Earth in Space (Middle School)

Middle school students have an innate curiosity about our nearest neighbors—the Sun and Moon—and about the nine planets, their moons, and asteroids, comets, and meteoroids within our solar system. Earth in Space taps this curiosity by helping students clarify what they already know about the solar system and Earth as a planet and giving them the opportunity to perform a series of engaging inquiry-centered activities through which they extend and enrich this knowledge. Earth in Space is divided into 3 parts:

Sun-Earth-Moon System

Students investigate the relative sizes, motions, and positions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon. Shadows, phases, eclipses, and seasons are used as evidence of these relationships. Students investigate the Sun as an energy source and sunspots as evidence of changes in solar energy patterns.

Solar System

Students begin by considering the scale of the solar system, an exercise that helps prepare them for understanding phenomena within the system. They investigate planetary processes, such as impact craters, wind and water erosion, landslides, volcanism, and tectonics. Students conduct investigations of gravity, orbital motion, and tides that result from gravitational forces. Throughout the module, students are challenged to model these phenomena and to recognize that their models need to be compared with empirical data. A reading series on NASA missions to each planet, tie together the lessons.

Earth's History as a Planet

Students compare asteroids, meteoroids, and comets and examine the effects of asteroid impact throughout Earth's history. Students explore fossils as evidence of life on Earth and its planetary changes and simulate the excavation and formation of fossils. Students compare the characteristics of Earth as a planet to the other planets in the solar system, and consider Earth's state of equilibrium needed to support life. Each part of the module begins with a lesson that serves as an assessment of students' current understanding of the topic and ends with a performance-based and written assessment. The culminating Anchor Activity (a research project), which addresses applications of space technology on Earth, integrates the concepts of the module and the Missions series.

Additional Photos

Earth in Space Lesson Sequence (pdf)

Literacy / Book Lists

Teacher Recommended Resources

Recommended Websites

Sponsorship Opportunity

Sponsor the Earth in Space unit! Please contact Lori Kaufman, development director, about this and other sponsorship opportunities. You can reach her at 920-884-8800 or lori@einsteinproject.org.