Navigate to accordion items below the video.

Select **"Concept Overview"** to access a concise summary of the lesson's key topics. This overview offers a snapshot of what you'll be teaching, helping you prepare your students for the learning experience ahead.

Click **"Materials"** to access a detailed list of all the supplies needed for your activities and experiments. To make purchasing easier, we have included an **Amazon wishlist**, allowing you to order materials directly. Additionally, if you choose to order kits through our **NASCO partnership**, you will find a **packing list** for reference. A helpful **video guide** is also available to walk you through the process of unpacking your kit.

The **‘Activity, Prep, and Safety Tips’** section is essential for effective lesson planning. It provides key guidelines on preparation and safety, ensuring smooth and secure execution—whether for a simple classroom activity or a more complex experiment.

Markers, colored pencils, or crayons can be used for coloring the template. You can use cardstock or white construction paper to print the templates. Office paper isn’t recommended. It will make the model wobbly and harder to move.
Some students may have difficulty cutting out various parts of the templates. You might have some pre-cut templates available to them with the holes already punched.
Another easy way to add stars is to use a small amount of white paint and a toothbrush. You can flick the bristles over the paper plate, creating stars. It is a bit messy, so if you choose this method, plan a safe area to do it ahead of time.

The **Vocabulary** section highlights key terms students will learn. It includes **Main Vocabulary** from the lesson video and **Additional Vocabulary** mentioned throughout. Encourage students to write down these words as they hear them—this can even be done on the **Brain Blast Sheet**!

MAIN VOCABULARY WORDS:

Orbit: Refers to the path an object takes around another object. 
Rotation: The spinning of an object around its center.
Eclipse: When a sun, planet, and satellite align with each other, temporarily blocking the moon or sun from sight. Depending on their position, a solar eclipse or a lunar eclipse can occur. 

SUPPLEMENTAL VOCABULARY WORDS:

NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Planet: A large natural object that orbits or travels around a star.
Satellite: An object that orbits a planet, a planet-like object, or an asteroid. 
Astronomy: The study of the universe, from planets and stars to galaxies and black holes. 
ISS: International Space Station. 
Gravity: A natural force that pulls objects towards each other.
Axis: An imaginary line running through the center of the planet.
Antarctica: The southernmost continent.
Solar Eclipse: When a satellite is between a planet and a sun, the daytime sky becomes like the night.
Lunar Eclipse: When a planet is between a sun and a satellite, causing the satellite to get a reddish appearance.

The **Discussion Questions** section offers prompts to spark engaging class conversations. Many of these questions appear as pauses in the lesson video, helping reinforce learning, boost participation, and encourage critical thinking.

For hands-on activities, the **Experiment Quick Steps** provide a clear, step-by-step overview to help you facilitate smoothly. These concise instructions align with the lesson content, ensuring you can confidently guide students through each experiment while keeping the process organized and efficient.

PRE-ACTIVITY STEPS:

Color the template. Use gray for the Moon. It’s the smallest circle on the printout. Use yellow or orange for the Sun and green and blue for the Earth. 

EXPERIMENT STEPS:

Use scissors to cut all the shapes out of the template.
Use a hole puncher to punch a hole in each of the black dots on the long and short strips.
Take the smallest circle, the Moon, and bring the edges together without folding the circle.
Make a crease on the black dot in the center. Do not crease anywhere else. Place the single-hole punch over the black mark and punch a hole. Straighten out the circle as much as possible.
Repeat this process with the Earth (medium circle) and the Sun (largest circle).
Take the longest strip and the Sun. Place the Sun over one end of the strip, matching the center of the Sun with the hole on the strip.
Use a brad to hold them both together. Place the brad through the hole and open the ends to secure it.
Do the same thing with the shortest strip and the Moon. Place the Moon over one end of the strip and match the Moon’s center with the hole on the strip. Place the brad through and open the ends to secure it. 
Take both strips and place the Moon’s strip over the Sun’s strip, aligning the empty holes. 
Place the Earth over the empty holes. Make sure both strip holes align with the hole in the center of the Earth. Grab the last brad and push it through the hole. Open the brad to secure it.
The model is complete. The Sun should stay in one place while the Earth orbits around it. The Moon should orbit the Earth.

The **Learning Objectives & Resources** section provides key learning tools, including a **summary, glossary, digital definition concept cards, digital flashcards with open-ended discussion questions,** and an option for **further discussion questions** to help facilitators expand the lesson.

Summary: A summary of the lesson in full.

Use the **Assessments** section to check students' understanding. Choose between **formative assessments** (no score) or **graded assessments** (final outcome score). Since responses are not collected, facilitators should decide how to track results if using them for testing.

Quiz (Formative): A non-graded quiz that can be completed as a group or shared individually with students as a link.

The **'Games'** section features digital games that can be shared with students or facilitated in class. The games reinforce key vocabulary and commonly include **Drag the Word, Crossword, and Word Search.**

Drag the Word: A game that can be completed as a group or shared individually with students as a link.

To support alignment with educational standards, we highlight **Next Generation Science Standards** and **Common Core** in each lesson. These standards, along with your curriculum, help ensure students meet key benchmarks and achieve academic success.

NGSS
1-ESS1-1. Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted.
1-ESS1-2. Make observations at different times of year to relate the amount of daylight to the time of year.
MS-ESS1-1. Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons.
MS-ESS1-2. Develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motions within galaxies and the solar system.

To add personal notes to the lesson, click **"Notes"** next to the **Overview** tab. Create and save a note at a specific timestamp.

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4:11
Orbits

Stopped day 1 - be ready with......

Jennifer Franklin
19 hours ago

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Steamondemand

Use the lesson drop-down resources to streamline lesson preparation and delivery with key overviews, material lists, safety tips, vocabulary, discussion questions, and assessments. It also aligns with educational standards, ensuring lessons meet key benchmarks. By incorporating these tools, you can create a more effective and interactive learning experience for students.

Lesson Drop-Down Resources and Notes