Exoplanets: Teachers

Exoplanet Activities

NASA also has this resource for teaching about extrasolar planets. Students will create an exoplanet in this learning activity.

Dr. Wladimir Lyra argues that exoplanets should have names too. Investigate his claim and perhaps have your class come up with names for future planets.

Exoplanet Lesson Plans

Looking for lesson plans for your unit on exoplanets? Check out these ideas:

• From NOVA - includes handouts and other materials
• Undiscovered Worlds - a great resource for teachers - it is actually a guide to a program at the Museum of Science in Boston, but has great potential for the classroom.
• Kepler a Search for Habitable Planets - NASA has a menu of activities for all age groups.
• Ever thought about having your students make a table-top model of the Kepler Spacecraft? Take a look at these instructions for a paper model.

Space Exploration

Learn more about the Doppler Shift.

NASA's Solar System Exploration site is filled with great information and fun things to share with your class.

Wow — NASA has a searchable database of lesson plans for all your space-related curricula.

The Planetary Society and Amazing Space have great resources for teaching about the search for exoplanets.

Solar System to Scale

Build a scale model of our Solar System with NASA.

If you have access to a scrollable screen, see this scale model of our solar system. Lots and lots and lots of scrolling required — which may work better with the right-arrow key rather than the mouse — but so worth it.

Compare the planets' sizes in our solar system — all in one image; no scrolling required!