Space for Schools: North Carolina
North Carolina's space objectives run from ESS.1.1.1 in Grade 1 to PS.Phy.2.4 in Physics, and each one opens onto a free lesson, tools and worksheets.
Last updated . Curriculum links last reviewed November 2026.
What North Carolina uses
Checked November 2026The North Carolina Standard Course of Study: K-12 Science, the 2023 standards approved by the State Board of Education on July 6, 2023 and required in schools from 2024. Codes run domain, grade, standard and objective, so ESS.6.1.3 is Earth and Space Science, Grade 6, standard 1, objective 3, and high school adds a course tag such as PS.Phy.2.4. Space appears in Grades 1, 3, 4 and 6 and in Earth and Environmental Science and Physics.
How to use this page
Find your code in the tables below. The lesson page has a lesson sequence, common misconceptions and questions with answers; the live tools and the worksheet open straight from the same row.
Grade 1
Day and night sky| Code | What students do | Lesson page | Live tools and worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESS.1.1.1 | Compare the day sky with the night sky | 1-ESS1-1 | Moon globe, Moonrise Tonight, What's that light in the sky? Moon diary |
| ESS.1.1.2 | Follow the Moon's changing look night to night | 1-ESS1-1 | Moon globe, Moonrise Tonight, What's that light in the sky? Moon diary |
Grade 3
Earth, Moon and Sun| Code | What students do | Lesson page | Live tools and worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| PS.3.2.3 | How Earth's gravity moves objects | 5-PS2-1 | Worlds, Re-entry tracker, Live ISS tracker Weight on other worlds |
| ESS.3.1.1 | Find Earth's place among the planets | MS-ESS1-3 | Deep Space: light-time, Worlds, Mars globe Voyager 1 light-time |
| ESS.3.1.2 | Shadows shifting as the Sun appears to move | 5-ESS1-2 | Live ISS tracker, What's that light in the sky? How many sunrises do astronauts see? |
| ESS.3.1.3 | Star patterns holding steady across the sky | 1-ESS1-1 | Moon globe, Moonrise Tonight, What's that light in the sky? Moon diary |
Grade 4
Day, night and the Moon| Code | What students do | Lesson page | Live tools and worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESS.4.1.1 | Day and night from Earth's spin | 5-ESS1-2 | Live ISS tracker, What's that light in the sky? How many sunrises do astronauts see? |
| ESS.4.1.2 | Why Moon phases repeat | MS-ESS1-1 | Moon globe, Eclipse tracker, Live ISS tracker Moon diary |
Grade 5
Gravity and motion| Code | What students do | Lesson page | Live tools and worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| PS.5.2.1 | Gravity, friction and mass changing motion | 5-PS2-1 | Worlds, Re-entry tracker, Live ISS tracker Weight on other worlds |
Grade 6
Solar system and gravity| Code | What students do | Lesson page | Live tools and worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESS.6.1.1 | Sun, Earth and Moon motion: seasons, tides, eclipses | MS-ESS1-1 | Moon globe, Eclipse tracker, Live ISS tracker Moon diary |
| ESS.6.1.2 | Compare planets by size, gravity and distance | MS-ESS1-3 | Deep Space: light-time, Worlds, Mars globe Voyager 1 light-time |
| ESS.6.1.3 | Gravity shaping the solar system | MS-ESS1-2 | Deep Space, Live Globe, Near-Earth objects |
| ESS.6.1.4 | Exploration data show the scale of space | MS-ESS1-3 | Deep Space: light-time, Worlds, Mars globe Voyager 1 light-time |
High school
Earth Science and Physics| Code | What students do | Lesson page | Live tools and worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESS.EES.1.1 | Model how the solar system formed | HS-ESS1-6 | Near-Earth objects, Moon globe, Meteor tracker |
| ESS.EES.1.2 | Calculate Earth's motion through space | HS-ESS1-4 | Satellite directory, Types of orbits, Live ISS tracker Kepler's third law |
| ESS.EES.1.3 | How the Sun makes its energy | HS-ESS1-1 | The Sun in 3D, Aurora forecast, Space telescopes |
| PS.Phy.2.4 | Gravity, mass and distance under Newton | HS-PS2-4 | Worlds, Satellite directory, Live ISS tracker Weight on other worlds |
About these codes
These are our suggestions for where each tool fits. Always preview a page before using it with a class: some tools show ads, these school pages do not.
Codes: North Carolina Standard Course of Study: K-12 Science (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction). Activities and lesson pages are our own words. Orbital Radar is not affiliated with or endorsed by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
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Pick a style, then copy it or download it for your reference manager.Orbital Radar. (2026, November 7). Space for Schools: North Carolina. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://orbitalradar.com/schools/us/north-carolina
“Space for Schools: North Carolina.” Orbital Radar, 7 Nov. 2026, orbitalradar.com/schools/us/north-carolina. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.
Orbital Radar (2026) Space for Schools: North Carolina. Available at: https://orbitalradar.com/schools/us/north-carolina (Accessed: 7 November 2026).
Orbital Radar. “Space for Schools: North Carolina.” Last modified November 7, 2026. https://orbitalradar.com/schools/us/north-carolina.
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Live figures change, so keep the date you accessed the page. How to cite Orbital Radar