Classifying Stars Activities for Middle School Science

This Classifying Stars Station Lab aligns with TEKS 2021 standard 8.9A, helping students explore the life cycle of stars and classify them using the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. Through a modular, student-led approach, students understand that the term “life cycle” refers to a star’s stages, not biological life. This resource is perfect for both in-class and virtual learning.

With nine differentiated stations, students engage in hands-on activities, videos, readings, and research. They demonstrate their understanding through organizing, illustrating, writing, and assessments, with a bonus Challenge It! station for advanced learners.

This ready-to-use resource includes all materials, task cards, and digital options for PowerPoint and Google Slides, making it a flexible and engaging way to explore star classification. It’s also part of the Space Science Station Lab Bundle, which includes eight space labs.

In this H-R Diagram Lab, students use data to interpret and graph stars such as main sequence, red giants, and white dwarfs, plotting them on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram based on temperature and luminosity. This student-led, differentiated lab is perfect for engaging students while saving you prep time.

The resource includes three lab versions: Dependent, Modified, and Independent, each designed to meet varying levels of student need. It includes editable teacher resources, answer keys, and CER reflection questions for assessment.

Aligned with TEKS, this complete lab set uses basic materials like colored pencils and the Stellar Life Cycle chart (for the independent version). Available in the Complete Inquiry Labs Bundle and Space Inquiry Labs Bundle, it’s a ready-to-use, low-prep resource to help students understand star classification through hands-on learning.

The H-R Diagram Escape Room is an interactive experience that allows students to demonstrate their knowledge of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. Aligned with TEKS, this escape room helps students understand star classification, nebulae, and galaxies in an engaging, hands-on way.

With eight unique puzzles, this escape room is customizable—the teacher can choose which puzzles to use and in what order, making it suitable for any class period. You can run it with manila envelopes for a simple setup or a more immersive experience with locks and a storage box. The digital version can also be used for remote learning via Google Slides or PowerPoint.

Teacher directions, answer keys, digital answer sheets, reward templates, and over 50 prize ideas are all included. This is a fun, low-prep resource for reinforcing space science concepts while keeping students engaged and excited!

This Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram Reading Lesson helps students explore components of the universe and how they are classified using the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. The lesson includes a nonfiction article, comprehension questions, and a hands-on mini-project where students create a presentation about galaxies. This resource is designed to engage middle school students while building science literacy and reading comprehension.

The leveled articles (Lexile levels: 1100-1300) are perfect for grades 6-8 and include a Cornell notes template. The lesson is fully digital-compatible, making it ideal for both in-class and virtual learning environments like Google Classroom and Schoology. This resource is great for absent students, extra credit, or sub plans, and helps deepen students’ understanding of space science while improving textual analysis skills.

The H-R Diagram Science Writing Prompt Activity lets middle school students creatively explore their knowledge of stars, nebulae, galaxies, and the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram through poetry. This engaging, student-centered activity enhances science reasoning and allows for personalized exploration of space science topics.

Aligned with TEKS, this low-prep, differentiated resource includes teacher directions, rubrics, and digital options for Google Slides or PowerPoint—perfect for both in-class and remote learning. This versatile prompt works for extra credit, make-up work, or as a student choice project and is available in the Earth Science, Life Science, and Physical Science bundles.

Use it for cross-curricular activities, formative assessments, or as a fun way to challenge students’ writing while reinforcing key science concepts!

The Space WIKI Tickets© Formative Assessments provide a fun, engaging way to check student understanding of space science topics for 6th-8th grade. This set includes 14 topics with five formats for flexibility: full-screen display, three handout sizes, and interactive digital versions (editable PPT or Google Slides).

Aligned with NGSS and TEKS standards, these assessments cover essential space science topics like the H-R Diagram, electromagnetic spectrum, solar system gravity, space exploration, and more. They can be used as exit tickets, bellringers, or to gauge progress in in-person or virtual settings.

These easy-to-use resources are perfect for quickly checking comprehension and ensuring engaged learning throughout your space science unit.

Lesson Extensions offer critical thinking and creative activities to engage fast finishers and scaffold learning in space science lessons. These activities, aligned with NGSS and TEKS standards, include Puzzler (problem-solving), Maker Space (hands-on STEAM), Tech Connection (digital learning), and Word Master (creative writing).

Each extension includes teacher directions, answer keys, and both projection and paper formats. Topics cover gravity, space travel, the lunar cycle, and more, providing a flexible way to deepen students’ understanding while keeping them engaged in both in-person and virtual settings.

This Amazing Anchors lesson helps you easily incorporate an anchoring phenomenon into your lesson on H-R Diagrams. The resource is split into two parts: the first includes an introductory reading on the brightness of stars, followed by comprehension and extension questions, while the second is an explanatory reading that breaks down the science behind the H-R Diagram, with additional questions to reinforce learning.

Aligned with TEKS, this lesson is available in both print and digital formats, making it ideal for Google Classroom or other LMS. It comes with teacher directions, answer keys, and options for differentiation to support a variety of learning needs.

This resource is perfect for introducing or wrapping up your lesson on H-R Diagrams, providing easy-to-implement materials for both in-person and virtual learning.