Asteroids, Meteors, & Comets Complete Lesson Plan

Everything you need for an engaging, ready-to-teach unit on asteroids, meteors, and comets is included in this resource! Students will investigate the physical properties, locations, and movements of these fascinating objects in our solar system. With editable presentations, worksheets, student-choice projects, and assessments, this multiday lesson is comprehensive while requiring minimal prep.

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

Essential Questions

• What are the physical properties of asteroids, meteors, and comets?

• Where are they located?

• How do they move about in our solar system?

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

Why Teachers Love This Lesson

• Differentiated materials for students who need more support

• Multimodal activities that keep students interested

• Flexible formatting—use printable or digital versions

• Editable PowerPoints to tailor instruction to your classroom

• Spanish translations of vocabulary, reading passages, and interactive notebook pages

This resource is built around the 5E Instructional Model (Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, Evaluation), ensuring a structured yet flexible learning path.

What’s Included

Engagement

• Objectives and Word Wall Cards (English & Spanish)

• Teacher file with discussion prompts, activities, and common misconceptions

Exploration – Student-Led Station Lab
Nine differentiated stations introduce asteroids, meteors, and comets in multiple ways:

Input Stations (absorb content)

• Explore It! – Hands-on demo or experiment

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

• Research It! – Online activity with guided responses

• Watch It! – Short video with student reflection prompts

Output Stations (show understanding)

• Organize It! – Printable or digital card sorts

• Write It! – Open-ended written responses

• Illustrate It! – Sketches/diagrams to reinforce visual recall

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

Bonus Station – Challenge It!
Fun enrichment for early finishers with crosswords, games, and mini-projects

Explanation

• Editable PowerPoints (standard & interactive versions)

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

• Note-taking templates

Elaboration

• Student-choice projects on asteroids, meteors, and comets

Evaluation

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

• Review worksheet for homework, practice, or discussion

Flexible for Any Classroom

This resource is designed for both in-person and virtual learning. Station labs, interactive notebooks, and PowerPoints 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.