Weird Facts about Planets Reading and Worksheet

ENGAGING and FUN! Makes an easy and self-contained astronomy sub plan!

Includes both print and Google Slides options to assign!

In this activity, students will:

• READ Top 10 Weird Planet Facts to learn more about cool and weird planet facts and the science behind them.
• DEFINE vocabulary terms embedded in the text, such as exoplanet, dwarf planet, circumbinary planet, etc.
• ANSWER text-dependent questions. No prior knowledge is required.

Examples of the Fun Planet Facts:

• Scientists think that it rains diamonds on Neptune and Uranus.
• Exoplanet Kepler-16B has a double sunrise, just like the fictional planet Tatooine from the movie Star Wars.
• Jupiter has auroras just like Earth, but Jupiter’s are electric blue.
• Exoplanet Gliese 1214b is called the “fluffy planet” because it resembles cotton candy.
• Plus 6 more interesting facts about planets in our solar system and beyond.

Teacher Notes:

• This resource is NOT editable.
• Answer key included.
• Related NGSS Standards: NGSS MS-ESS1-1, MS-ESS1-2, MS-ESS1-3