Space for Schools: Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's STEELS space and gravity standards, 3.3.1.A to 3.3.9-12.G, with a matching free lesson, live data tools and classroom worksheets for each.
Last updated . Curriculum links last reviewed November 2026.
What Pennsylvania uses
Checked November 2026Pennsylvania's STEELS standards (Science, Technology and Engineering, Environmental Literacy and Sustainability), published as final-form rules in July 2022 and fully in classrooms from 2025-26. Codes read strand, grade or band, then a letter, so 3.3.5.A is Earth and Space Science, Grade 5, standard A. Space lives in strand 3.3 for Grade 1, Grade 5, Grades 6-8 and 9-12, and gravity in strand 3.2.
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
Sky and seasons| Code | What students do | Lesson page | Live tools and worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.3.1.A | Sun, Moon and star patterns that repeat | 1-ESS1-1 | Moon globe, Moonrise Tonight, What's that light in the sky? Moon diary |
| 3.3.1.B | Daylight length through the year | 1-ESS1-2 | Live ISS tracker, ISS Visible Tonight |
Grade 5
Stars, shadows and gravity| Code | What students do | Lesson page | Live tools and worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2.5.F | Gravity pulls objects toward Earth's center | 5-PS2-1 | Worlds, Re-entry tracker, Live ISS tracker Weight on other worlds |
| 3.3.5.A | Distance explains the Sun's extra brightness | 5-ESS1-1 | The Sun in 3D, Deep Space: light-time, What's that light in the sky? |
| 3.3.5.B | Patterns in shadows, nights and seasonal stars | 5-ESS1-2 | Live ISS tracker, What's that light in the sky? How many sunrises do astronauts see? |
Grades 6-8
Orbits, seasons and scale| Code | What students do | Lesson page | Live tools and worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.3.6-8.A | Earth, Sun and Moon motion models | MS-ESS1-1 | Moon globe, Eclipse tracker, Live ISS tracker Moon diary |
| 3.3.6-8.B | Gravity holding planets and galaxies together | MS-ESS1-2 | Deep Space, Live Globe, Near-Earth objects |
| 3.3.6-8.C | Scale and distance in the solar system | MS-ESS1-3 | Deep Space: light-time, Worlds, Mars globe Voyager 1 light-time |
| 3.2.6-8.J | Gravity grows with the masses involved | MS-PS2-4 | Worlds, Moon globe, Deep Space Weight on other worlds |
High school
Space and physical science| Code | What students do | Lesson page | Live tools and worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.3.9-12.A | The Sun's fusion engine and lifetime | HS-ESS1-1 | The Sun in 3D, Aurora forecast, Space telescopes |
| 3.3.9-12.B | Evidence for the Big Bang | HS-ESS1-2 | Space telescopes, JWST tracker, Hubble tracker |
| 3.3.9-12.C | Stars building new elements | HS-ESS1-3 | Space telescopes, The Sun in 3D, JWST tracker |
| 3.3.9-12.D | Orbit predictions with Kepler and Newton | HS-ESS1-4 | Satellite directory, Types of orbits, Live ISS tracker Kepler's third law |
| 3.3.9-12.G | Early Earth history from craters and moon rocks | HS-ESS1-6 | Near-Earth objects, Moon globe, Meteor tracker |
| 3.2.9-12.L | Newton's gravitation law in calculations | 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: Pennsylvania STEELS Standards (Pennsylvania Department of Education). Activities and lesson pages are our own words. Orbital Radar is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
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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: Pennsylvania. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://orbitalradar.com/schools/us/pennsylvania
“Space for Schools: Pennsylvania.” Orbital Radar, 7 Nov. 2026, orbitalradar.com/schools/us/pennsylvania. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.
Orbital Radar (2026) Space for Schools: Pennsylvania. Available at: https://orbitalradar.com/schools/us/pennsylvania (Accessed: 7 November 2026).
Orbital Radar. “Space for Schools: Pennsylvania.” Last modified November 7, 2026. https://orbitalradar.com/schools/us/pennsylvania.
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Live figures change, so keep the date you accessed the page. How to cite Orbital Radar