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Planets2 Photo Album Earth Science Solar System
This 5th/6th grade earth science class is scheduled for 1.5 hrs, 3days per week.Anticipatory Set: (20 min) go into the computer lab with the worksheet “Planet Relative Size”Have students enter info and create a bar graph of planet diameters.Have students create bar graph of planet relative distances.Print and answer questions for homework.Activity # 1 (20 min)Using The text book pictures compare /contrast the inner & outer ss., using composition of planets, orbit, distance and diameter. Directing students to put info into “foldee”( a sheet of paper folded in half lengthwise and then the short way. One half will be Inner SS the left side will be the Outer SS. The inside will compareActivity #2 (5min) Use PP as the visual to show relative size of planets. Make sure to tie in the relative sizes of stars that was learned in last chapter.Activity #3 (5 min) Give a gentle high five to your partner and Partner up, Have each group make a Venn diagram in notebook, comparing Inner and outer planets. Composition, Density, volume,Diameter and atmosphere. Share with class.Activity # 4 : (10 min) Use text book read sections on orbits of planets. Remember to emphasis, circle is an ellipse.Activity # 5 : (10 min) Have “the computer operator” (I have a schedule for each student to have the opportunity to be my techee for the day) Back to PP, to show the applet on the orbits of planets in inner and outer SS. Remember to ask students, how else you would like to the “operator” to change the orbits. Activity # 6 (5 min) Discuss Pluto’s difference. Go thru orbit applet again. Focusing on PlutoWrap up (10 min) Go to “Inner Planets “ Slide go to applet of where planets are positioned today. Also put in date of Christ’s birth, Date Constitution was signed.Remind students to answer question from graph as homework.Warm up for next lesson:Give a gentle high five to your group .Use the precut and measured planet orbits, go into the gym and “become the solar system. Using the premeasured orbit, use the shyest student as the sun, have groups hold up orbit at my waist level. Show orbits. Make sure kids can explain why all at waist level. Notice differences between Pluto and rest.This same PP will also be used in the next two Earth science classes we will go thru Inner and outer planets individually. Switching between text and PP pictures. Benefits of this lesson: Relative distances of planets Relative size of planets Compare and contrast Inner SS and Outer SSBenefits of using the internet: One of the reasons citizens of the U.S. need to have an understanding of the solar system is to make an informed decision about whether or not we, as a nation, can or should fund more space exploration. Is this information we have gleaned so far, useful to us in our lives? Does learning about other planets help us to learn about Earth? I hope to show that the answer is … Probably.If I just present a series of facts about each planet and ask my students to memorize this info because it will be on the test, It can be a little dry. Even if I think up clever little ways to get that info into their heads, I do not engage the students’ curiosity, and natural wonder about the system we live in. I’m so glad I found these applets to use while teaching this material. I think they clearly show the difference and similarities of not only the distance each planet is from the sun but also why Pluto is so different from the other 9 planets.. I think this is exactly why we need to have the internet readily available in every classroom. This lesson would be enhanced if every child or at least every partner group could manipulate the applet. Unfortunately, my school has only one computer in my classroom. Our principal does not see the benefit of having the internet accessible in our computer lab. Yes I did show him this lesson plan. The internet is providing the most current information about the content we are required to cover. There have been so many spacecraft sent into our solar system in the last 5-6 yrs that information acquired has drasticly changed our”view” of the celestial bodies nearest to us. It is so easy to get pictures from these various satellites and use this very current info to shape what our students see of our Solar system.Challenges of this Lesson: The excel part of this lesson took way too long. Some students are faster typist than others, thus they were ready to tackle the graphs sooner and consequently it was a little chaotic in the lab until I start asking the fast students to mentor the slower typist on the mechanics of producing the graphs. Good learning there but it still took too long. Next time I use this lesson I will have the excel file pre loaded on each students computer. (Our computers’ are not networked) and we will create the graphs together, this should speed up the process.NOTESWhy are kids so upset about Pluto becoming an UNplanets?
Our Star the Sun …Big Right !!!
Inner Planets • “Terrestrial Planets” • Rocky • Dense • Metal cores (iron) Images: Lunar and Planetary Laboratory: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=178
Inner Planets (details) Mars Venus Mercury Earth
The Outer Planets The Gas Giants Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Image: Lunar and Planetary Laboratory: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=178
Reference Meta page for current Solar system stuff www.vendian.org/mncharity/dir3/solarsystem
