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Making a Monument

Launch students into space science with this hands-on engineering challenge exploring how and why the Moon orbits Earth!

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  • Grades 3–5Grade level
  • Instant PDFPrint or project
  • Open-endedMany right answers
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About this lesson

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 Monument
What’s includedA quick tour of the full Digital Lesson

What’s in the Digital Lesson

  • Step-by-step facilitator guide
  • Learning objectives + suggested time breakdown
  • Materials list (common classroom supplies)
  • Student challenge brief + student pages
  • NGSS / STEAM standards alignment
  • Instant PDF download. Print or project

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Making a MonumentDigital Lesson · $5

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