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Could there be life on other planets?
Stars & Planets Unit | Lesson 3 of 3
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Could there be life on other planets?

Stars & Planets Unit | Lesson 3 of 3
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
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DISCUSS:

What places would YOU visit in our Solar System? What kinds of dangers would you have to protect yourself from?

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DISCUSS:

How would YOU decide which exoplanet to visit FIRST?

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planet


1 of 11

a large, round object in outer space that orbits a star

solar system


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all the planets and other objects that orbit around a star
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exoplanet


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a planet that orbits a star outside of our solar system
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atmosphere


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the air that surrounds a planet

carbon dioxide


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a type of gas that plants sometimes take in and that animals release when they breathe
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habitable


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a place with conditions where a living thing can survive
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Goldilocks Zone


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the area around a star that is not too hot or too cold for liquid water to exist
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astronomer


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a scientist who studies outer space
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telescope


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a tool used to make very distant objects look closer, often used to look at outer space
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bright


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describes when there is a lot of visible light; the opposite of dim
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dim


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describes when there is not a lot of visible light; the opposite of bright
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Featured Reviews

“I had no idea there were actually other solar systems similar to ours. It amazes me how scientists are discovering all of this--our modern day Galileos!!”
· Marilyn · Teacher
“The best part was discussing what might happen to us if we were to go to the wrong planet! Ouch!”
· Rudolph · Teacher
“I loved seeing the kids debate together”
· Genevieve · Teacher
“We LOVED it! We also had the students design an advertisement for a new planet that had to include all the features that made their planet the best - not too close to their sun and not too far, not too far from earth, not too big, etc. Then we voted on where we'd want to move. It was so much fun!”
· Julie · Teacher
“kids working together to determine whether they can live on a planet.”
· Vicki · Teacher
“Loved the activity, especially that there wasn't too much prep except for worksheets required and the kids LOVED the topic of thinking about aliens. ”
· Karlie · Teacher
“The videos were informational and engaging. I appreciate having a clear, easy to read answer key. ”
· Luisa · Teacher
“How students are able to learn about different galaxies and the many different possibilities of life elsewhere.”
· Nina · Teacher
“My students loved this! Super fun, so creative, and hands on! Thank you! ”
· Katie · Teacher
“We spent about 3 days on this activity, because they students enjoyed this lesson so much. They really started to think about how they could survive on another planet and about temperature and plants growing. Great mystery! ”
· Aleathea · Teacher
“pictures, learning about the Goldilocks Zone, Doug's explanations, we learned about a new Solar System.”
· Karin · Teacher
“I just liked the whole process of the kids trying to investigate to figure out which would be the best habitable planet for them.”
· Karen · Teacher
“My students opened their minds and really evaluated their ideas. ”
· Melissa · Teacher
“We loved looking for the Goldilocks Zone in the fictional solar systems, but especially learning about REAL possibilities!”
· Lea · Teacher
“They loved it. Eliminating the planets that are not habitable was so good,”
· Carina · Homeschooler
“It was better than our field trip to the local Challenger Space Learning Space Center. ”
· Vincent · Teacher
“The hands on activities and group work was the best part.”
· Rachel · Teacher
“Teams must work together to decide which planets are habitable.”
· Wendy · Teacher
“Kids found it liberating to be doing some of the thinking on their own.”
· Jeff · Teacher
“I really enjoyed the reading piece to add information to their reflection. ”
· Elisa · Teacher
“The flexibility of working with a groups, pairs, or individual is great. The review of what requirements should a planet have is a great self check for the student to be able to reflect on their planet selection.”
· Hilda · Teacher
“The students were very much engaged and loved discovering what makes a good planet to live on. ”
· Gordon · Teacher
“How engaged the students were! Thank you!”
· Christa · Teacher
“Students loved it. It made them think.”
· Traci · Teacher
“Students were very engaged, and the instructions were easy to follow. Loved it!”
· Elizabeth · Teacher
“Love the higher level thinking skills.”
· Natalie · Teacher
“The students did well to find potentially habitable planets, but their interest was truly sparked by the extension activities. They loved Nasa's website that allowed them to study planets outside our solar system. ”
· Griffin · Teacher
“The students got a true understanding of the conditions for a habitable planet. They also got an understanding of how exoplanets are detected. ”
· Emily · Admin
“The last video really brought it all together!”
· Claire · Teacher
“We enjoyed learning that new planets are being discovered. The activity was fun - putting our skills to the test in finding out which planet would possibly sustain life. ”
· Christine · Homeschooler
“it was all very good. It was cool to see how each planet's amount of sunlight changed everything!”
· Lavone · Homeschooler
“Loved the videos and activity.”
· Lauren · Teacher
“Very engaging lesson! The kids had some great debates and learned to support their thinking with evidence to help convince their partners.”
· Jessica · Teacher
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Lesson details

Grade 5

Stars & Planets

Star Brightness & Habitable Planets

5-ESS1-1

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson, students discover that the Earth is in the “Goldilocks Zone” — a distance from the Sun with the right amount of light and heat for life to exist. In the activity, Star Explorer, students plan a space mission to another planet outside our Solar System based on the amount of heat and light that reaches the planet’s surface. Once students plan their space mission, they will reflect on what our Sun would look like from this far-away planet.
Preview activity
I don't have a Mystery Pack
Not included in your Mystery Pack
Gravity Guru & Spinning Specialist printout 1 per pair
Mission Plan printout 1 per pair
Plant Pro printout 1 per pair
Plant Pro, Water Wizard, and Mission Plan Answer Keys printout 1 per class
Starlight Guide printout 1 per pair
Starlight Guide Answer Key printout 1 per class
Water Wizard printout 1 per pair
Scissors 1 pair per student
Prep Instructions

We suggest students work in pairs. Students can work on their own, but this activity works best if each student can engage in debate and discussion with at least one other person.

Check Shading on the Worksheets

The Mission Plan worksheets include greyscale shading that indicates the amount of heat and light that emit from each star of the three solar systems. The correct shading is essential for the activity, so we suggest printing out copies of these worksheets beforehand to ensure that everything prints correctly.

Teacher Tips

The solar systems and stars (Malina, Thea, and Helios) used in the activity are fictional, but they were inspired by real scientific discoveries. If you and your students would like to learn more about real stars and exoplanets that astronomers are investigating, there are several resources in our Extensions section for you to explore.

Jump to

Exploration

16 mins

Hands-On Activity

35 mins

Wrap-Up

4 mins

Lesson details

Grade 5

Stars & Planets

Star Brightness & Habitable Planets

5-ESS1-1

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Solarsystem Lesson 3: Could there be life on other planets?

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