Planet MechanicSun, Earth, Moon System Learning Game
$2.99 per account
Note: each student will need an individual account in order to preserve save states and track student progress. Teachers will also need their own accounts to access the games.
About the Game
Planet Mechanic is a learning game about planets aligned to Common Core and Next Generation Science standards. Meet the demands of fickle aliens who can't seem to make up their minds about what conditions they want on their homeworld. Experiment with a planet’s core attributes, manipulating its atmosphere, tilt, rotation, and lunar cycles to learn how these factors change temperature, time, and seasons!
Learning Objectives
- Learn how the Earth-sun-moon system affects the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons.
- Learn how gravity affects motions of planets and other objects within galaxies and the solar system.

Curriculum
Filament Learning curriculum is aligned to Next Generation Science Standards, Common Core State Standards, and Benchmarks for Science Literacy. Each supplemental curriculum unit includes a Teacher's Guide with discussion activities, workshops, labs, and assessments. Students follow along with the included Student Guide, which allows for seamless communication between the lessons and the gameplay.
See our free web curriculum in action!

Teacher Dashboard
Check in on student progress with the Teacher Dashboard, which gives you visibility into which learning objectives your students have encountered, serving as a real-time assessment tool. If your students are stuck at any given point, the Teacher Dashboard will tell you where, so you can provide just-in-time intervention when students need it most.
See our teacher dashboard in action!
Desktop
OPERATING SYSTEM:
Windows XP or newerBROWSER
Internet Explorer 10 or newer, Firefox 17 or newer, Chrome 28 or newerFLASH
Flash Player 10 or newerPROCESSOR:
Intel core series processor or equivalentMEMORY:
2 GB RAMOPERATING SYSTEM:
Mac OS X 10.4 or newerBROWSER
Firefox 17 or newer, Chrome 28 or newer, Safari 5 or newerFLASH
Flash Player 10 or newerPROCESSOR:
Intel core series processor or equivalentMEMORY:
2 GB RAMOPERATING SYSTEM:
Chrome OS 28 or newerPROCESSOR:
Intel core series processor or equivalentMEMORY:
2 GB RAMTablet
OPERATING SYSTEM
iOS 7 or newerDEVICE:
iPad 2 or newerOPERATING SYSTEM:
Android 4.2 or newerPROCESSOR:
Quad-core processorMEMORY:
2 GB RAMMS-ESS1-1
Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons.MS-ESS1-2
Develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motions within galaxies and the solar system.ESS1.A: The Universe and Its Stars
- Patterns of the apparent motion of the sun, the moon, and stars in the sky can be observed, described, predicted, and explained with models. (MS-ESS1-1)
ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System
- Earth’s spin axis is fixed in direction over the short-term but tilted relative to its orbit around the sun. The seasons are a result of that tilt and are caused by the differential intensity of sunlight on different areas of Earth across the year. (MS-ESS1-1)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.3
Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.4
Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6–8 texts and topics.
4B/M5
The moon’s orbit around the earth once in about 28 days changes what part of the moon is lighted by the sun and how much of that part can be seen from the earth—the phases of the moon.4B/M12
The temperature of a place on the earth’s surface tends to rise and fall in a somewhat predictable pattern every day and over the course of a year. The pattern of temperature changes observed in a place tends to vary depending on how far north or south of the equator the place is, how near to oceans it is, and how high above sea level it is.4B/M13
The number of hours of daylight and the intensity of the sunlight both vary in a predictable pattern that depends on how far north or south of the equator the place is. This variation explains why temperatures vary over the course of the year and at different locations.4B/M15
The atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and trace amounts of water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases. (NSES)