“Create a single student lab packet (multiple pages, one packet per student) for a 6th grade science rotation lab on comets, asteroids, and meteoroids. Standard: S6E1e. READING LEVEL: Write all directions at a 4th-grade reading level. Short sentences. Chunk every direction into numbered steps — never a paragraph of instructions. Bold every key vocabulary word the first time it appears. This packet must be usable with ZERO teacher lecture — the student figures out each station by reading this packet alone, so nothing can be implied or assumed. STRUCTURE: A cover section, then one section per table (5 sections total), each ending in a recording space. Same font size and format throughout — no station should look harder or easier than another. COVER SECTION: - Name / Period / Date fields - Title: "Small Bodies Lab: Comets, Asteroids, and Meteoroids" - One-sentence purpose: "Today you will explore what makes comets, asteroids, and meteoroids different from each other and from planets." - A simple 6-box rotation tracker so students can check off each stop as they complete it (Table 1 through Table 6). TABLE 1 — COMET BUILD: Base this on NASA JPL Education's "Comet on a Stick" activity (link above). Steps: 1. Push a wooden skewer through a foam ball. 2. Tape two strips of ribbon or Mylar to the back of the ball — this is the comet's tail. 3. Write a label: mark one side "H" for head, one side "T" for tail. 4. Bring your comet to Table 2. Recording space: "Draw your comet and label the nucleus (the ball) and the tail." TABLE 2 — HAIRDRYER MODEL: Steps: 1. One partner holds a hairdryer, turned off, pointed at the comet. 2. The other partner slowly walks the comet in an oval path. 3. Turn the hairdryer on low. This models the Sun's solar wind. 4. Watch what happens to the tail. Recording space: "Which way did the tail point? Circle one: toward the hairdryer / away from the hairdryer. Why do you think that happened?" TABLE 3 — EYES ON ASTEROIDS: Base the background reading on NASA's Asteroids overview page (link above) — pull 2-3 kid-friendly facts from it (e.g., asteroids are rocky leftover pieces from the early solar system, most orbit between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt). Steps: 1. Read the fact box below. 2. Open the website eyes.nasa.gov/apps/asteroids on your device. 3. Search for one named asteroid (Bennu, Vesta, and Psyche are good ones to try). 4. Record what you notice about its size, shape, or orbit. Recording space: table with columns "Asteroid Name," "What I Noticed." TABLE 4 — CARD SORT (ARRANGING ASTEROIDS): Base this on the Lunar and Planetary Institute's "Arranging Asteroids" activity (link above) — sorting asteroid cards by their characteristics. Steps: 1. Spread out the cards. 2. Sort them into groups by composition, shape, or location — you choose the categories. 3. Write down the categories you used and which cards went in each one. Recording space: 3 blank boxes labeled "Group 1," "Group 2," "Group 3" for students to list which cards they placed together and why. TABLE 5 — METEORITE INVESTIGATORS: Base this on the Lunar and Planetary Institute's "Meteorite Investigators" activity (link above) — testing rock samples for meteorite characteristics. Steps: 1. Look closely at each numbered rock sample. 2. Test each one: Does a magnet stick to it (magnetism)? Does it feel heavy for its size (density)? Do you see small round grains (chondrules) with the magnifying glass? 3. Decide: could this rock be a meteorite? Circle yes or no for each sample. Recording space: table with columns "Sample #," "Magnet Test," "Heavy for Size?," "My Guess: Meteorite or Earth Rock?" TABLE 6 — NOTEBOOK CHECK: Steps: 1. There is no activity at this table. 2. Wait for your teacher to check your notebook. 3. Tape in last week's guided notes while you wait. No recording space needed. CLOSING SECTION: One reflection question: "Which table surprised you the most today? Why?" FORMATTING: Leave generous white space for writing. Use simple borders or boxes around each recording space so it's visually clear where to write. Avoid dense blocks of text anywhere.”