Launch students into space science with this hands-on engineering challenge exploring how and why the Moon orbits Earth! In this lesson, learners investigate gravitational force and motion to understand what keeps the Moon in orbit. Using this knowledge, students design and build a model that demonstrates a realistic Moon orbit around a globe, experimenting with stability, circular motion, and balance. The process of designing a working orbit model helps students visualize complex space concepts, and the interactive testing makes learning about celestial motion truly out of this world!
1
Introduce the challenge
2
Explore possibilities
3
Create
4
Improve & share
At a glance
Grades
3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade
Subject
Art
Theme
Historical/Cultural
Formats
Digital Lesson, Mini Lesson
Standards
NGSS-aligned, cross-curricular STEAM
File type
PDF (print or project)
Student work examples
Student workReal student work from Making a MonumentWhat’s includedA quick tour of the full Digital LessonWhat’s includedShows the full Digital Lesson. The Mini Lesson has the same core pages, shorter.