solar system assignment middle school

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Solar system.

The solar system is an amazing and complex network of planets, stars, moons, asteroids, and even mysterious black holes. It doesn't matter if you're ten or fifty, just thinking about the stars and the possibilities fills the mind with wonder.

The solar system proves an abundance of learning opportunities. You can teach about astronomy, physics, or biology. It provides a huge opportunity for hands-on learning activities and science experiments. Watch their young eyes fill with wonder as they contemplate the moon and how the earth was created.

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The right classroom resources help you teach about the solar system. Imagine what a few gorgeous clip art pieces or printables can do to engage your young students. TeacherPlanet.com offers a wealth of teaching resources dedicated to the solar system. Browse the site and you'll find lesson plans, worksheets and activities along with an abundance of resources and fun clip art.

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8 Hands-on Solar System Activities For Middle School Students

The solar system is one of the most intriguing topics for students. There’s so much to learn and explore, which leaves kids spellbound. While numerous books are available that deliver information about the solar system, getting kids involved in some interesting activities that raise their curiosity toward our majestic solar system is a good idea. 

The activities for middle school students must be simple yet challenging enough to get their minds thinking . Children in this age group can appreciate how planetary systems work. Therefore, giving them opportunities to dive deep into these subjects helps keep their interest alive. 

So, today we are here to share with you some fun solar system activities that will keep your students engaged in the class and leave them yearning to learn more on the subject. 

Fun middle school activities for learning about our solar system

1. solar system data spreadsheet.

Thanks to researchers and scientists, there’s so much data available about our solar system. While it is difficult to memorize it all, you can give your students a chance to collect data and discuss their findings in class. 

• Divide students into groups of 3-4 and give them a project to collect numerical data about our solar system. Some groups can work on finding data about the sun, some on planets, some on natural satellites, while others can work on celestial bodies like asteroids, comets, etc. 
• Let them know what data they must gather. For example, students can get information about the distance of planets from the sun, radius, gravity relative to Earth, orbits in terms of Earth days, data about moons, and so on.
• Give them a week to collect all the information and let them bring it in on a particular day at school.
• Allow each group to discuss their findings in class and help them prepare a spreadsheet containing all the information. 
• Don’t forget to share it with everyone so they can refer to it later. 

2. Make A Poster 

Poster-making is a fun activity for students of all age groups. It gives them a chance to be creative and use their ideas to showcase their understanding of a subject. Have students bring their choice of supplies for the activity. They might need paints, markers, glitter pens, and other items to make a poster. You can provide them with individual posters and construction paper in various colors to create an illustration of the solar system. 

Give students the freedom to use their imagination and artistic skills to depict the sun and planets in order of their distance from the sun. When kids are done, display their artwork in a poster gallery so other school students can see and appreciate it. 

3. Create a Solar System Model

This is one of the classic solar system activities every student must perform in their school years. There are several ways in which a model solar system can be prepared. Let your students do some research on how they can create a model. On a suitable day, conduct this activity in class wherein kids can bring in necessary items and make their solar system models together. 

To make things easier, you can give them a list of supplies they may use to build their model. The list could include Styrofoam balls, toothpicks, dowel rods, glue, paint, paintbrush, etc. Students can use these supplies to make their models and give a short speech on the solar system when all students have completed their models.

4. Formation of the Solar System 

The formation of a solar system is a long process involving distinct phases that lead to its creation. Before conducting this activity in class, you must have a dedicated session when you teach students the different stages of solar system formation. This activity can be an add-on to review what has been taught in class. 

• Print different phases of solar system formation and make multiple copies to distribute to each student in the class.
• Next, ask the students to cut the pictures and paste them sequentially in the correct order of solar system formation on an A4 sheet and write about it in a few sentences. 
• Collect the activity sheets and review them to understand how well students have understood the concept.
• Discuss the correct order and answer any questions students might have to reinforce their knowledge.

5. Solar Eclipse Role Play

A solar eclipse is a natural phenomenon when the Moon comes between the Earth and the Sun, concealing the Sun’s view partially or completely. Through this activity, you can help students learn about the solar eclipse and how it occurs naturally in the solar system. 

• Divide the class into groups of four students and arrange a torch and three balls – one large, one medium, and one small.
• Turn off the room’s lights so it is dark.
• Demonstrate how students can role-play a solar eclipse using the balls and a torch. 
• Call one group forward and let three students hold the balls while the fourth participant can hold the torch.
• Ask the student with the torch to stand next to the person with the largest ball, i.e., the Sun.
• Make the student with the medium ball, i.e., the Earth, stand at a distance from the Sun and let the torch shine its light upon the Earth ball.
• Now ask the student with the smallest ball, i.e., the Moon, to circle around the Earth ball, just like the moon revolves around the Earth. 
• Other students can now observe how the Moon ball restricts the view of the Sun and creates a shadow effect when it passes between the Earth and the Sun.
• Repeat this activity with every group so each student gets a chance to role-play.

In the end, you can have an open discussion on the topic where kids can talk about their thoughts on the solar eclipse and you may answer any questions they might have.

6. Moon Phases Activity

As we know, the moon can be observed in different phases over a period of the month owing to its portion that is directly lit by the sun. Here is a hands-on activity that allows students to study different phases of the moon by closely monitoring it every night. 

• Display a chart on different moon phases in the classroom. 
• Ask students to observe the moon every night and make a note of its shape in a journal. 
• Let them bring their journal to the class every day to see if others have made a similar observation.
• Compare their observations with the chart displayed in the class.

7. Guess My Name

In this activity, kids get to use their knowledge about the solar system to form clues to help other students guess the correct answer. 

• Get a handful of index cards and write the names of planets, moons, the sun, and other objects found in our solar system. 
• Fold these cards and place them all in a jar or a box.
• Call one student at a time and let them pick a card.
• They must now show the card to other students without seeing it themselves.
• Students can now give clues to the student who picked the card, who must now guess the name of the celestial body on their card. 

8. Other Celestial Bodies in Our Solar System

The solar system consists of other celestial bodies apart from the sun and planets. These include natural satellites called moons, asteroids, meteorites, and comets. To conduct an activity around various celestial bodies in our solar system, let students select a topic of their choice and research it to find details such as –

• How do you define it?
• How does it appear?
• How is it formed?
• How does it move within the solar system?
• What are some interesting facts?

Make sure you inform students that you’re not looking for numerical facts in this activity. Rather, the information must contain details about how these celestial bodies exist within the solar system. Give them some time to do their research. Now ask them to present their findings to their classmates in the form of a news report or a story. 

In Conclusion

The solar system is an interesting topic for middle school students. It is nice to see how it gets kids thinking and imagining the planetary system they are a part of. Using age-appropriate games and activities to help students learn is crucial for enriching their growing minds. Although some of the activities mentioned above may seem cumbersome, the result is a truly satisfying and inspiring experience for the students. 

Therefore, it will be a good idea to blend these activities with your lessons and allocate some time specifically for activities. Your students will enjoy these hands-on activities, and thank you for putting them together!

I am Priyanka Sonkushre, a writer and blogger. I am the person behind “ One Loving Mama ,” a mom blog. Equipped with a Bachelor’s degree along with an MBA, my healthcare background helps me deeply understand learning difficulties. I know how challenging it can be for parents to find the right resources to help their children excel in life. So, here I am to blend my healthcare expertise with my parenting experience to create valuable and helpful resources for parents and teachers supporting children with learning differences. If you wish, you can follow me on  Facebook  and  LinkedIn .

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Lesson on Solar System – So Many Great WOW Ideas for Middle School!

Earth Science , Middle School Science , Student Engagement

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 i s 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.

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

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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[…] The Solar System […]

[…] am I talking about? Here’s the solar system WOW Factor lesson plan. You can choose some WONDER activities from here, and then dive into both the solar system and […]