Free Earth and Space Science Teacher Lessons

Science4Us helps you teach exemplary science lessons by keeping you informed, prepared, and organized. Access lesson information, teacher guides, and background information from the lesson plan pages for each Earth and Space Science module. Use Teacher Explains and Teachers Guides to learn background information, frame questions for class discussion, and prepare for common student misconceptions. In this resource, you can view portions of the Teacher Explain videos for the modules in Earth and Space.

Free History of Earth Teacher Lessons

The Earth has changed since its beginning and continues to change today. Most of the changes on Earth happen over such a long period of time they cannot be observed. In this module students experience how the Earth has changed over time and learn about the clues that are used to identify those changes.

Core Concept

Fossils of plants and animals, earthquakes and volcanoes are all evidence of how the Earth has changed over time and continues to change today.

Essential Vocabulary

ancient, crust, dinosaur, Earth, earthquake, evidence, fossil, lava, living, nonliving, planet, timeline, volcano

Free Materials Teacher Lessons

Everything is made up of different materials – even the Earth. Earth is made up of rock, water, and soil. This module provides students with the opportunity to explore Earth’s different materials and how living things utilize them.

Core Concept

Rocks, water, and soil are some of the materials that make up Earth.

Essential Vocabulary

crust, humus, manmade, material, natural, rock, sand, soil, texture, water

Free Features Teacher Lessons

Mountains, canyons, lakes, and rivers are some of Earth’s features. Although they give shape to the surface of the Earth, over time the movement of wind and water causes these features to change. In this module, students discover how weathering and erosion change Earth’s features over time.

Core Concept

Earth’s features are the natural shapes on the Earth’s crust. Made up of rock or water, they change due to weathering and erosion.

Essential Vocabulary

canyon, cave, erosion, feature, island, lake, landform, mountain, natural, ocean, plain, plateau, river, surface, valley, weathering

Free Weather Teacher Lessons

Whether rainy, sunny, cloudy, or windy, the weather describes what it’s like outside every day. Knowing the patterns of weather can help you to be prepared. In this module students explore the different types of weather and the tools needed to observe, measure and record it.

Core Concept

Weather is how hot or cold, or wet or dry, it is outside from day to day. Weather can be observed and measured using tools.

Essential Vocabulary

data, forecast, hail, measure, meteorologist, observe, precipitation, rain, rain gauge, record, severe weather, snow, temperature, thermometer, weather, wind

Free Exploring the Universe Teacher Lessons

The Universe contains everything, from stars and planets to solar systems and galaxies — even you. In this module, students will explore the different objects that make up the Universe and the tools we need to observe space.

Core Concept

We use special tools to observe the galaxies, stars, and solar systems found in the Universe.

Essential Vocabulary

astronaut, Earth, galaxy, moon, orbit, planet, solar system, space, spacecraft, star, sun, telescope, universe

Free Earth In Space Teacher Lessons

Over and over, the Moon changes phase, day turns to night and spring becomes summer. These cycles of change happen as the Earth spins on its axis while orbiting around the sun. This module introduces students to the different cycles observed on Earth.

Core Concept

Earth’s motion and position in space results in predictable patterns of change, including day/night, seasons and the phases of the Moon.

Essential Vocabulary

cycle, day-night cycle, Earth, globe, Moon, orbit, repeat, season, space, sun, sunrise, sunset, year

Earth and Space makes these vast and complex topics accessible and engaging for your students. Through play and imagination, language-rich activities, and hands-on explorations, your students will build the foundation for further study of our planet, our solar system, and the Universe.