids understand an idea best when they touch it, then draw it, then write it, the order the U.S. Department of Education recommends for elementary math.
Try it withSun ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Out-of-this-world fun for little astronauts:
ActivitiesKids put moon phases in order and flip through to watch the moon grow and shrink.
Open Its Just a Phase Phases of the Moon Activity →
WorksheetsKids cut and order the planets from the sun, then name each one as they march.
Open Ordering Planets Worksheet →
WorksheetsKids unscramble space words about solar eclipses and use one in a sentence.
Open Solar Eclipse Word Scramble Worksheet →Teacher favorites right now: Solar System Activity, Sun Activity and Moon Writing Worksheet.
The sun, moon, stars and planets, how the sun seems to move across the sky, the phases of the moon and the basics of the solar system.
The Earth spins, making one full turn every day. As it turns, the sun appears to rise, cross the sky and set, but it's really us moving.
Yes! The sun is a star. It looks bigger and brighter than other stars because it's much closer to Earth.
Look at the moon together every few nights and draw what you see. Watch a sunset and talk about the Earth turning. Real observations make space come alive.
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