Planets (Inner & Outer) Complete Lesson Plan - MS

Everything you need for an engaging, ready-to-teach unit on the characteristics and movements of the inner and outer planets is included in this resource! Students will explore the physical properties, locations, and motions of the Sun, planets, and Galilean moons through hands-on activities, research, and modeling. With editable presentations, worksheets, student-choice projects, and assessments, this multiday lesson is comprehensive while requiring minimal prep.

Through differentiated, student-led learning, your middle schoolers stay engaged while you focus on student success.

Essential Questions

• Can you describe the physical properties of planets and their location?

• Can you describe the movements of the Sun, the planets, and the Galilean moons?

Texas Teachers: This lesson aligns with the 2017 TEKS (not updated for the 2021 TEKS).

Why Teachers Love This Lesson

• Differentiated materials to support students who need extra help

• Multimodal activities to engage a variety of learning styles

• Maximum flexibility—printable and digital formats included

• Editable PowerPoints to adapt for your classroom

• Spanish translations for vocabulary, passages, and interactive notebook pages

This resource is built around the 5E Instructional Model (Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, Evaluation), giving you both structure and flexibility.

What’s Included

Engagement

• Lesson objectives and Word Wall Cards (English & Spanish)

• Teacher guide with engaging discussion prompts, activities, and common misconceptions

Exploration – Student-Led Station Lab
Nine differentiated stations help students investigate planetary properties and motions:

Input Stations (learn content)

• Explore It! – Hands-on demo or experiment

• Read It! – Differentiated passages (English & Spanish) with comprehension questions

• Research It! – Website-based tasks with guided responses

• Watch It! – Short video with student discussion prompts

Output Stations (show understanding)

• Organize It! – Printable or digital card sorts

• Write It! – Open-ended short-answer responses

• Illustrate It! – Sketches or diagrams of planetary concepts

• Assess It! – Task cards + vocabulary-in-context writing activity

Bonus Station – Challenge It!
Extension activities like crosswords, games, and mini-projects for early finishers

Explanation

• Editable PowerPoints (standard & interactive)

• Interactive notebook templates (digital & print, English & Spanish)

• Guided note-taking templates

Elaboration

• Student-choice projects on planetary properties and motions to extend learning in class or at home

Evaluation

• STAAR 2.0–style assessments (standard & modified versions)

• Review worksheet for practice, homework, or discussion

Flexible for Any Classroom

This lesson is perfect for both in-person and virtual learning. Station labs, interactive notebooks, and presentations are fully compatible with Google Slides and PowerPoint.

This is a finished product; it will be updated with formatting or corrections as needed. Future improvements and new features will be sold as a separate product.