Build Your Own Planet by Daniel D. Slosberg

1. Build Your Own Planetby Daniel D. Slosberg This unit is about stars and planets, and especially about planetary crusts, they makeup and transformation. I started with two days on asterisms and how to read a star chart which was done in conjunction with a Greek unit the team was doing. Then we spent three days researching planets to learn about the planets, how to do research, and how to write reports. The plans for the rest of the unit involve learning about density, learning about volcanism through comparison with other planets, and a culminating report in which the students build a planet of their own with its own planetary crust and have to justify the decisions that they made and how it works together.

2. Asterisms The students studied Greek mythology for a few weeks in English and that culminated in a Greek Day celebration of which this was a part. I created a star chart for this using ArcView which I learned in my Urban Planning class. This sub-unit consisted of several lessons: • journal entries written by the students before each class period • a lesson on how to read star charts • a half page write-up on the myth behind an asterism they research • a one page essay creating a myth for one or two asterisms that they create themselves on a blank star chart and • a star party in which to view the asterisms they learned about and those they created.

3. Planetary Research This was a few day sub-unit on what other planets are like. This sub-unit consisted of several lessons: • journal entries written by the students before each class • an interactive lecture which seems to just be pulling together the students knowledge of Earth, but also goes through units and their importance, how to do unit conversions, what I expect on worksheets (i.e. change them if you don't like them!), and my expectations in general • a time for them to research their planets • a GeoSafari game to keep them fresh on the relative positions of all the planets as well as what a comet looks like, where the asteroid belt is, and the sun and culminated in • a jeopardy game for which they had to pool all their information together in groups.

4. Funny Water This is a five day sub-unit about density. It comes from my Science Methods Standards book, pp150-3. It is important that the students have a clear understanding of what density is to understand why iron sinks to the center of the Earth and creates the Earth's magnetic field, and why the plates don't sink, and another reason it makes sense for glacier's to be on top of rock. This sub-unit consisted of several lessons: • Of course I will have a journal as I do for all my sub-units: • Demonstration of Liquids of Differing Density • Lab Comparing Liquids of Differing Density • Lab Comparing Objects of Different Densities • Lab Comparing Objects of the Same Density but Different Sizes and • A Day to Finish Writing the Lab Report.

5. Researching a Crust A good way for students to learn about volcanoes, earthquakes, and glaciers, is to put them in context with all the planets and moons in the solar system. There are many parts to this two week sub-unit as well. • Journal • Lectures on Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and Glaciers and • Research of a Planet or Moon of the Student’s Choice.

6. Build Your Own World This is the culminating part of the unit. Students have learned about planetary crusts, how the planets are internally and externally heated, and how different layers work together. Now they have to put all these concepts together and build a planet, justify what sort of tectonics may be there. • There will be journals, • And students will have to create their planets.