Download Coming To A Planet Near You

Table of Contents
Topic of the Module.........................................................................................................................1
Goal of Module ................................................................................................................................1
Targeted Grade Level ......................................................................................................................1
Prerequisite ......................................................................................................................................1
Objectives ........................................................................................................................................2
Time Needed....................................................................................................................................3
Standards..........................................................................................................................................4
Glossary ....................................................................................................................................... 5-7
Science Content ...............................................................................................................................8
From The Beginning: Solar System Formation ...................................................................... 8-9
The Sun Is A Star.................................................................................................................. 9-10
Terrestrial Planet.......................................................................................................................10
Crater Face, Mercury .......................................................................................................... 11-12
Venus, The Hottest Planet................................................................................................... 12-13
The Greenhouse Effect .............................................................................................................14
Life On Earth ...................................................................................................................... 15-16
Earth’s Moon ...................................................................................................................... 16-17
Is There Life On Mars...............................................................................................................17
Mars, The Red Planet.......................................................................................................... 18-19
Gas Giants........................................................................................................................... 19-20
The Largest Planet, Jupiter ................................................................................................. 20-21
Jupiter’s Big Four ............................................................................................................... 21-22
The Rings Of Saturn ........................................................................................................... 23-24
Uranus Is Confused............................................................................................................. 24-25
Neptune Will RIP You To Shreds ...................................................................................... 25-26
Pluto Is Not A Planet .......................................................................................................... 26-27
Possible 10th Planet ...................................................................................................................28
How Does This All Work? ................................................................................................. 28-29
Kepler’s Laws Of Planetary Motion ................................................................................... 29-30
Other Solar Systems..................................................................................................................30
Frequently Asked Questions .................................................................................................... 30-33
Day One .........................................................................................................................................34
Materials Needed By The Teacher ..................................................................................... 35-39
Introduction: From the Beginning, Solar System Story...................................................... 39-41
Demonstration #1: Planetary Rotation................................................................................ 41-43
Demonstration #2: Planetary Orbital .................................................................................. 43-45
Activity #1: Diameter ......................................................................................................... 46-47
Demonstration #3: Distance................................................................................................ 47-48
Activity #2: Appearance and Atmosphere.......................................................................... 48-50
Activity #3: Crater Face Mercury ....................................................................................... 50-53
Activity #4: Simon Says Solar System Game..................................................................... 53-56
Worksheet-3rd Planet: Earth...................................................................................... Appendix C
Worksheet-1st Planet: Mercury ................................................................................. Appendix C
Day Two.........................................................................................................................................57
Materials Needed By The Teacher ...................................................................................... 58-62
Introduction: First Four Planets ................................................................................................62
Activity #5: The Greenhouse Effect ................................................................................... 63-64
Activity #6: Venus, The Hottest Planet .............................................................................. 64-66
Demonstration #4: Is There Life On Mars.......................................................................... 66-67
Activity #7: Mars, The Red Planet ..................................................................................... 67-68
Activity #8: Terrestrial Planet............................................................................................. 68-70
Activity #9: Terrestrial Planet Game ........................................................................................71
Worksheet-2nd Planet: Venus.................................................................................... Appendix C
Worksheet-4th Planet: Mars ...................................................................................... Appendix C
Day Three.......................................................................................................................................72
Materials Needed By The Teacher ..................................................................................... 73-77
Introduction: Planet Hand Signals ...........................................................................................77
Activity #10: Gas Giants..................................................................................................... 78-80
Activity #11: The Largest Planet, Jupiter ........................................................................... 80-81
Activity #12: The Rings Of Saturn ..................................................................................... 82-83
Activity#13: Terrestrial Versus Gas Giants..............................................................................83
Worksheet- 5th Planet: Jupiter................................................................................... Appendix C
Worksheet-6th Planet: Saturn .................................................................................... Appendix C
Day Four ........................................................................................................................................84
Materials Needed By The Teacher ..................................................................................... 85-89
Introduction: The Last Day.......................................................................................................89
Activity #14: Uranus........................................................................................................... 89-90
Activity #15: Neptune...............................................................................................................91
Activity #16: Pluto, Dwarf Planet....................................................................................... 92-93
Activity #17: Solar System Game....................................................................................... 93-94
Solar System Game Questions.................................................................................. Appendix E
Worksheet- 7th Planet: Uranus .................................................................................. Appendix C
Worksheet- 8th Planet: Neptune ................................................................................ Appendix C
Worksheet- 9th Planet: Pluto ..................................................................................... Appendix C
Resources and References........................................................................................................ 96-99
Planet Hand Signals .......................................................................................................Appendix A
Materials Needed for entire Module .............................................................................. Appendix B
Overhead Transparencies............................................................................................... Appendix C
Student Workbook .........................................................................................................Appendix D
Teacher’s Guidebook ..................................................................................................... Appendix E
Solar System Game Questions/Answers.........................................................................Appendix F
TOPIC OF THE MODULE
Students will explore the nine planets and nine main features for each planet.
Specifically, students will investigate the features of rotation; orbit; a planet's
diameter; distance from the Sun; appearance; atmosphere; whether or not life can
be sustained; whether or not a planet has moons and if so, how many; and
interesting facts about each planet. Students will discuss the possible tenth planet
in our solar system. Students will also discover that the universe is made up of
many other solar systems, each with a Sun and planets rotating and orbiting around
it.
GOAL OF THE MODULE
The goal of this module is to spark each student's interest in the fascinating and
mysterious features of the planets in our solar system. This module provides
students with a deeper understanding of each individual planet, being able to
identify it in order, as well as describe main fun facts about each planet.
TARGETED GRADE LEVEL
This module is designed for third grade students. This module can be adapted for
students in the first through fifth grade.
PRE-REQUISITE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
There are no pre-requisite skills or knowledge needed to successfully complete this
module.
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OBJECTIVES
At the end of the module, students will be able to:
• Define a planet, moon and Sun.
• Demonstrate and describe rotation and orbit.
• Explain Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion.
• Explain, measure, and demonstrate the diameter of a circle and how it
relates to our planet's diameters.
• Describe the relative size of the planets as compared to the size of the
Sun.
• Identify and demonstrate each planet in the order from the Sun, using
hand signals.
• Draw and identify the planets by their appearance.
• Describe a terrestrial and a gas giant planet.
• Identify similarities and differences between terrestrial and gas giant
planets.
• Identify and explain how each planet is classified, as either a terrestrial or
gas giant planet.
• Determine if the planet has an atmosphere and if so, decide and explain
why a planet can or cannot sustain life.
• Determine which planets have moons and which planets do not have
moons.
• Explain why some planets have moons and others do not.
•
Explain why there are other solar systems in the universe.
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TIME NEEDED
The expected time line for this module is four days for one hour per day
and an outline is presented below.
Day
Topics Discussed
1
Story explaining how the solar system was formed
Discussion of planet Earth
Rotation and orbit
Discussion of planet Mercury
Solar System Simon Says Game
2
Discussion of planet Venus
Discussion of planet Mars
Characteristics of terrestrial planets
Terrestrial Planet Game
3
Review of terrestrial planets
Characteristics of gas giants
Discussion of planet Jupiter
Discussion of planet Saturn
Terrestrial versus Gas Giants Game
4
Discussion of planet Uranus
Discussion of planet Neptune
New Horizon Mission - Pluto
Discussion of possible tenth planet
Discussion of other solar systems
Solar System Game
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STANDARDS
Coming To A Planet Near You aligns with the California State Science
Content Standards and National Science Education Standards.
California Science Content Standards for Grade 3:
EARTH SCIENCE
4. Objects in the sky move in regular and predictable patterns. As a
basis for understanding this concept:
d. Students know that Earth is one of several planets that
orbit the Sun and that the Moon orbits Earth.
National Science Education Standards:
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Content Standard B:
* Position and Motion of Objects
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
Content Standard D:
*Objects in the sky
* Changes in the Earth and Sky
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GLOSSARY
The following words and their definitions are commonly used throughout the
module.
Appearance:
an object’s physical features or what an object looks like.
Astronomical Unit:
measures the distance from the Sun to a planet.
1 AU = 93 million miles away.
Atmosphere:
gaseous mass surrounding a celestial body.
Asteroid:
a piece of rock left over after the formation of the solar
system about 4.6 billion years ago.
Big Bang Theory:
states that a tiny hot ball contained everything in the
universe which exploded about 14 billion years ago.
Comet:
composed mainly of ice and dust leftovers from the early
formation of the solar system referred to as “dirty ice
balls.”
Diameter:
a straight line measuring the center of a circle, from end
to end.
Distance:
the amount of space between two objects.
Dwarf Planet:
must orbit the Sun; must have nearly a round shape; and
has not cleared away objects in its neighborhood.
Erosion:
a process which the surface is worn away by the action of
water, waves, wind, or other means.
Exo-Planet:
a planet that orbits a star other than the Sun.
Galaxy:
a large group of stars, gas and dust held together by
gravity. There are three main types of galaxies, the spiral,
elliptical and irregular.
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Gas Giants:
outer planets including Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and
Neptune.
Gravity:
a natural force of attraction between two objects.
Light-year:
equivalent to 5.88 trillion miles.
Meteor:
an object entering the Earth, also known as a shooting
star.
Meteorite:
any part of the meteor that survives the Earth's
atmosphere and lands on the surface of Earth.
Meteoroid:
chunks of debris prior to entering Earth's atmosphere.
Moon:
a small body orbiting around a planet.
Nuclear fusion:
a nuclear reaction in which nuclei combine to form more
massive nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy.
Orbit:
to move or travel around in a curved path. For example,
the Earth orbit around the Sun in 365.25 days.
Period:
the time it takes a planet to orbit around the Sun, also
referred as orbit.
Planet:
must orbit the Sun; be massive enough that its own
gravity pulls it into a nearly round shape; and be
dominant enough to clear away objects in its
neighborhood.
Prograde rotation:
counterclockwise rotation of most planets.
Retrograde rotation:
clockwise rotation which is considered in retrograde
rotations compared to most planets. Venus, Uranus and
Pluto all rotate in retrograde or in retrograde.
Rover:
a robotic machine that travels on the surface, such as
Mars.
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Rotate:
to turn around in on its axis or in one place.
Satellites:
objects orbiting around planets, such as a moon.
Solar System:
a star with planets, asteroids and comets orbiting around
it.
Star:
a glowing ball of burning gases.
Sun:
a medium size star.
Synchronous
Rotation:
a body orbiting another, where the orbiting body takes as
long to rotate on its axis as it does to make one orbit.
Terrestrial planet:
inner planets including Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
Theory:
an idea or explanation which has not yet been proven to
be correct.
Trans-Neptunian
Object:
Universe:
.
any object in the solar system that orbits the Sun at a
greater distance on average than Neptune.
all space, time, matter, and energy.
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SCIENCE CONTENT
From The Beginning: Solar System Formation
There are many theories on how the universe was formed. The most widely
accepted theory is the Big Bang theory. The Big Bang theory states 12-14 billion
years ago, a tiny hot ball contained everything in the universe. Moments later the
tiny ball exploded, releasing the universe which continues to expand. Over time, as
the young universe grew larger, matter began to clump together, cooled, and
formed hydrogen and helium gases. These gases clumped into clouds and after
several hundred million years, these clouds began to form galaxies. Inside these
galaxies, large groups of stars, gas, and dust are held together by gravity. Our solar
system is located in the Milky Way galaxy.
When our solar system began to
form, 4.6 billion years ago, it was a
rotating mass of stardust and gases.
These gases came from a nearby
star that exploded.
As these gases spun around quickly,
gravity began to pull it tighter together.
The force of gravity collapsed the
cloud, flattened it into a disk-like
object, and created it to spin even
faster.
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Eventually the materials pulled to the
center became extremely hot and
dense. In the center, nuclear fusion
reactions began to occur and the new
star was formed.
The dust and gas particles further out
gathered into clumps, which became
our planets.
The SUN Is A STAR!
A star is a glowing ball of burning
gases, consisting of hydrogen,
helium and some other heavier
gases. The Sun is a star and is the
largest object in our solar system.
It makes up 99.9% of the mass of
the entire solar system, with .01%
for everything else, the planets,
asteroids, comets, etc.
Image of the Sun
The Sun’s diameter is 864,938 miles, which is 10 times larger than Jupiter's
diameter and about 109 times larger than Earth's diameter. The Sun is composed of
six layers, each consisting of different temperatures. Our Sun is about 93 million
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miles away from the Earth, roughly 1 Astronomical Unit or 1AU. Scientist
developed Astronomical Unit or AU in order to measure the distance from the Sun
to a planet. Students find it fascinating to learn that all those stars in the night sky
are like our Sun. These stars look small because they are extremely far away from
us. The Sun is only a medium size yellow star that is half way burnt out (4.6 billion
years left). Without the Sun, planets would not have formed and life would not
exist.
Terrestrial Planets
Terrestrial Planets
Planets are classified into three categories, terrestrial planets, gas giant planets, and
dwarf planets. There are four terrestrial planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
Terrestrial planets are the rocky inner planets, which means closest to the Sun.
These planets have a solid surface and are relatively small. These planets orbit
faster than other planets around the Sun because they are closer to the Sun and
have a shorter distance to travel. Terrestrial planets rotate slow on their axis, have
few or no moons, and have no rings around them.
During this module, students will learn the characteristics of terrestrial planets.
TERRESTRIAL PLANETS FEATURES
1. Inner Planets
2. Rocky
3. Solid Surface
4. Small
5. Slow Rotation
6. Fast Orbit
7. Few/No Moons
8. No Rings
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Crater Face, Mercury
The first terrestrial planet is Mercury.
Mercury is the first planet from the Sun
and is the smallest terrestrial planet. Its
surface is rocky with lots of craters.
Craters are formed as different size
objects are pulled to a planet by its
gravity. As the object makes impact with
the planet, a hole or crater is formed.
Mercury experiences lots of craters
because it is so close to the Sun.
Image of Mercury
This picture reveals Mercury's heavily bumpy surface with different size craters,
areas of flat plains, and steep cliffs. A strip of Mercury is missing because Mariner
10, a fly by spacecraft, never took the picture of that area. Mercury's surface also
reveals evidence of inactive volcanoes and ancient lava flows.
Mercury rotates in 59 days and speeds around the Sun in 88 days, which causes
Mercury’s days and nights to last about three months. Because Mercury rotates
slow on its axis and orbits fast around the Sun, Mercury rotates 3 times for every 2
orbits. Therefore, Mercury receives sunlight for a whole Mercury year (88 days)
and receives darkness for a whole Mercury year (88 days). This makes Mercury
the second hottest and second coldest planet in our solar system. The temperatures
on Mercury can reach up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit and as low as -280 degrees
Fahrenheit.
The higher temperature of a planet, the faster the gas particles move. If the gas
particles move fast enough to escape velocity of the planet, then the gases escape
to space. Mercury’s small mass and high temperatures have resulted in extremely
small traces of an atmosphere. In this module, student’s worksheet concludes that
Mercury has no atmosphere.
Only one spacecraft, Mariner 10, has ever visited Mercury. A new NASA mission
to Mercury called Messenger has been launched in January 2008 and will begin
orbiting Mercury in March 2011.
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During this module, students will compare Mercury with the characteristics of
terrestrial planets. Students will draw Mercury and write Mercury's facts in their
workbook.
MERCURY
1. Rotation: 88 days
2. Orbit: 59 days
3. Diameter: 4,222 miles
4. Distance from the Sun: 36 million miles away
5. Appearance: Heavily cratered, rocky, yellow brown
6. Atmosphere: NO
7. Can we live on this planet? NO
8. Does this planet have moons? NO
9. Fun Facts: Mercury is the smallest terrestrial planet. Mercury is the 2nd
hottest and coldest planet in our solar system. Mercury is also the fastest
orbiting planet because it’s the closest to the Sun and has a shorter
distance to travel.
Venus, The Hottest Planet!
Venus is the second terrestrial planet and
the second planet from the Sun. Venus is
Earth’s “sister planet” because they are
similar in diameter. Venus’s diameter is
7,523 miles compared to Earth’s diameter
7,926 miles. But Venus is very different
than Earth. Venus is very special because
it rotates in retrograde.
Image of Venus
Scientists believe something hit Venus to make it rotate in retrograde, or it could
be due to the Sun’s strong gravitational pull. Either way, Venus is one of the few
planets that rotates in retrograde. Not only does it rotate in retrograde, it rotates the
slowest of all the planets. It takes Venus 243 days to rotate once compared to
Earth’s 1 day. While it rotates in retrograde, its orbit around the Sun is nearly
circular, which is different compared to most of the planets elliptical or oval shape
path. It takes Venus 225 days to orbit around the Sun.
Venus has a rocky surface, which is extremely hot and dry. The surface reveals
mountains, canyons, valleys, lava flows, lava domes, and numerous volcanoes
located on flat plains. These volcanoes are called shield volcanoes because they are
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created when lava forms underground and is released through the crust in areas
called “hot spots.” Over long periods of time, these constant eruptions and lava
flows create these shield volcanoes. One of Venus’s volcanoes called Maat Mons
may be still active because of the young lava that surrounds it. This may reveal that
Venus’s internal structure has an iron-rich core similar to Earth.
Venus has really thick clouds of
sulfuric acid in its atmosphere, which
covers the surface. The gases in this
thick atmosphere “trap” heat and
prevent the heat from escaping. This
causes a greenhouse effect, similar to
Earth, but more intense. This
greenhouse effect causes Venus to be
the hottest planet in our solar system.
Venus’s thick atmosphere and surface
During this module, students will learn why Venus is so hot using hand signals and
will fill-in facts in their workbook.
VENUS
1. Rotation: 243 days
2. Orbit: 225 days
3. Diameter: 7, 523 miles
4. Distance from the Sun: 67 million miles away
5. Appearance: rocky surface with thick cloudy yellow atmosphere
6. Atmosphere: YES
7. Can we live on this planet? NO
8. Does this planet have any moons? NO
9. Fun Facts: Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system because its gases
in its atmosphere trap heat, creating an intense greenhouse effect. Venus
has the slowest retrograde rotation because scientists think something hit
it or because of the powerful Sun’s gravity. Venus is also Earth’s “sister
planet” because of their similar diameter.
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The Greenhouse
Effect
The greenhouse effect is
the rise in temperature
that the planets (Venus
and Earth) experience
because certain gases in
their atmosphere “trap”
energy (sunlight) from
the Sun. Some of these
greenhouse gases include
waterGreen
vapor, carbon
The
dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane. Without these gases, heat would escape back
into space and these planets wouldn’t be as warm as they are. For example, Earth
would be a lot colder and reach a high of only 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
When sunlight is emitted, the light is
absorbed, reflected, or absorbed and reemitted back to space. As light finally
enters Venus's thick atmosphere, it
warms the surface. As the surface reemits the heat, it is “trapped” by
Venus's gases in its atmosphere. Venus
atmosphere is primarily composed of
97% carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas
that traps the heat from leaving. This
heat is re-emitted and re-absorbed into
the surface, making Venus hotter and
hotter. This greenhouse effect prevents
the heat from escaping, creating Venus
to be the hottest planet in our solar
system. Venus’s temperature can reach
up to 870 degrees Fahrenheit. Because
of Venus's extreme temperature, many
spacecrafts are unable to last long once they enter Venus's thick atmosphere.
Launched by the Soviet Union, Venera 9, was the first spacecraft to land on Venus,
but it only lasted about a hour.
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Life On Earth...
Earth is the largest terrestrial planet. Earth
is the only planet in our solar system that
has LIFE on it that we know of. It has the
most active surface, from volcanoes to
hurricanes. For this module, we start with
Earth because students are most familiar
with it. Students will learn and memorize
Earth’s nine facts.
Earth’s rotation: Earth makes a complete rotation/spin on its axis in 23 hours and
56 minutes, or 24 hours which is equivalent to 1 day. Earth’s axis is tilted 23 ½
degrees. Because of this tilt, Earth experiences seasons.
Earth’s orbit: Earth makes a complete elliptical orbit (on the same plane as the
other planets), around the Sun in 1 year or 365 days.
Earth’s diameter: Earth’s diameter is 500,000,000 inches or 7,926 miles. In order
to visualize a diameter cut Earth in half and measure the center of the Earth’s
circle.
Earth’s distance from the Sun: Earth is the third planet from the Sun and is about
93 million miles away. 93 million miles is converted to 1 Astronomical Unit, 1
AU.
Earth’s appearance: Students will observe a picture taken from space of Earth and
will learn how to identify Earth's physical features, mostly made of water (70%)
and land masses. Earth’s internal structure consists of the crust, mantle, outer core
and inner core.
Earths’ atmosphere: An atmosphere is all the gases that surround the planet.
Earth’s atmosphere is thin and consists of 78% of nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1%
other. Earth's atmosphere not only provides life but protects Earth from dangerous
solar rays. The atmosphere is divided into four layers (troposphere, stratosphere,
mesosphere, and ionosphere). Most of the weather occurs in the first layer
(troposphere).
During this module, students will participate in a Simon Says game to demonstrate
the definition of the six facts (rotation, orbit, diameter, distance, appearance, and
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atmosphere) and also memorize Earth's nine facts.
EARTH
1. Rotation: 1 day
2. Orbit: 1 year
3. Diameter: 7, 926 miles
4. Distance from the Sun: 93 million miles away = 1AU
5. Appearance: lots of blue water, white clouds, and patches of brown land.
6. Atmosphere: YES
7. Can we live on this planet? YES
8. Does this planet have moons? YES
How many? 1
9. Fun fact: Earth is the only planet that has life on it that we know of. It is
the most active planet in our solar system. Earth is the largest terrestrial
planet but not the largest planet in our solar system.
Earth’s Moon
Earth and its Moon
Earth's moon is the fifth largest moon in
our solar system. Its diameter is 2,160
miles, less than 1/3 of Earth. The moon has
no atmosphere and consists of a rocky
surface with lots of craters. The dark areas
of the moon are called maria (pronounced
MARH ee uh). The maria are huge craters
filled by ancient lava flows in the early
stages of formation. The lava froze and
formed rock.
The light areas are highland craters called
terrae (pronounced TEHR ee), representing
the original crust of the moon. The moon is
the brightest object at night but gives off no
light of its own. Its surface reflects the light
from the Sun. Depending on the relative
position of Earth, moon and the Sun, there
are different phases of the moon we see. The
origin of Earth’s moon developed numerous
theories. After the Apollo Mission (first
landed on July 20, 1969), a new theory
formed.
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Earth's Moon
This new theory is the most widely accepted theory called the Impact theory. The
Impact theory suggests that another size planet, similar to Mars, hit Earth during its
early formation. A huge chunk was knocked out of Earth and began orbiting
around Earth. It came to be known as our moon and continues to orbit around
Earth. The moon is about 239,000 miles away as it orbits around the Earth. The
moon is close enough to experience and cause tides on Earth's water and land. The
moon rotates and orbits around the Earth in about 30 days, creating a synchronous
rotation. This synchronous rotation allows us to see only one side of the moon.
Artist rendition of Impact Theory
Is There Life On Mars?
In 1976, does life exist on Mars was a
popular question, especially after seeing
this image captured by the Viking 1
spacecraft. Unfortunately, scientists have
not found life on Mars. The face was a
Martian mesa, a natural high land rock
formation that gave an illusion of a face.
“Face on Mars” taken by Viking 1
As the Viking 1 spacecraft was
orbiting around Mars, it was taking
pictures for possible landing sites for
Viking 2, when it stumbled upon what
appeared to be a human face. It
became known as the “Face on Mars.”
In 2001, Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)
took a picture of the same spot but
closer and revealed the true image.
Viking 1 image 1976
MGS image
This Martian mesa was 25 miles long and 2.6 miles wide. The “Face on Mars” is
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located in the Cydonia region of Mars.
Mars, The Red Planet!
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun
and the fourth terrestrial planets. Mars
has small traces of oxygen in its
atmosphere that chemically reacts with
the iron found in its surface, making the
planet appear rusted. Because of its
rusted appearance, Mars is known as
the “Red Planet.” Although Mars has
oxygen in its atmosphere, it is not
enough to sustain life.
Image of Mars
Although Mars and Earth are not quite
similar in size, they’re similar in other ways.
Mars rotates 37 minutes more than Earth.
Mars axis is tilted 25 degrees, 1.5 degrees
more than Earth's tilt. Mars's tilt allows
Mars to experience seasons, just like Earth.
Besides Mars appearance being rusted, it
has cloud-like features similar to Earth.
Mars has dust storms and frozen polar caps.
These polar caps are made of carbon dioxide
frost and dry ice.
Image of Earth and Mars
Evidence such as channels, rivers, and valleys on its surface reveals that Mars use
to have water on it but it dried up. Recent data from Mars Global Surveyor indicate
that water may exist below the surface in rare places.
In 1971, Mariner 9 was sent to orbit Mars. This spacecraft revealed the largest
volcano in our solar system named Olympus Mons (370 miles in diameter and 17
miles high), a huge grand canyon (3,000 miles), and two moons (Phobos and
Deimos). Other missions to Mars included sending robotic rovers to explore the
surface. Some of these rovers’ names were Sojourner, Spirit and Opportunity.
Launched in 2003, Spirit and Opportunity are still roaming the surface of Mars,
confirming that there were once oceans of water on Mars's surface.
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During this module, students will learn about possible life on Mars and record data
in their workbook.
MARS
1. Rotation: 1 day and 37 minutes
2. Orbit: 1.2 years
3. Diameter: 4,222 miles
4. Distance: 142 million miles
5. Appearance: red-brown rocky surface
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet? No, but may be in the future.
8. Does this planet have moons? YES
How many? 2
9. Fun Fact: Mars use to have water on it! Mars has very small traces of
Oxygen in its atmosphere. Mars has the biggest volcano in our solar
system called Olympus Mons. Mars is also known as the “Red Planet.”
Gas Giant Planets
Gas Giants
The next four outer planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, are Jovian
planets or gas giants because they are huge and made of gases. These planets orbit
slow around the Sun because they are further away and have more distance to
travel. These planets rotate fast, have no solid surface, and have many moons,
some consisting of over sixty. All of these planets have rings, but Saturn is the only
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planet that has really thick rings that are visible when photographed.
During this module, students will learn the characteristics of gas giant planets.
GAS GIANT PLANETS FEATURES
1. Gaseous
2. Far from the Sun
3. Large Masses
4. No Solid Surface
5. Fast Rotation
6. Slow Orbit
7. Many Moons
8. Many Rings
The Largest Planet, Jupiter!
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun
and is the largest gas giant. Like all gas
giants, Jupiter has fast rotation, in fact
the fastest rotation (9hrs. 55min.). Like
all gas giants, these planets orbit the
slowest around the Sun because they are
further away and have more distance to
cover. Jupiter takes 12 years to orbit
around the Sun. Jupiter’s appearance
reveals a colorful display of red, white,
orange, and tan horizontal lines with
swirling gas clouds in its atmosphere.
Image of Jupiter
Another prominent feature is the Great Red Spot. This Red Spot is a constant
tornado that has been spinning for hundreds of years. The diameter of the Red Spot
has reached lengths up to three Earth's across. Jupiter is not only the largest gas
giant but the largest planet in our solar system. Jupiter is very massive and has a
strong gravitational pull. Because of this strong gravitational pull, Jupiter has 63
moons recorded and may still have more.
During this module, students will draw and learn about Jupiter's facts in their
workbook.
JUPITER
1. Rotation: 9 hours and 55 minutes
2. Orbit: 12 years
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3. Diameter: 88, 846 miles
4. Distance: 482 million miles
5. Appearance: Great Red Spot, swirling lines, gaseous
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet? No
8. Does this planet have moons? YES
How many? At least 63
9. Fun Fact: Jupiter is the BIGGEST planet in our solar system. Jupiter
rotates the fastest and has crazy weather. Jupiter has a Great Red Spot
which is a constant tornado. Jupiter's has some of the most unique and
biggest moons in the solar system (Ganymede, Callisto, Io, Europa).
Jupiter's BIG FOUR
Jupiter is not only the BIGGEST
planet but it has some of the
BIGGEST moons. These moons are
known as the Galilean Moons, from
largest to smallest, Ganymede,
Callisto, Io, and Europa. Each moon
is extremely different. Ganymede is
the largest moon (3,280 miles) in our
solar system, even bigger than
Mercury. Its surface is rocky with a
thin ice crust. It has rocky interior
surrounding a molten iron core and a
thin oxygen atmosphere. Just like
Earth's moon, Jupiter's moons have
synchronous rotation and takes as
long to rotate on it axis as it does
orbit. Ganymede rotates and orbits
around Jupiter in 7 days, thus Jupiter
only see's one side of the moon.
Top to bottom: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto
Callisto is the most heavily cratered moon with a mixture of ice and rock
throughout its interior. It has a thin carbon dioxide atmosphere. Callisto has a
synchronous rotation as it rotates and orbits around Jupiter in 17 days.
Io is the most volcanically active object in the solar system. This lava causes the
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surface to change, leaving no craters. Io has a thin sulfuric dioxide atmosphere. It
rotates and orbits in 2 days. Just like Earth's moon, Io experiences tides but heavier
due to Jupiter's stronger gravitational pull. These tides can reach up to 300 feet.
Scientists are extremely fascinated with Europa's surface because it is mostly made
of ice water. Recent data indicates there may be an ocean beneath the surface and
may have twice as much water than Earth. Water indicates a chance for life,
especially on this moon. Europa has a very thin atmosphere and its surface reveals
shallow cracks, valleys, ridges, and icy flows. Europa’s interior is hotter than its
surface because of Jupiter’s strong gravitational pull as well as the gravitational
pull of the other moons. This effect is known as tidal heating.
During this module, students will review the seven largest moons in our solar
system and why Jupiter attracts most of the moons.
Seven Largest Moons:
Moon:
Diameter:
What planet does the moon orbit around?
1.Ganymede
3,280 miles
Jupiter
2.Titan
3,200 miles
Saturn
3.Callisto
2,985 miles
Jupiter
4.Io
2,255 miles
Jupiter
5.Our Moon
2,160 miles
Earth
6.Europa
1,950 miles
Jupiter
7.Triton
1,683 miles
Neptune
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The Rings Of
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth
planet from the Sun,
the second largest
planet, and the second
largest gas giant. Like
all gas giants, Saturn
is made of gases.
Image of Saturn
But Saturn's gases are less dense than water and if Saturn was placed in a bathtub,
it would actually float.
Saturn is most famous for its fabulous rings,
consisting of chunks of ice (ranging from the
size of your fingernail to the size of school
buses), rocks, and other dust particles.
Although all gas giants have rings, they are
not visible when photographed because they
are too thin. Saturn’s rings are thick and can
be captured in a photo.
Rings of Saturn
There have been different missions sent to Saturn. The newest mission was
launched in 1997 and arrived in 2004. This spacecraft was called Cassini and it
was to explore Saturn and its moons. Cassini was also designed to release a probe
(Huygens) on Saturn's moon Titan. Titan is the second largest moon and is so far,
the only moon with a unique thick, hazy atmosphere. Huygens analyzed Titan's
thick atmosphere, which was composed of nitrogen, methane and possibly argon.
During this module, students will draw and learn about Saturn's facts in their
workbook.
SATURN
1. Rotation: 10 hours and 13 minutes
2. Orbit: 29.4 years
3. Diameter: 74, 898 miles
4. Distance: 888 million miles
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5. Appearance: Rings, gaseous
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet? No
8. Does this planet have moons? YES
How many? 47
9. Fun Fact: Saturn’s density is less dense than that of water. Therefore,
Saturn is the only gas giant that could float in a bathtub of water, if such a
thing existed. Saturn is known for its fabulous rings, which are made of
ice, rock, and dust particles.
Uranus Is CoNfUsEd???
Uranus (pronounced YUR-uh-nuhs or
yu-RAY- nuhs) is the seventh planet
from the Sun and is the third gas giant.
Because Uranus is a gas giant, Uranus
shows gas giant characteristics. Uranus
has no solid surface because it’s made
of gases, it rotates fast (17 hours), it
revolves slow (84 years), it has rings
but are thin, and it has lots of moons.
But something strange happened to
Uranus.
Image of Uranus
Uranus is the only planet that has a 90 degree tilt on its axis, thus it rotates on its
side. Not only is it spinning sideways, but it is also spinning in retrograde.
Scientists believe in the beginning of the solar system formation, Uranus was hit
by a massive object, knocking Uranus on its side.
Uranus’s appearance is light blue-green because of the methane gas in its
atmosphere. Uranus has very few cloud bands and evidence suggest that
underneath Uranus atmosphere lays rock and ice.
During this module, students will draw and learn about Uranus's facts in their
workbook.
URANUS
1. Rotation: 17.2 hours
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2. Orbit: 84 years
3. Diameter: 31, 763 miles
4. Distance: 1,784 million miles
5. Appearance: Green-blue smooth surface, thin rings
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet? No
8. Does this planet have moons? YES
How many? 27
9. Fun Fact: Uranus rotates on its side and goes in retrograde. Evidence
suggests that rock and ice may exist underneath Uranus atmosphere. Like
all the gas giants, Uranus has rings but you can't see them because they
are thin.
Neptune Will RIP You
To Shreds!
Neptune is slightly smaller than
Uranus and is darker blue.
Neptune's atmosphere is constantly
changing, consisting of cloud like
features and the Great Dark Spot,
similar to the Red Spot, but
appears in Neptune’s atmosphere.
Neptune and its Dark Spot
Although it is not as big as Jupiter’s Red Spot, it’s definitely about the size of
Earth and could kill you upon entry. Neptune has the fastest winds in the solar
system, reaching up to speeds of 1,200 miles per hour. That means if you try to
enter Neptune’s atmosphere, the winds will rip you to shreds!
Neptune is the eighth planet and the smallest gas giant. Because Neptune is a gas
giant, its rotation is fast, orbit is slow, has young dark rings orbiting the planet, and
has lots of moons.
Neptune biggest moon is Triton. Triton has a thin atmosphere composed mostly of
nitrogen. Triton is the only satellite that orbits in a direction opposite to that of its
planet. It has a circular orbit and travels once around Neptune in 6 days. It is
believed that Triton was a comet at some point and was captured by Neptune. In
25
10-100 million years, Neptune will collide with Triton.
During this module, students will draw and learn about Neptune's facts in their
workbook.
NEPTUNE
1. Rotation: 16 hours and 17 minutes
2. Orbit: 165 years
3. Diameter: 30,775 miles
4. Distance: 2,794 million miles
5. Appearance: Dark blue, Dark Spot, gaseous
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet? No
8. Does this planet have moons? YES
How many? 13
9. Fun Fact: Neptune has the fastest winds in the solar system; reaching up
to 1,200 mph. Neptune has a “Great Dark Spot,” which is a tornado.
Pluto Is Not A Planet!?!
In August 2006, the International
Astronomical Union (IAU) defined
a planet as follows:
1. it is in orbit around the Sun,
2. it has sufficient mass so that it
assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium
(nearly round) shape,
3. it has cleared the neighborhood
around its orbit.
The Closest Picture of Pluto
A dwarf planet is classified by having two of these characteristics. IAU officially
decided to reclassify Pluto as a dwarf planet, because of its highly elliptical orbit
and it has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit. Because Pluto is far away,
it takes long to orbit around the Sun and has more distance to travel. It takes Pluto
250 years to orbit around the Sun.
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As it travels around the Sun,
its orbital path is highly
elliptical. Because it is highly
elliptical, Pluto has crossed
Neptune's path of orbit and
was closer to the Sun than
Neptune during January 1979
through March 1999.
Pluto's Highly Elliptical Orbit
Pluto has never been photographed, nor visited. In August 2006, NASA created the
New Horizon Mission, launched to Pluto. The expected arrival time is about nine
years, with careful calculations for Pluto’s highly elliptical orbit around the Sun. In
nine years, we will have our first official pictures of Pluto. Although, there are no
photos, scientists have been able to calculate Pluto approximate mass (1,429
miles), and that it has a rocky ice surface, which reveals Pluto is neither a
terrestrial nor a gas giant planet. Pluto is an odd ball dwarf planet. Pluto’s
atmosphere sometimes freezes because Pluto gets extremely cold (-396
Fahrenheit). Pluto has three known moons, Charon, Nix, and Hydra.
During this module, students will learn about Pluto's facts in their workbook.
PLUTO
1. Rotation: 6 days and 9 hours
2. Orbit: 250 years
3. Diameter: 1, 429 miles
4. Distance: 3,647 million miles
5. Appearance: to be determined
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this dwarf planet? No
8. Does this dwarf planet have moons? YES
How many? 3
9. Fun Fact: Pluto is the coldest planet in our solar system (-378 to -396
degrees Fahrenheit). Pluto's atmosphere sometimes freezes because it is so
cold. Pluto is the smallest planet and is even smaller than the seven largest
moons. It has a weird elliptical orbit that at one time crossed Neptune’s
path. NASA launched for the first time a trip to Pluto, known as the New
Horizon Mission. In nine years we will have the first pictures of Pluto.
There are three known dwarf planets, Pluto, Eris and Ceres.
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Possible 10th
Planet?
Scientists are constantly
learning and discovering
new information. In 2005, a
team led by Mike Brown,
discovered a larger object
in the outer limits of
Kuiper Belt that is orbiting
the Sun.
The Closest Picture of Eris
It seems bigger than Pluto (1,491 miles) and is considered a Trans-Neptunian
Object (TNO). A trans-Neptunian object is any object in the solar system that
orbits the Sun at a greater distance on average than Neptune. On August 2006,
scientists officially named this object a dwarf planet called Eris. Eris orbits the Sun
once every 557 years. So far, Eris has one moon named Dysnomia. Eris could be
the coldest dwarf planet. It is so cold that its atmosphere freezes on top of its
surface. In 290 years, Eris will be close enough to the Sun, so its ice will melt.
How Does This All
Work?
Gravity! Gravity is the
natural force of attraction
between any two massive
bodies. The Sun has a
strong gravitational force,
meaning it pulls objects
towards it, because it is
so massive.
Artist Rendition of the Solar System
The planets in our solar system are not completely pulled into the Sun because they
have enough mass of their own or enough of a gravitational force of their own to
resist being pulled in. Instead, planets orbit in an elliptical path around the Sun
because of the Sun's stronger gravitational force. When two objects are near each
other, the force of gravity is stronger than if they were farther away from each
28
other. Planets closest to the Sun have a stronger attraction or stronger gravity
between them than planets farther out. These inner planets orbit fast around the
Sun because they are closest to the Sun and they have a shorter distance to travel.
The outer planets orbit slow around the Sun because they are further away from the
Sun and have a longer distance to travel.
Kepler’s Laws Of Planetary Motion
A mathematician named Johannes Kepler used calculations to describe the planets
orbital path around the Sun. First, he found that the orbits of the planets in our
solar system are elliptical, not circular, and that the Sun is not located at the center
of the orbits, but rather at one focus. Second, he found that the orbital speed of
each planet is not constant, as had previously been thought, but rather that the
speed of the planet depends on the planet's distance from the Sun. The closer the
planet gets to the Sun the faster a planet travels. And third, Kepler found that
planets closer to the Sun not only move faster but cover less distance. Thus, the
farther a planet is, the more distance it has to cover. It wasn't until almost a century
later, where Isaac Newton used Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion and his Law of
Universal Gravitation to explain Kepler's Laws. Newton basically explained the
closer two objects are, the stronger the gravitational force. A planet that is closest
to the Sun feels the Sun’s strong gravitational force than planets that are further,
which makes the planet move faster when it is closer and slower when it is farther.
Kepler's Three Laws Of Planetary Motion
First Law: Kepler's first law says that planets move in
elliptical (oval-shaped) orbits around the Sun.
Second Law: Kepler's second law says that an
imaginary line joining the Sun and its planet sweeps
across equal areas of space in equal amounts of time.
The planet moves slower when it is farther from the
Sun and faster when it is near it.
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Third Law: Kepler's third law says that the ratio of the
squares of the revolutionary periods for two planets is
equal to the ratio of cubes of their semimajor axes,
represented in this equation. In other words, a planet's
period (the time it takes to complete an orbit around its
star) depends on its average distance from the star. The
planets closer to the Sun have a shorter orbit because
they have less distance to travel. The planets farther
from the Sun have a longer orbit because they have
more distance to travel.
Other Solar Systems
Students are extremely fascinated about the fact that there are other solar systems
in the universe. Scientists have so far discovered 181 other solar systems, with 213
known planets. These planets are called exo-planets. They have never been seen
but are detected by the slight wobble they induce to their star. Stars with planets
orbiting them cause the star to slightly wobble because of the planets
gravitationally pull. By measuring the wobble, scientists are able to calculate how
massive a planet or planets are. It is easier to locate larger planets than smaller
planets and planets that orbit fast around their star. Although new planets have
been discovered, scientists have not been able to research if life exists on any of
these planets. The most recent planetary solar system found was on May 3, 2007
called Corot-Exo-1 discovered by team Corot (Convection, Rotation & Planetary
Transits). This solar system is about 1500 light years away. Other solar systems
include 51 Pegasi, 70 Virginis, and Cancri A.
Frequently Asked Questions By Students
1. How do the planets stay up? Basically asking, why do the planets orbit around
the Sun?
Planets orbit around the Sun because the Sun is bigger and has a stronger
gravitational pull, meaning it pulls objects towards it. Because planets have their
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own mass, they try to resist this pull. That’s why planets are not pulled into the
Sun, but rather orbit around it. This stronger gravitational pull forces planets to
orbit around the Sun.
2. What is inside of a planet?
Depending on the planet, their internal structure is composed differently. Most
terrestrial planets internal structure is composed of different amounts of elements,
nickel and iron cores with rocky surfaces. For example, Earth is composed of a
solid nickel and iron inner core, a liquid molten of nickel and iron outer core, a
mantle that is dense and mostly made of solid silicate rock, and a thin silicate rock
crust. On the other hand, gas giants are composed of gases, a possible core (not
like Earth), metallic hydrogen fluid, and some consisting of different layers of gas
clouds. For example, Jupiter has a possible core, fluid metallic hydrogen, fluid
molecular hydrogen and different layers of gases, ammonium hydrosulfide clouds,
ammonia crystals, and aerosols.
3. How old are the planets?
Our solar system is about 4.6 Billion years old. Scientists have found meteorites,
rocks that fall from the sky, that date back to 4.6 Billion years old. Most of the
planets formed about the same time.
4. If our Sun is a star, then why doesn’t it look like the stars in the sky?
The stars we see in our night sky are just like our Sun, in fact, some are a lot
bigger. But these stars are extremely far away, making these stars seem small. The
Sun is the closest star to Earth, much closer than others, so it appears bigger than
other stars and appears different in shape.
5. Why do some planets have moons and others do not?
Depending on its mass, some planets have a stronger gravitational pull. Thus, these
planets can pull objects towards them, like moons. Mercury and Venus do not have
a moon because they are too close to the Sun and the Sun pulls these possible
objects away. Larger planets, like Jupiter and Saturn, have a stronger gravitational
pull, so they are capable of pulling objects towards them and keeping them around
them. This is why these planets have a number of moons.
6. Why do planets rotate?
In the beginning, a rotating mass of stardust and gases began to form. Eventually
the left-over’s swirled around and around until they clumped together to form our
planets. Planets have been naturally rotating since the beginning, thus they rotate.
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Their rotational speeds may be different depending on their early formation. For
example, something hit Uranus so it has a severe tilt (98 degrees) as it rotates in
retrograde, and is much faster than Earth’s rotation because it’s big.
7. Why does Mercury have so many craters but Earth does not?
On planets like Venus, Earth and Mars, we do not see as many craters because
objects burn up upon entry into the atmosphere or most of the craters have been
eroded away by wind, rain, volcanic activity and other forces. On the gas giants,
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, we do not see any craters because there is no
visible solid surface for the meteors to hit. Mercury is heavily cratered because it is
closest to the Sun and experiences objects that are pulled to the Sun, which impact
the planet. Mercury has no atmosphere or activity, so the craters remain.
8. Has there ever been a mission to Venus?
There have been several missions to Venus by the Soviet Union and the United
States. On October 22, 1975, Venera 9 was the first spacecraft to land on Venus. As
it entered Venus’s thick atmosphere and extreme heat, it malfunctioned after fiftythree minutes. On December 9, 1978, the U.S. Pioneer Venus 2 entered Venus’s
thick atmosphere and measured its density and chemical composition.
9. Have people walked on other planets?
No, people have not walked on any other planet besides Earth. NASA sent robotic
rovers to Mars that traveled along the surface and took pictures, but people haven't
walked on Mars. Astronauts have only been to the moon which is not a planet.
10. Is there lava coming out of Mars?
Even though Mars has the largest volcano, it is inactive. This means that there is no
lava coming out of Olympus Mons.
11. How big is Olympus Mons?
The diameter of Olympus Mons is about 340 miles wide, making up the entire
chain of Hawaiian island volcanoes. It is even bigger than our biggest mountain,
Mount Everest.
12. Why is Jupiter so big?
Jupiter is so big because in the early formation, it was the first to gather up gas
particles left behind. Because Jupiter is a cold planet, the gas molecules move slow
and are very hard to escape speed. Even though Jupiter is big, it is made up of
some of the lightest elements, hydrogen and helium.
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13. What are the rings around planets and what are they caused by?
Planetary rings are actually made up of thousands of small pieces of debris left
over from the formation of the planets or moons that collided with the planet. This
debris is made up of dust, rock and ice particles, which have spread out over time
around the planets. At a great distance, sunlight reflected off the rings makes them
appear to be solid.
14. If all gas giants have rings, why can’t we see them in a photograph?
We are able to see Saturn’s rings because they are really thick. We can’t see the
other gas giant's rings because they are much thinner than those of Saturn.
15. What will happen to the Sun?
The Sun is half way burnt out, meaning it has another 4.6 billion years left. The
Sun will explode, like stars that die. If the Sun dies out, the Earth will become
extremely cold and life wouldn't be able to survive. But because of extreme
pollution, in about 10,000 years, we might not have enough oxygen to support life
on Earth.
16. Do other stars have planets? What kinds?
Yes, there are stars with planets orbiting around it, just like our solar system. So
far, scientists have found mostly gas giants. There are about 181 other solar
systems with stars and planets orbiting around it.
17. How to scientist find other solar systems?
In the middle 1990's, astronomers found other stars with planets orbiting around it.
They didn't find the planets by taking pictures, but measured the gravitational pull
from the other planets on the star. The first was reported in October 1995 by
Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz. While observing star 51 Pegasi, they noticed a
“wobble” in the star. In March 1999, Geoff Marcy and Paul Butler announced the
detection of the first true other “solar system” in which they found evidence of 3
planets orbiting around a single star. The star is called Upsilon Andromeda. The
real question becomes, is there other planets orbiting around a star that resembles
Earth and if so, is there life? That question still remains a mystery…
33
DAY ONE
Typically, a discussion of our solar system begins with Mercury which is the
closest planet to the Sun. In Coming To A Planet Near You, the first planet
discussed is Earth because students are most familiar with this planet and its
characteristics. The discussion of planet Earth sets the format and features for the
other planets.
For each planet, students will examine the following information of each planet:
• rotation
• orbit
• diameter
• distance from the Sun
• appearance
• atmosphere
• living conditions
• moons
• how many moons
• fun facts
Students will then be able to define, memorize, and record Earth's main features.
Students will also explore Mercury and its characteristics, as well as participate in
a Simon Says Solar System Game to reinforce the terms.
Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Define a planet, moon and the Sun.
Demonstrate and describe rotation and orbit.
Explain Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion.
Measure and demonstrate the diameter of a circle. Explain how
the diameter of a circle relates to a planet's diameter.
Describe the relative size of the planets as compared to the size of
the Sun.
Identify each planet in order from the Sun.
Draw and identify the planets by their appearance.
Determine if the planet has an atmosphere and if so, decide and
explain why a planet can sustain life.
Identify which planets have moons and which planets do not.
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10. Explain why some planets have moons and others do not.
Materials Needed To Be Prepared By The Teacher Prior To Teaching
1. Planet Costume: Cut a circle out of
cardboard, about 20-26 inches in diameter.
Punch two holes on the top of the circle. Tie a
30 inch string through the holes. You should
be able to hang the costume around your
neck to wear. Punch another two holes on the
right and left corners. Tie another 20-26
inches string for the signs of the planets. Tie
the string in the back. This allows you to flip
the signs. Attach all eight planet signs to the
board.
2. Signs for the planet
costume: Write out the
names of the planets on
construction
paper.
If
possible, laminate signs.
Attach signs to the planet
costume with tape. For
Venus, write the letters
backwards because Venus
rotates backwards.
35
3. Picture of each planet: Obtain photos from the
NASA website.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnv
/materials/listbytype/Solar.System.Lithograph.Set.
html or refer to the resource page in this module.
Make enough copies of each planet for each
group.
4. Relative sizes for each planet: Look for
different size balls. This website will give you the
relative size of each planet based on the Sun
(classroom width).
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/i
ndex.html
5. Yellow ball: representing the Sun, as big as
possible.
6. Earth ball: 1 inch ball representing the Earth.
36
7. Transparency- Make a transparency of each
worksheet for each planet.
8. Teacher's Guidebook: worksheets with the answers.
9. Model of a planet orbiting around the Sun: A model can be purchased at
Lakeshore Learning found on the resource page. You can also make your own
model with a large straform ball, small straform ball and a wire. Bend the wire
tip about one inch and stick it in the bottom of the larger straform ball
representing the Sun. On the other side of the wire bend the tip about one inch
and stick it on the bottom of the smaller straform ball representing Earth.
Sticking the wire in the bottom of the smaller straform ball (Earth) allows it to
orbit around the larger straform ball (Sun).
37
10. Solar System
Board: Use two pieces
of cardboard and small
pictures of the planets.
Draw the orbital paths
of the planets. Label
the planets by initials
and how long each
planet’s orbital path
takes.
11. Ball: Straform ball or any size ball. Cut the
ball in half to show diameter of a circle.
12. Circle Packet: Have a ziplock bag with
various size circles and rulers in it to measure the
circles’ diameters.
13. Small Sun: classroom set of a small pictures or
stickers of the Sun.
14. Balloon: Any size, any color.
15. Optional: Tape measure.
16. Optional: Star Wars theme song or any type of music for the Solar System
Story.
38
Materials For Students
1. Student Workbook: Worksheets for the planets.
2. Crayons: Basic eight crayons.
INTRODUCTION: FROM THE BEGINNING, SOLAR SYSTEM
STORY
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Play Star Wars Music.
2.
Begin by informing students on how our solar system was formed. Here is a
four step example using hand signals to help demonstrate and explain the
solar system formation.
A. There was a large swirling mass of stardust and
gases (Move hands around as if it was the dust
and gases swirling around).
B. And as the dust and gases rolled around,
gravity began to pull it in the center (Move hands
inwards towards the center).
39
C. This center became very dense and extremely
hot. This center formed the Sun (Make a circle
with your two hands representing the Sun.).
D. The remaining stardust and gases swirled around
and around, eventually clumping up together to
form our planets (Leave one hand in the middle,
representing the Sun. Move the other hand around,
then into a fist, representing a planet.).
3.
Ask the students, “Have you ever been to the snow and made a snow
ball? What happens when you keep rolling that snow ball on the ground?”
[Expected Response: It gets bigger.]
4.
To make the connection, inform the students, “That's how the planets
formed. The planets rolled around and around collecting all of the left
over dust and gases.”
5.
“Some planets became small, rocky and were close enough to withstand the
Sun’s heat. Other planets became big, gaseous, and were far enough that
the gases didn‘t burn away.”
6.
Repeat hand signals, making the story as simple as possible. Practice the
hand signals with students so that they can demonstrate how the solar system
was formed.
7.
Depending on the classroom structure, form students into groups of four.
Assign each student a number from 1 to 4 within their groups. (Note:
Assigning numbers to students in group, it’s easy for the teacher to pick
someone from the group to get the materials or pass out supplies.)
8.
In groups, have students explain briefly how the solar system was formed
using hand signals. Students assigned to be #1, explain the first step.
Students assigned to be #2, explain the second step. Student s assigned to be
#3, explain the third step. Students assigned to be #4, explain the fourth step.
40
Walk around to listen and check for understanding.
9.
Use a preferred signal (such as a bell, Mr. Foggy, hand clap) indicating
students are to stop, look, and listen. Use the signal to gather students’
attention.
10.
Ask the students, “What planet do we live on?” [Expected Response: Earth]
11.
“Yes Earth, but wait, what is a planet?” Inform students, “A planet is a large
circular mass that goes around a star.”
12.
Draw a circle with a star in the middle. The star represents the Sun. (Note:
Later we will review just how big the Sun really is compared to the Earth.)
13.
Students usually ask, “Why did you put a star in the center?” Explain to the
students, “The Sun is a star. A star is a glowing ball of gases. This star is just
to remind you that the Sun is a star. This star is the largest object in our solar
system.”
14.
Ask the students, “How many planets do we have in our solar system?”
15.
Next to the Sun, write the number of planets (1-4) all the way across the
board. (This drawing will be used throughout Day 1).
16.
Put a question mark next to number nine. Students usually ask, “Why did
you put a question mark next to #9?” Inform students #9 is in questioning
and we will investigate #9 later.
17.
Circle number three and say, “Earth is the third planet
from the Sun. Planets, like Earth, don't just stay still they move in two
directions.
DEMONSTRATION #1 – Planetary Rotation
The intent of this first activity is for students to participate as well as describe how
planets rotate.
41
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Put on the planet Earth costume.
2.
Inform students, “Planets move in two types of directions. The first type of
direction is called rotation.”
3.
Write the word rotation on the board.
4.
Inform students, “Rotation of an object, like a planet, means that it spins in
one place.”
5.
Demonstrate rotation by standing in one place and spin around.
6.
Inform students, “In fact, planets rotate towards their left.” Lift up your left
hand and demonstrate by rotating to the left.
7.
Select a student helper and place the planet Earth costume on the helper. Ask
him/her to demonstrate how Earth rotates, by lifting up their left hand.
8.
Ask the entire class to stand up and demonstrate how Earth rotates by lifting
up their left hand.
9.
Inform students, “At the end of the day, we will play a game. In order to
win, you (students) need to know what rotate means and how to demonstrate
it.”
10.
Put the Earth costume back on. Inform the students, “Watch me very
carefully.”
11.
Pretend you are sleeping by closing your eyes. Wake up all of a sudden with
your arms stretched out high. Put your hands down. Bring your left hand up
and start to slowly rotate. While rotating, tell the students what you are
doing at that time.
12.
For example: I wake up, have breakfast, go to school, come home, do my
homework, have dinner, and go to bed. While you’re pretending to sleep,
stop exactly where you started and say, “It’s morning again.”
42
13.
Ask the students, “How long did it take Earth to rotate?” [Expected
Response: It took one day to rotate.]
14.
Ask the students to hold up one finger and say, “It takes Earth one day to
rotate.”
15.
Ask students, “How many hours are in one day?” [Expected Response: 24
hours]
16.
Ask students, “What does rotate mean?” [Expected Response: Spin or turn
in one spot]
17.
Students sometimes have a hard time or mix up rotation and orbit. So
when the students understand rotation completely, move on to orbit.
DEMONSTRATION #2 – Planetary Orbital Path
The intent of this activity is for students to understand planets orbital path and
distinguish the difference between rotation and orbit.
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Inform students, “We know that planets move in two directions. One
direction a planet moves is rotation. Let’s look at the other way a planet
moves.”
2.
Inform students, “Planets also orbit.”
3.
Write the word orbit on the board.
4.
Inform students, “When planets orbit, it means that it travels around
another object. The planets in our solar system travel or orbit around the
Sun.”
5.
Ask the students, “Planets, like Earth, orbit or go around what?” [Expected
Response: The Sun]
6.
While holding up the yellow ball, inform the students, “We will pretend this
is our Sun. I couldn‘t find a ball large enough, so pretend it’s as big as the
classroom.”
43
7.
Place the yellow ball (Sun) in the center of the room.
8.
Explain to the students, “In order to orbit, you have to face one direction
at all times. I am going to choose this direction (for example; the back of
the classroom) and always face that direction.”
9.
While going around the Sun or around the entire class, make sure your
shoulders are always facing the direction you choose (back of classroom).
When making the turns around the corners, make sure the front of your body
is always facing the back of the classroom, do not turn your shoulders. Your
back should never face the direction you choose (back of classroom).
Consistently facing the chosen direction will help students discover what it
means to orbit.
10.
Once students understand how objects orbit, demonstrate an orbital path
again and this time intentionally move where you are not always facing the
same direction. Ask the students, “Are my shoulders facing the same
direction that I have chosen?” Students should say, “NO!” Correct yourself
and ask the students, “What about now?” They should say, “Yes.”
11.
Without asking the question, intentionally demonstrate an orbital path
incorrectly to see if the class corrects your mistake.
12.
Select a student helper to demonstrate orbit. Put the Earth costume on the
helper. Make sure the student is facing one direction at all times and guide
the student near the turns.
13.
The teacher wears the Earth costume again. Inform students, “Watch me
very carefully.”
14.
Inform the students, “I am going to start on the first month January.” While
orbiting around the class, make sure your shoulders are always facing one
direction.
15.
While reciting the months of the year in order (January, February, March,
April, and so on), orbit around the Sun so that you complete one orbit in the
12 months.
44
16.
Ask the students, “How long did Earth take to orbit around the Sun?”
[Expected Response: One year]
17.
Ask the students to hold up one finger and say, “It takes Earth one year to
orbit around the Sun.”
18.
Ask the students, “How many days are in one year?” [Expected Response:
One year is 365 days.]
19.
Ask students, “What does orbit mean again?” [Expected Response:
Orbit means to go around an object.]
20.
Inform students, “Planets do not orbit in a circle but in an oval shape or
ellipse.” Draw an oval or ellipse on the board.
21.
Refer back to the board with the Sun and numbers 1-9. Draw how Earth
travels around the Sun in an elliptical path.
22.
Bring out the model of a planet and the Sun. Demonstrate how the planet
orbits around the Sun.
23.
Demonstrate to the students on how to orbit in an elliptical path.
24.
Inform the students, “You will be given a small sticker of the Sun. Place it
on the floor in front of you. You have to orbit around the Sun, making sure
your shoulders are always facing one direction.”
25.
Have the students demonstrate how to orbit without the Sun.
26.
Inform students, “We know that planets rotate and orbit around the Sun.
Planets rotate and orbit around the Sun at the same time.”
27.
Ask students, “How would rotating and orbiting at the same time look like?”
28.
Select a helper to demonstrate what a planet looks like when it rotates and
orbits at the same time. Review rotation and orbits if students have difficulty.
45
ACTIVITY #1 – Diameter
The intent of this activity is for students to explain, measure, and demonstrate the
diameter of a circle and how it relates to planets’ diameter.
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Bring out the ball that was pre-cut in half. Hold the ball as a whole rather
than two halves.
2.
Inform students, “If I were to cut this ball in half and measure the center of
this ball, which is shaped like a circle, I would be measuring the diameter.
3.
Write the word diameter on the board.
4.
Diameter is a straight line which goes from one end of the circle to the other
through the center. Draw a circle on the board and draw a line through the
center of the circle to represent diameter.
5.
With a ruler, measure the ball's diameter. For example: The ball's diameter is
2 inches.
6.
From previously assembled groups, pick a number (1 - 4) and ask this
student from each group to pick up the circle packet supplies for the activity.
7.
In groups, have the students measure the diameters of different size circles.
8.
After students become familiar with measuring the circles’ diameters in
inches, inform the students, “Imagine I was able to grab Earth and cut it in
half. If I wanted to measure Earth’s diameter, how many inches do you think
it would be?”
9.
Write the answer on the board. The answer is 500,000,000 inches.
10.
Instead of writing that huge number, inform students that you’re going to
convert or change it to miles.
11.
Earth's diameter is 7,926 miles. Write this number on the board.
46
12.
If appropriate, ask students, “What is a mile?” Explain to students, one mile
is the same as the distance of about four long blocks.”
13.
Explain to the students, “During the game, we need to know what diameter
means and be able to demonstrate it.”
14.
Demonstrate to students the game signal for diameter. The game signal is a
big circle with your hands and extend your arms straight across. Inside the
circle, we are measuring the center of the circle called diameter.
15.
Make sure students have enough space. Have the students demonstrate
diameter.
DEMONSTRATION #3 – Distance
The intent of this activity is for students to understand each planets distance and
order from the Sun. Students will learn hand signals to demonstrate the order of
each planet from the Sun.
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Ask the students, “What does distance mean?” [Expected Response: How far
something is.]
2.
Inform students, “Distance is the space between two objects which can be
measured.”
3.
Go back to the board with the Sun and the numbers 1- 9 representing the
planets.
4.
Inform students, “Earth is the third planet from the Sun.” Pretend you are
measuring with a ruler the distance from Earth to the Sun on the board.
5.
Bring out the yellow ball (Sun) and place it in the center of the room, if it's
not already there.
47
6.
Put on the Earth costume.
7.
Inform students, “I am Earth and there is the Sun (point to the center of the
room). I want the distance of Earth from the Sun. So I want to measure how
far I am away from the Sun.”
8.
Using a tape measure, have a student measure the distance from Earth to the
Sun. Inform students, “I would need about 82 trillion tape measures to show
you the distance from the Sun, which is a lot more than a million and a
billion.”
9.
Earth is actually 93 million miles away from the Sun. “I can't really be that
far away, so I’ll imagine that I am.”
10.
Describe to students an Astronomical unit. Astronomical units measures the
planets distance from the Sun. One Astronomical Unit or 1AU is equal to
Earth’s distance from the Sun. 1AU = 93 million miles away. AU was
created so scientist didn’t have to write very large numbers.
11.
Teach students the game signal for distance. Place the Sun in the back of the
room. Inform students, “You are a planet. Here is the Sun.” With two hands
clasped together, point at the Sun. This is the hand signal for the distance
from the Sun.
12.
If a student points at the teacher, let the student know that the teacher is not
the Sun. The Sun is at the back of the classroom.
ACTIVITY #2 – Appearance and Atmosphere
The intent of this activity is for students to actually see exciting photos of the
planets and draw them in their workbook.
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Have the students sit up straight and close their eyes.
2.
Inform students, “Imagine you are an astronaut inside a spaceship blasting
into outer space. You look down to see Earth.”
3.
While their eyes are closed, walk around and put a picture of Earth at each
48
group's desk.
4.
When students open their eyes, have groups look at the picture of Earth.
Students will describe in their workbook the appearance of Earth, if Earth
has an atmosphere, can we live on this planet, and does Earth have any
moons.
5.
Have a picture of Earth in front of the classroom and ask the students, “What
do you think the blue represents?” [Expected Response: Oceans/water]
6.
“What does the white represent?” [Expected Response: Clouds]
7.
“What does the brown/green represent?” [Expected Response: Land]
8.
Pick a number (1- 4) and ask the student from the group to pick up a
workbook for each group member.
9.
Ask students to turn to the table of contents and locate Earth. Earth is on
page 4.
10.
Inform students, “We are going to draw Earth's appearance. Appearance
means what the object, like a planet, looks like.”
11.
Ask students, “What colors will I use?” [Expected Response: Blue,
brown/green, white]
12.
Ask students, “Would I use bright red?” [Expected Response: No] “Why
not?” [Expected Response: Earth is not red.]
13.
Have students draw the appearance of Earth.
14.
Working in groups, students complete questions 1-8 on page 4 in their
workbook.
15.
When students reach question 6, which deals with Earth’s atmosphere,
students will have questions.
16.
Use your signal and wait for all eyes. Describe atmosphere. “Watch me
carefully.” Start to swing your arms around. “I feel this stuff around me, I
can‘t see it, but I can feel it.” Blow into your hands. Blow up a balloon. Let
the balloon go, releasing the gas.
49
17.
Ask the students, “What is the stuff all around us?” [Expected Response: air
or gas]
18.
Write atmosphere on the board.
19.
Inform students, “Earth has an atmosphere and it’s made up of gases. These
gases make up our air. Our atmosphere has oxygen gases, so we can breathe
and live. Other planets have gases that are toxic and we can't live on it.”
20.
Use the transparency for Earth which replicates the questions that students
have completed. Discuss answers and ask students to check their workbook
to make sure they have the correct answers.
21.
For question 8, ask students, “What is a moon?”
22.
Inform students, “A moon is a mass orbiting around a planet.”
23.
Describe the appearance of the moon and the theory on how our moon
formed. For example, “During the early formation of Earth, a large size
object (the size of Mars) hit Earth and caused a huge piece of Earth to break
off. This debris became the moon.” Finish the workbook and read the Fun
Facts also located on page 4.
24.
Explain and demonstrate the game signals for appearance and atmosphere.
25.
For appearance, have students step forward with one foot and bring up their
hands towards their face, almost pointing to their face. Appearance means
what a planet looks like.
26.
For atmosphere, have students swing their hands around. Swinging their
hands around represents the gases they can feel that are all around them.
Make sure students have enough room, so they won’t hit each other.
Atmosphere means the gases that surround a planet.
ACTIVITY #3 – Crater Face Mercury
The intent of this activity is for students to review the nine characteristics for
Mercury and complete the information in their workbook.
Directions For The Teacher
50
1.
Going back to the board, point to and circle number one. Inform students,
Mercury is the first planet from the Sun.
2.
Put on the Mercury costume.
3.
Start rotating and ask the students, “What is Mercury doing?” [Expected
Response: Mercury is rotating]
4.
Ask the students, “How long did Earth take to rotate?” [Expected Response:
One day]
5.
Inform students, “Watch how long it takes Mercury to rotate.” Start rotating
slowly and count 1 day, 2 days, and mumble until you stop at where you
started and shout out 59 days. Mercury rotates in 59 days.”
6.
Pick two student helpers to represent planets. Put the Sun in the middle of
the classroom.
7.
Create two orbital paths around the Sun by using ropes.
8.
The first orbital path should be really close to the Sun, while the other
orbital path should be as far as you can.
9.
Give the two helpers the signs #1 Mercury and #9 Pluto.
10.
The student with the #1 sign should be closest to the Sun. The student with
the #9 sign should be farthest from the Sun.
11.
Ask students to predict, “Who will go around the Sun faster, #1 which is
closer to the Sun, or #9 which is farthest from the Sun?”
12.
Have the two student helpers walk on the two different lengths of rope with
one foot in front of the other. The student helper who is holding the #1
Mercury sign will walk along the shorter rope representing the orbital path.
The student helper who is holding the #9 Pluto sign will walk along the
longer rope representing the orbital path.
13.
#1 Mercury, should complete its orbit around the Sun, much faster than #9.
14.
Have the two student helpers repeat walking the orbital paths. Inform
students that they will keep track of how many times #1 Mercury goes
around the Sun.
51
15.
Have your two student helpers orbit around the Sun again. Write tally marks
on the board on how many times it takes #1 Mercury to orbit. Once #9
finally makes one orbit, stop recording.
16.
The student helper closest to the Sun (#1) should complete their orbit faster
and more times, than the person farthest from the Sun (#9).
17.
Then, compare the two rope lengths. These two different size ropes represent
a short orbital path (Mercury) and a long orbital path (Pluto).
18.
Students should notice the orbital path closest to the Sun has a shorter length
to travel than the orbital path of the distant planet.
19.
Inform students, “ #1 Mercury, not only has a shorter length but because it is
so close to the Sun, the Sun has a stronger gravitational pull and makes
Mercury orbit the fastest.”
20.
Working in groups, ask students to answer this question. “If Mercury is
closest to the Sun than Earth, would you expect it to orbit faster or slower
than Earth? Keep in mind how long it takes Earth to orbit around the Sun”
21.
The answer is Mercury will orbit faster than Earth. Because Mercury is
closest to the Sun, Mercury orbits the fastest and has a shorter orbital path to
travel than planets further away. Mercury orbits in 88 days.
22.
Go back to the board with the Sun in the center and the numbers 1- 9
written.
23.
Write next to the circled #1, M for Mercury and below it write 88 days.
24.
Ask the students, “How long did it take Earth to orbit around the Sun?”
[Expected Response: It took one year]
25.
Write on the board next to #3, E for Earth and below it write one year =
365 days.
26.
Draw the orbital path of Mercury, which is an ellipse.
27.
Draw the orbital path of Earth, which is also an ellipse.
28.
Take out the pictures of Mercury and pass them to each group. Have
students look at a picture of Mercury.
52
29.
Have students describe and draw Mercury's appearance on page 2 of the
workbook. The description of appearance should be bumpy, rough, and lots
of holes on it.
30.
Students usually ask: “What are all those holes on Mercury?”
31.
Explain to the students what craters are and why Mercury has so many. For
example: The Sun is very massive and has a strong gravitational pull. That’s
why planets orbit around it. But the Sun also attracts other objects such as
rocks, comets, asteroids, etc. Mercury experiences impacts of different size
objects that are pulled to the Sun. Poor Mercury, it's the closest to the Sun
and gets hit more, leaving holes all over called craters. Craters are the holes
left over from the impact. Mercury has no atmosphere to blow these craters
away.
32.
In groups, ask students to predict if we can live on Mercury, and does this
planet have any moons?
33.
Mercury has no atmosphere and no moons. It has no atmosphere because the
Sun pulls or burns the gases away, we can't live on it (no oxygen), and it has
no moons because if any object orbits Mercury, it will be pulled away by the
Sun.
34.
Use Mercury’s transparency on the overhead to check and correct answers.
ACTIVITY #4 – Simon Says Solar System Game
The intent of this activity is to serve as an assessment of the terms, definition, and
characteristics of the planets discussed.
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Explain to the students the rules of the Simon Says Solar System Game.
2.
Rules for the Simon Says Solar System Game: If Simon says to do
something, you follow the direction. If Simon doesn't say to do something,
and you do, you are out and will sit down. If you do the wrong
demonstration for the term, you are also out and will sit down.
3.
Inform students, “It is just a game, so be honest. It's important that your
53
friends and fellow classmates can trust you.”
4.
While participating in the game, no one should be talking because it not only
distracts the other players, but students will complain that they didn't hear
the term.
5.
Discuss the terms, definitions, and demonstrations before starting the game.
Display the transparency with the terms. Explain to the students, that they
have to imagine they are actually a planet. These characteristics are actually
things planets do.
Simon Says Solar System Game
Rotation- spin
in one spot. Lift
up your left
hand and turn
in one spot.
Orbit- travels around an object
(Sun). Students will make a small
circle around an object on the floor
(for example: the sticker Sun),
without turning their back.
54
Diameter- measuring the center
of a circle (planet). Explain to
students, “If their hands made a
circle,
diameter
would
be
measuring the center.”
Distance- measuring how far a
planet is from the Sun. With two
hands together, students will point
to the Sun.
Appearance- what the planet looks
like. Students will step forward and
use their hands to point to their face.
Atmosphere- the gases that
surrounds a planet. Students will
swing their hands around, feeling
the gases between their hands.
6.
Have the students stand up, push in their chairs, and stand behind their desk.
7.
Give each student a small picture of the Sun or a sticker of the Sun. Have
students place it on the floor so they can orbit around it.
8.
Make sure students have enough distance, so when they swing their hands
around, they will not hit anyone.
55
9.
Practice the Simon says game over and over, so that students can learn the
correct terms with the definitions. It's more important that the students are
participating in the game rather than sitting, so “practice” the game again
and again.
10.
Start the Simon Says Solar System Game. Ask students a variety of
questions testing their understanding of the planets.
• Simon Says show me atmosphere.
• Simon Says show me distance
• Show me appearance. Oops… Simon didn’t say.
• Simon Says show me rotation
• Simon Says show me orbit.
• Show me diameter. Oops… Simon didn’t say.
11.
During the game, walk around and ask a series of questions testing students
understanding of the definitions.
• What does rotate mean?
• What does orbit mean?
• What does appearance mean?
• What does atmosphere mean?
• What does diameter mean?
• What does distance from the Sun mean?
56
DAY TWO
Students will learn about terrestrial planets and the common characteristics for the
four terrestrial planets. Students will then be able to define and record Venus and
Mars main features. Students will also learn the Greenhouse Effect hand signals
and be able to explain why Venus is so hot.
Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
Define a planet, moon and the Sun.
Demonstrate and describe rotation and orbit.
Explain Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion.
Explain, measure, and demonstrate the diameter of a circle and
how it relates to our planet's diameters.
5. Describe the relative size of the planets as compared to the size of the
Sun.
6. Identify and demonstrate with hand signals for each planet in
order from the Sun.
7. Draw and identify the planets by their appearance.
8. Describe a terrestrial planet.
9. Identify similarities of terrestrial planets.
10. Identify which planets are terrestrial.
11. Determine if the planet has an atmosphere, and if so decide if the
planet can sustain life.
12. Determine which planets have moons and which planets do not
have moons.
13. Explain why some planets have moons and others do not.
57
Materials Needed To Be Prepared By The Teacher Prior To Teaching
1. Planet Costume: Cut a circle out of
cardboard, about 20-26 inches in diameter.
Punch two holes on the top of the circle. Tie a
30 inch string through the holes. You should
be able to hang the costume around your
neck to wear. Punch another two holes on the
right and left corners. Tie another 20-26
inches string for the signs of the planets. Tie
the string in the back. This allows you to flip
the signs. Attach all eight planet signs to the
board.
2. Signs for the planet
costume: Write out the
names of the planets on
construction
paper.
If
possible, laminate signs.
Attach signs to the planet
costume with tape. For
Venus, write the letters
backwards because Venus
rotates backwards.
3. Picture of each planet: Obtain photos from the
NASA website.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnv
/materials/listbytype/Solar.System.Lithograph.Set.
html or refer to the resource page in this module.
Make enough copies of each planet for each
group.
58
4. Relative sizes for each planet: Look for
different size balls. This website will give you the
relative size of each planet based on the Sun
(classroom width).
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/i
ndex.html
5. Yellow ball: representing the Sun, as big as
possible.
6. Earth ball: 1 inch ball representing the Earth.
7. Transparency- Make a transparency of each
worksheet for each planet.
8. Teacher's Guidebook: worksheets with the answers.
59
9. Model of a planet orbiting around the Sun: A model can be purchased at
Lakeshore Learning found on the resource page. You can also make your own
model with a large straform ball, small straform ball and a wire. Bend the wire
tip about one inch and stick it in the bottom of the larger straform ball
representing the Sun. On the other side of the wire bend the tip about one inch
and stick it on the bottom of the smaller straform ball representing Earth.
Sticking the wire in the bottom of the smaller straform ball (Earth) allows it to
orbit around the larger straform ball (Sun).
10. Solar System
Board: Use two pieces
of cardboard and small
pictures of the planets.
Draw the orbital paths
of the planets. Label
the planets by initials
and how long each
planet’s orbital path
takes.
11. Face on Mars: Picture of the “Face On
Mars” found on the resource page of this
module.
60
12. Two balls: any size as long as both balls are
similar in size.
13. Terrestrial Planet Transparency
14. Terrestrial Planet Board
15. 2 ropes: small (4ft.), big (16-20ft.)
16. Signs: 1st sign should read #1 Mercury and the 2nd sign should read #9 Pluto.
Laminate these signs and glue a popsicle stick on the back of the sign. This
will help students to hold up the sign.
61
Materials For The Students
1. Student Workbook: Worksheets for the planets.
2. Crayons: Basic eight crayons.
3. Rocks: any types of rocks
INTRODUCTION: FIRST FOUR PLANETS
1.
Review the characteristics of Mercury.
2.
Ask the students, “What's the first planet from the Sun?” [Expected
Response: Mercury]
3.
“What are some of the characteristics of Mercury?” [Expected Response:
Heavily cratered, rocky surface, 2nd smallest planet, fastest orbit]
4.
Demonstrate the hand signal for Mercury. (Students will learn all the hand
signals of each planet in order from the Sun during the discussion of each
planet.) All planet hand signals are found in Appendix A.
5.
When the teacher asks students, “Show me what the first planet is,”
students should use their hand signal to demonstrate, M is for Mercury.
6.
Inform students that the second planet from the Sun is Venus.
7.
Teach the hand signal for Venus.
62
ACTIVITY #5 – The Greenhouse Effect
The intent of this activity is for students to understand, explain, and demonstrate
how the greenhouse effect works and why Venus is so hot.
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Inform students, “Sit up straight and close your eyes. I want you to imagine
it is very hot here on Earth. So hot, that you are sweating just sitting here.
Open your eyes. How hot do you think Earth is? 90 degrees, 99 degrees,
110 degrees...Not hotter than 120 degrees or else we would burn.”
2.
Inform students, “Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system. It reaches
up to 864 degrees.” [Note: Some students will think Mercury is the hottest
planet because it is closest to the Sun. Mercury is the second hottest planet
reaching up to 800 degrees, but Venus is slightly higher in temperature
because of one important difference or effect.]
3.
Explain why Venus is so hot because of the greenhouse effect. A sample
dialogue is provided with hand signals below.
4.
For example: Venus is so extremely hot because of its really thick
atmosphere.
5.
Ask students, “What does atmosphere mean?” [Expected Response: Gases
that surround a planet]
6.
Venus has a thick atmosphere and the gases (carbon dioxide) in its
atmosphere “trap” heat from escaping.
7.
Teach the hand signals for why Venus is so hot, known as the greenhouse
effect. Example dialogue is provided.
8.
In groups, students “Pair Share.” In pairs, ask students to share with their
partner why Venus is so hot.
Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system. Venus has a really thick atmosphere
and its gases, carbon dioxide, trap the heat (light) from escaping. Finally as the
sunlight reaches its way through the thick atmosphere, the surface absorbs the heat.
63
As the surface re-emits (gives off the heat), it is trapped by the thick atmosphere.
The heat is re-emitted, back and forth, making Venus hotter and hotter.
Put your left hand across representing the atmosphere again. Use your right hand
as the sunlight. Demonstrate how once the heat enters, it's trapped by the thick
atmosphere. Move right hand underneath the left hand and bounce your right hand
back and forth, representing the heat (sunlight) that can't escape.
ACTIVITY # 6– VENUS, The Hottest Planet!
The intent of this activity is for students to become aware of each unique
individual planet by reviewing the nine characteristics and complete their
workbook.
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Put on the Venus costume, the sign should be written backwards.
2.
Students will notice that the sign is written backward and point out your
mistake. Ignore their comments for the moment. Ask the students, “Planets
move in two directions, what are the names of the two directions?”
[Expected Response: Rotate and orbit]
3.
Write the word rotate and orbit on the board.
4.
Ask students to define rotate and orbit while you write their definitions on
the board.
5.
Ask the students, “How long did it take Earth to rotate?” [Expected
Response: 1 day] “How long did it take Earth to orbit?” [Expected
Response: 1 year] [Note: If needed, re-demonstrate rotate and orbit.]
64
6.
Refer back to your “supposed” mistake of writing Venus backwards.
7.
Inform students, “Venus rotates not only the slowest 248 days, but
something happened to Venus when it rotates!
8.
Scientist believe that one day Venus was rotating normally (lift up left hand
while demonstrating rotation) when all of a sudden a huge object hit it. It
forced Venus to start rotating in retrograde (lift up right hand while rotating).
Retrograde means to rotate backwards, towards the right.
9.
Other scientists believe the Sun is so big and powerful that it’s forcing Venus
to go in retrograde. Either way, Venus rotates in retrograde. That's why my
sign is backwards.”
10.
Ask students to show you, by using their hands, what the first planet is?
11.
Because Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, it orbits the fastest around
the Sun (88 days).
12.
Bring out the solar system board, with the Sun at a fixed point with the
elliptical orbital paths. Put the data for Mercury on the board (88 days).
13.
Ask students, “Why does Mercury orbit the fastest around the Sun?”
[Expected Response: Mercury is the closest and the Sun has a strong
gravitational pull on it. Mercury also has a shorter distance to travel.]
14.
Ask students to show you, by using their hands, the second planet from the
Sun.
15.
Venus is the second planet, so it orbits the second fastest around the Sun
(225 days). Put the data for Venus on the board.
16.
Earth is the third planet, so it orbits the third fastest around the Sun (1 year).
Put the data for Earth on the board.
17.
Show the picture of Venus surface. Then show the picture of Venus with its
thick atmosphere. In groups, students explore and discuss what Venus really
looks like and draw this planet’s appearance on page 3 in their workbook.
65
18.
Use Venus transparency and review the questions in students’ workbooks.
19.
While reading the Fun Facts for Venus from the student workbook, bring out
the model representing Venus and Earth.
20.
Ask the students, “What's similar between these two balls. [Expected
Response: Same size]
21.
Ask the students, “How many of you have sisters?” Venus is called Earth’s
sister planet because it’s not the exact same size as Earth but Venus is similar
in size. Venus is slightly smaller than Earth.
22.
Using hand signals, review the first two planets in order from the Sun.
23.
Teach the hand signal for Earth.
DEMONSTRATION#4– Is There Life On Mars?
The intent of this activity is for students to become fascinated about the mysteries
of Mars, introduce space flight, rovers, and explain why people think there is life
on Mars.
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Inform students that this next
picture was taken from the
surface of Mars as a
spacecraft orbited around the
planet. Show a photo of
Mars from the NASA
website (see resource page).
2.
Explain what the face on Mars is.
3.
This picture is not an alien or a body. Scientist sent a spacecraft and as it
was taking pictures it took a picture of what appeared to be a face. This
66
structure was a mesa, a natural high land rock formation and as sunlight hit
the surface, the illusion of a face appeared. The face of Mars is just rock
formation and nothing more.
4.
NASA sent spacecrafts and rovers, robotic machines that roam the surface of
Mars, to look for signs of life.
ACTIVITY # 7– Mars, the Red Planet!
The intent of this activity is for students to become aware of the similarities
between Mars and Earth and why many scientists are so fascinated with the surface
of Mars. Students will review the nine characteristics and complete their
workbook.
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Bring out a ball that represents the relative size of Mars, as compared to
Mercury, Venus, and Earth and assuming the Sun is as big as the classroom.
2.
Inform students, about each planets size. Mercury is one of the smallest
planets, but not smaller than Pluto. Venus and Earth are sister planets
because they are similar in size. And even though Mars is not similar in size
and is rather smaller than Earth, Mars has Earth-like qualities.
3.
Show the picture of Earth’s surface and the picture of Mars’ surface.
4.
Ask the students, “Which side is Earth and which side is Mars?” [Expected
Response: Earth is the planet with blue sky or blue atmosphere.]
5.
“Yes, like Earth, Mars has a very rocky surface.”
6.
Mars is the most visited planet by spacecraft (and not astronauts) because of
its Earth-like qualities.
7.
The rovers sent to Mars revealed there use to be water on it, but it dried up.
Scientists really don’t know why the water disappeared and are still
investigating this idea.
67
8.
Mars rotates 37 minutes more than Earth, has a tilt less than two degrees
more than Earth so it experiences seasons, has a very rocky surface like
Earth, has polar caps like Earth (made of carbon dioxide and dry ice), and
has the largest volcano in our solar system called Olympus Mons.
9.
Mars is also known as the “Red Planet.” Rovers revealed Mars soil is
composed of iron. This iron, mixed with small traces of oxygen found in its
atmosphere, makes Mars’ appearance rusted, or looking red. Mars has small
traces of oxygen but not enough to sustain life.
10.
In groups, students will examine, describe, and draw the appearance of Mars
on page 4 of the student workbook.
11.
Use Mars transparency on the overhead and have the students’ check and
complete the answers for Mars.
12.
Explain why Mars has two moons. For example, “Although Mars is not that
big, it is farther away from the Sun and is able to keep its moons. Mars
moons were not formed the same way our moon formed. Scientist believe
Mars moons were captured by pieces broken off a larger object such as
another planet.
13.
Teach the hand signal for Mars.
ACTIVITY # 8 – Terrestrial Planets
The intent of this activity is for students to categorize the first four planets with
common characteristics and identify what makes these planets terrestrial.
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Ask students to show you the first four planets from the Sun, by using the
planet hand signals.
2.
Explain to the students, “The first four planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and
Mars are known as terrestrial planets because they all have common
68
characteristics. The characteristics of all terrestrial planets are the following:
TERRESTRIAL PLANETS
1. INNER PLANETS
2. ROCKY
3. SOLID SURFACE
4. SMALL MASSES
5. SLOW ROTATION
6. FAST ORBIT
7. FEW/NO MOONS
8. NO RINGS
3.
Place the terrestrial planets transparency on the overhead. Sample dialogue
is provided below.
4.
Inform students, “These planets are all inner planets because they are
closest to the Sun.”
5.
These planets are called terrestrial planets because they are all (bring out
the rock) rocky.
6.
Select a number (1-4) from the group and ask this person from each group to
get four rocks and pass it around to all of the group members.
7.
Explain the “two finger test.” Pretend that your two fingers are your legs and
you have to land on the rock. Ask students, “What do you notice about the
surface of the rock? [Expected Response: Solid, hard surface]
8.
Select a number (1-4) from the group to collect the rocks.
9.
Although, we think of Earth being a big planet, it is actually quite small
compared to the other planets we will discuss. So the first four planets are
relatively small in size as compared to the other planets in the solar system.
10.
Inform students, “When we do our hand signals of the planets in order, we
use one hand because they are small planets.”
11.
Now planets do not just stay still, they move. “What are the two directions
that they move?” [Expected Response: Rotation and orbit]
69
12.
In groups, discuss if terrestrial planets rotate slow or fast. Hint: Think about
the first four planets rotation, especially Venus and Mercury's rotation, are
they fast or slow? [Expected Response: Terrestrial planets rotate slow]
13.
Bring out the Solar System Poster Board.
14.
Ask students, “What is the fastest orbiting planet?” [Expected Response:
Mercury]
15.
Ask students, “Why is Mercury the fastest orbiting planet?” [Expected
Response: Because it's closest to the Sun, shorter distance to travel, and the
Sun has a stronger gravitational pull.]
16.
Mercury is the first planet, so its orbit is the first fastest.
17.
Venus is the second planet, so its orbit is the second fastest.
18.
Earth is the third planet, so it's the third fastest.
19.
Mars is the fourth planet, so it's the fourth fastest.
20.
Another characteristic of these is that they orbit fast around the Sun. So
terrestrial planets orbit around the Sun really fast because they have less
distance to travel.
21.
Ask students, “Do these terrestrial planets have lots and lots of moons?”
[Expected Response: No] “Why not?” [Expected Response: The Sun has a
stronger gravitational pull than terrestrial planets.]
22.
Ask students, “In fact, does Mercury have a moon?” [Expected Response:
No] “Does Venus have a moon?” [Expected Response: No] “Does Earth
have a moon?” [Expected Response: Yes, just one] “Does Mars have a
moon?” [Expected Response: Yes, only two] “So terrestrial planets have
few or no moons.”
23.
Ask students, “During our discussions, have I ever mentioned rings around
a planet?” [Expected Response: No] Terrestrial planets have no rings.
70
ACTIVITY # 9 – Terrestrial Planets Game
The intent of this activity is to serve as an assessment of terrestrial planets and their
hand signals.
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Part One: In pairs, students will practice the first four planets in order from
the Sun by using their planet hand signals.
2.
Part Two: The teacher poses questions about terrestrial planets. In pairs,
students discuss possible answers. The teacher will randomly call students to
answer.
Suggested Questions:
• What does rotate mean?
• What is one characteristic of a terrestrial planet?
• Name all four terrestrial planets in order from the Sun?
• Show me all four terrestrial planets in order from the Sun by using the
hand signals.
• Why is Venus so hot?
• Why does Mercury have so many craters?
71
DAY THREE
Students will learn about gas giant planets and the common characteristics for the
four gas giant planets. Students will then be able to define and record Jupiter and
Saturn’s main features. Students will also participate in the Terrestrial versus Gas
Giants Game.
Objectives
1. Define a planet, moon and the Sun.
2. Demonstrate and describe rotation and orbit.
3. Determine how fast a planet will orbit based on its distance from the
Sun.
4. Explain, measure, and demonstrate the diameter of a circle and
how it relates to our planet's diameters.
5. Describe the relative size of the planets as compared to the size of the
Sun.
6. Identify and demonstrate with hand signals for each planet in
order from the Sun.
7. Draw and identify the planets by their appearance.
8. Describe gas giants.
9. Identify similarities about gas giant planets.
10. Identify which planets are gas giants.
11. Determine if the planet has an atmosphere, and if so decide if the
planet can sustain life.
12. Determine which planets have moons and which planets do not
have moons.
13. Explain why some planets have moons and others do not.
72
Materials Needed To Be Prepared By The Teacher Prior To Teaching
1. Planet Costume: Cut a circle out of
cardboard, about 20-26 inches in diameter.
Punch two holes on the top of the circle. Tie a
30 inch string through the holes. You should
be able to hang the costume around your
neck to wear. Punch another two holes on the
right and left corners. Tie another 20-26
inches string for the signs of the planets. Tie
the string in the back. This allows you to flip
the signs. Attach all eight planet signs to the
board.
2. Signs for the planet
costume: Write out the
names of the planets on
construction
paper.
If
possible, laminate signs.
Attach signs to the planet
costume with tape. For
Venus, write the letters
backwards because Venus
rotates backwards.
3. Picture of each planet: Obtain photos from the
NASA website.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnv
/materials/listbytype/Solar.System.Lithograph.Set.
html or refer to the resource page in this module.
Make enough copies of each planet for each
group.
73
4. Relative sizes for each planet: Look for
different size balls. This website will give you the
relative size of each planet based on the Sun
(classroom width).
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/i
ndex.html
5. Yellow ball: representing the Sun, as big as
possible.
6. Earth ball: 1 inch ball representing the Earth.
7. Transparency- Make a transparency of each
worksheet for each planet.
8. Teacher's Guidebook: worksheets with the answers.
74
9. Model of a planet orbiting around the Sun: A model can be purchased at
Lakeshore Learning found on the resource page. You can also make your own
model with a large straform ball, small straform ball and a wire. Bend the wire
tip about one inch and stick it in the bottom of the larger straform ball
representing the Sun. On the other side of the wire bend the tip about one inch
and stick it on the bottom of the smaller straform ball representing Earth.
Sticking the wire in the bottom of the smaller straform ball (Earth) allows it to
orbit around the larger straform ball (Sun).
10. Solar System
Board: Use two pieces
of cardboard and small
pictures of the planets.
Draw the orbital paths
of the planets. Label
the planets by initials
and how long each
planet’s orbital path
takes.
11. Gas Giant Transparency
75
12. Gas Giant Board
13. Terrestrial Versus Gas Giant Transparency
14. Terrestrial Versus Gas Giant Board: Cut a
poster board in half and label the two columns
terrestrial and gas giants. Draw a line in the middle
separating the two categories. Print out a copy of
pg.11 found in students’ workbook of the eight
characteristics for each category. Cut, laminate, and
attach Velcro to all sixteen characteristics. Attach
Velcro to the board. Students have to sort and
match each characteristic to the correct category.
15. Huge Exercise Ball: to represent Jupiter.
16. Light Blue And Dark Blue Balloons: representing Uranus and Neptune.
76
17. Optional: A spinner, dice, popsicle sticks (1- 4) to randomly call team
member’s number.
Materials For The Students
1. Student Workbook: Worksheets for the planets.
2. Crayons: Basic eight crayons.
3. Small water balloon taped to tray:
Should be taped because students will
play with it.
4. Optional: Small cup with ice to taste the rings of Saturn.
INTRODUCTION: PLANET HAND SIGNALS
1.
Ask students, “Show me hand signals for the first planet, second, third, and
fourth planet from the Sun.”
2.
Ask students, “These planets are called what?” [Expected Response:
Terrestrial planets]
3.
Review the characteristics of terrestrial planets.
4.
Explain to the students, “The next four planets that we will discuss are
called gas giant planets or gas giants.”
77
ACTIVITY # 10 – Gas Giants
The intent of this activity is for students to become familiar with the four gas giants
and the characteristics of gas giant planets.
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Inform the students, “The next four planets are called gas giant planets.”
2.
Place the gas giant transparency on the overhead.
3.
Explain to the students, “The next four planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and
Neptune are known as gas giant planets because they all have common
characteristics. The characteristics of all gas giant planets are the following:
GAS GIANTS
1. OUTER PLANETS
2. GASEOUS
3. NO SOLID SURFACE
4. LARGE MASSES
5. FAST ROTATION
6. SLOW ORBIT
7. LOTS OF MOONS
8. RINGS
4.
Inform students, the gas giant planets are all outer planets because they are
farthest from the Sun.
5.
Distribute a balloon taped to a tray to each group.
6.
Ask students, “What's inside these balloons.” [Expected Response: Gas or
air]
7.
Inform students, “The gas giant planets are made of only gases, that’s why
they are called gas giants.”
8.
Have the students do the two finger test, to describe the surface of a gas
giant planet.
78
9.
Ask students, “How would you describe the surface of a gas giant planet?”
[Expected Response: squishy, gaseous with no solid surface (if the rubber
wasn’t there).]
10.
Ask students, “So if you tried to land on it, you couldn’t. You wouldn’t fall
right through the planets but you would actually just sink… sink… sink…
until you hit a possible core.
11.
Ask students, “Why do you think these planets are called giants?” [Expected
Response: These planets are huge.]
12.
Inform student, “These planets are massive and there is one really big
planet.”
13.
Explain to the students, “When we use the hand signals for the gas giant
planets, we will use two hands because they are so massive.”
14.
Inform students, “These planets rotate the fastest; in fact the next planet
rotates the fastest.”
15.
Inform students, “These planets orbit slowly around the Sun because these
planets are the farthest away from the Sun. They all have a long distance to
travel and since they are very far from the Sun, the Sun has a weaker
gravitational pull.”
16.
Inform students, “These planets have lots of moons because they are so big
and are far from the Sun.”
17.
Inform students, “All of the gas giant planets have rings around them. Some
rings we can see when they are photographed because they are too thin.
18.
Review the characteristics of gas giant planets by stating, “The next four
planets we will discuss have these characteristics.
19.
Inform students, “Let’s look at the characteristics of the terrestrial and gas
giant planets. Use overhead for Terrestrial Versus Gas Giants transparency.
TERRESTRIAL
VERSUS
GAS GIANTS
1. INNER PLANETS
1. OUTER P LANETS
79
2. ROCKY
3. SOLID SURFACE
4. SMALL MASSES
5. SLOW ROTATION
6. FAST ORBIT
7. FEW/NO MOONS
8. NO RINGS
20.
2. GASEOUS
3. NO SOLID SURFACE
4. LARGE MASSES
5. FAST ROTATION
6. SLOW ORBIT
7. LOTS OF MOONS
8. MANY RINGS
Explain that these characteristics are almost complete opposites.
ACTIVITY #11 – The Largest Planet, Jupiter
The intent of this activity is for students to learn about Jupiter, to discuss the nine
characteristics, and examine the crazy weather on this planet.
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Display the Gas Giants characteristics on the transparency.
2.
Show the small balls representing all four terrestrial planets and compare
them with the big exercise ball, which represents Jupiter.
3.
Inform students, “This big ball represents the size of Jupiter, if the Sun was
as big as the classroom. Notice how big it is as compared to this small ball
representing Earth. Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system.”
4.
Inform students, “Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun.”
5.
Demonstrate the hand signal for Jupiter and inform students that we need
two hands for gas giants because they are so big.
6.
Ask students, “Do gas giants rotate fast or slow?” [Expected Response:
Fast]
7.
Inform students, “Jupiter rotates the fastest only 9 hours and 55 minutes,
less than 10 hours. Because Jupiter rotates really fast, it has the craziest
80
weather formed by clouds.”
8.
In groups, examine a picture of Jupiter. Discuss the appearance of Jupiter
and review the colors needed for their drawing.
9.
Students may ask, “What is that red spot?”
10.
Inform students, “Jupiter has a huge tornado that's been swirling around for
over hundreds of years. It is called the Great Red Spot. The Great Red Spot
is so big that three Earth's can fit across it.”
11.
Show the close-up picture of Jupiter’s Red Spot.
12.
Have the students draw Jupiter on page 6 and answer all questions in their
workbook.
13.
After putting Jupiter’s transparency on the overhead, discuss the answers.
14.
Ask students, “What does atmosphere mean?” [Expected Response: Gases
surrounding the planet]
15.
Inform students, “Gas giants are ONLY made of gases and have no solid
surface.”
16.
Ask students, “Does Jupiter have an atmosphere?” [Extended Response: Yes,
it's only made up gases]
17.
Inform students, “There is no oxygen. So can we live on this planet?”
[Expected Response: No]
18.
When explaining that all gas giants have rings, some observant students
might ask, “Why can't we see rings around Jupiter.”
19.
Inform students, “that Jupiter's rings are very, very thin, and can't be seen
when photographed.”
20.
The next planet's rings are very, very thick and can be seen.
81
ACTIVITY #12 – The Rings Of Saturn
The intent of this activity is for students to become aware of Saturn and its
fabulous rings by reviewing the same nine characteristics.
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Show a picture of Saturn.
2.
Inform students, “Saturn is a very distinctive planet. What features can we
see that the other planets have but can’t be seen when photographed?”
[Extended Response: The rings]
3.
Sketch a picture of Saturn on the board.
4.
Inform students, “The rings are made of: rock, dust, and ICE.”
5.
Inform students, “We are going to taste the rings of Saturn.” Pass out a small
piece of ice in small paper cups. Ask students to put the ice in their mouths.
Ask students, “What is one of the things that make up Saturn’s rings that we
ate?” [Expected Response: Ice]
6.
Show a picture of Saturn’s rings.
7.
Explain the different sizes of rocks and ice found in the rings. Some of the
rocks and ice are as small as your thumbnail while some of the rocks and ice
are as big as a school bus. You wouldn't want to be inside the rings because
the rocks and ice are crashing, breaking, and hitting each other, and it is very
dangerous.”
8.
Have students draw Saturn's appearance on page 6 in their workbook and
answer question 1-8.
9.
Using the transparency for Saturn, discuss the characteristics of Saturn.
Explain how sometimes people think Saturn's the biggest planet because of
the rings, but if you take away the rings, it would be a little bit smaller than
Jupiter.
10.
Saturn is the only planet that is less dense than water and could float in
82
water.
11.
In a small tub filled half way with water, place a small balloon with Saturn
written on it, in the water. Watch Saturn float in water! Ask students, “What
is Saturn doing?” [Expected Response: floating]
12.
Demonstrate the hand signal for Saturn.
ACTIVITY #13 – Terrestrial Versus Gas Giants
The intent of this activity is for students to categorize each planet by their
characteristics, either terrestrial or gas giant.
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Distribute a Terrestrial Versus Gas giant board to each group of four.
2.
The Terrestrial Versus Gas Giant Board consists of two columns with eight
characteristics for each column. The eight characteristics are identical to
students’ workbook pg. 11 and are Velcroed on the board.
TERRESTRIAL
VERSUS
GAS GIANTS
1. INNER PLANETS
2. ROCKY
3. SOLID SURFACE
4. SMALL MASSES
5. SLOW ROTATION
6. FAST ORBIT
7. FEW/NO MOONS
8. NO RINGS
1. OUTER P LANETS
2. GASEOUS
3. NO SOLID SURFACE
4. LARGE MASSES
5. FAST ROTATION
6. SLOW ORBIT
7. LOTS OF MOONS
8. MANY RINGS
3.
Students will receive the eight characteristics for each category. Each student
will pick two characteristics. Students will take turns reading their
characteristics and as a group, decide what category (terrestrial or gas giants)
it belongs under.
4.
Students will check their answers on page 11.
83
DAY FOUR
Students will review terrestrial and gas giant planets, learn about dwarf planets,
and discuss other solar systems in the universe. Students will also participate in the
Solar System Game.
Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
Define a planet, moon and Sun.
Demonstrate and describe rotation and orbit.
Explain Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion.
Explain, measure, and demonstrate the diameter of a circle and how it
relates to our planet's diameters.
5. Describe the relative size of the planets as compared to the size of the
Sun.
6. Identify and demonstrate with hand signals for each planet in order
from the Sun.
7. Draw and identify the planets by their appearance.
8. Identify which planets are terrestrial and which planets are gas giants.
9. Describe a terrestrial and gas giant planets.
10. Identify similarities and differences between terrestrial and gas giant
planets.
11. Determine if the planet has an atmosphere, and if so decide if the planet
can sustain life.
12. Determine which planets have moons and which planets do not have
moons.
13. Explain why some planets have moons and others do not.
14. Explain that there are other solar systems in the universe.
84
Materials Needed To Be Prepared By The Teacher Prior To Teaching
1. Planet Costume: Cut a circle out of
cardboard, about 20-26 inches in diameter.
Punch two holes on the top of the circle. Tie a
30 inch string through the holes. You should
be able to hang the costume around your
neck to wear. Punch another two holes on the
right and left corners. Tie another 20-26
inches string for the signs of the planets. Tie
the string in the back. This allows you to flip
the signs. Attach all eight planet signs to the
board.
2. Signs for the planet
costume: Write out the
names of the planets on
construction
paper.
If
possible, laminate signs.
Attach signs to the planet
costume with tape. For
Venus, write the letters
backwards because Venus
rotates backwards.
3. Picture of each planet: Obtain photos from the
NASA website.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnv
/materials/listbytype/Solar.System.Lithograph.Set.
html or refer to the resource page in this module.
Make enough copies of each planet for each
group.
85
4. Relative sizes for each planet: Look for
different size balls. This website will give you the
relative size of each planet based on the Sun
(classroom width).
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/i
ndex.html
5. Yellow ball: representing the Sun, as big as
possible.
6. Earth ball: 1 inch ball representing the Earth.
7. Transparency- Make a transparency of each
worksheet for each planet.
8. Teacher's Guidebook: worksheets with the answers.
86
9. Model of a planet orbiting around the Sun: A model can be purchased at
Lakeshore Learning found on the resource page. You can also make your own
model with a large straform ball, small straform ball and a wire. Bend the wire
tip about one inch and stick it in the bottom of the larger straform ball
representing the Sun. On the other side of the wire bend the tip about one inch
and stick it on the bottom of the smaller straform ball representing Earth.
Sticking the wire in the bottom of the smaller straform ball (Earth) allows it to
orbit around the larger straform ball (Sun).
10. Solar System
Board: Use two pieces
of cardboard and small
pictures of the planets.
Draw the orbital paths
of the planets. Label
the planets by initials
and how long each
planet’s orbital path
takes.
11. Gas Giant Transparency
87
12. Gas Giant Board
13. Terrestrial Versus Gas Giant Transparency
14. Terrestrial Versus Gas Giant Board: Cut a
poster board in half and label the two columns
terrestrial and gas giants. Draw a line in the middle
separating the two categories. Print out a copy of
pg.11 found in students’ workbook of the eight
characteristics for each category. Cut, laminate, and
attach Velcro to all sixteen characteristics. Attach
Velcro to the board. Students have to sort and
match each characteristic to the correct category.
15. Huge Exercise Ball: to represent Jupiter.
16. Light Blue And Dark Blue Balloons: representing Uranus and Neptune.
88
17. Optional: A spinner, dice, popsicle sticks (1- 4) to randomly call team
member’s number.
Materials For The Students
1. Student Workbook: Worksheets for the planets.
2. Crayons: Basic eight crayons.
3. Small water balloon taped to tray:
Should be taped because students will
play with it.
INTRODUCTION: THE LAST DAY
1.
Show the solar system board and start with the hand signals for the planets,
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
2.
Review terrestrial and gas giant board and their characteristics.
3.
The 7th planet from the Sun is Uranus and it is classified as a gas giant.
4.
Demonstrate the hand signal for Uranus and then show the light blue balloon
which will represent Uranus.
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ACTIVITY #14 – Uranus
The intent of this activity is for students to become aware of Uranus and its
sideways rotation by discussing the nine characteristics.
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Show the light blue balloon.
2.
Inform students, “This balloon will represent Uranus. Uranus is light blue
because it is made of methane gases, giving it a blue color. It is smooth and
has no appearance of cloud formation.”
3.
Scientist believe deep inside the planet is frozen water.
4.
Uranus rotation is unlike any
planet we discovered. Demonstrate
Uranus rotation with the balloon.
Uranus has a severe tilt making it
appear to rotate sideways.
5.
Explain why Uranus has a severe tilt. For example: When planets were first
forming, Uranus was hit by a large object and forced Uranus’ tilt to become
at a 98 degree angle. Not only does it appear to rotate on its side but it
rotates in retrograde.
6.
Like all gas giants, Uranus has rings but its rings are thin, dark, and usually
can’t be seen when photographed.
7.
Draw a sketch of Uranus and its thin rings on the board. Make sure the rings
are vertical, representing Uranus severe tilt.
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8.
In groups, students examine a picture of Uranus and draw it in their
workbook. Students answer questions 1-8 on their workbook page 8.
9.
Use Uranus’s transparency on the overhead to check and correct answers.
ACTIVITY #15 – Neptune
The intent of this activity is for students to learn about Neptune, discuss the nine
characteristics, and examine the planet’s Dark Spot.
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Show the Dark Blue balloon.
2.
Inform the students, “This balloon will represent Neptune.”
3.
Draw a dark spot approximately 3 inches anywhere on the balloon.
4.
Inform the students, “Neptune also has a giant dark spot, like Jupiter’s Red
Spot.”
5.
Ask the question, “What was that Giant Red Spot on Jupiter?” [Expected
Response: A tornado] “What do you think Neptune’s Giant Dark Spot is?”
[Expected Response: It is also a tornado]. “Yes, it’s a tornado.”
6.
Neptune is slightly smaller than Uranus, but spins faster. In fact, Uranus has
the fastest winds in the solar system. Neptune can rip you to shreds if you
entered its atmosphere. Its speeds reach up to 1,200 mph.
7.
Unlike Uranus, Neptune has visible clouds in its atmosphere.
8.
In groups, have students examine a picture of Neptune and draw it in their
workbook. Ask students to answer questions 1-8 in their workbook page 9.
9.
Use Neptune’s transparency on the overhead to correct and check answers.
10.
Demonstrate to the students the hand signal for Neptune.
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11.
Give nine student helpers each a picture of a planet. Inform students, “This
is the Sun.” Hold up the yellow straform ball that represents the Sun. Have
students rearrange themselves in order from the Sun. While reviewing, go
over each planet’s hand signal.
ACTIVITY #16 – Pluto, Dwarf Planet!
The intent of this activity is for students to learn that Pluto is no longer considered
a planet but a “dwarf planet.” It is still part of the main planets in our solar system.
Students will become familiar with other dwarf planets found in our solar system.
Directions For The Teacher
1.
Inform students, “Pluto is an odd ball because it’s neither a terrestrial planet
nor a gas giant. It is rocky and icy.”
2.
On August 17, 2006, the International Astronomical Union redefined the
term “planet.” Pluto no longer qualifies as a planet.
3.
Inform students, “Pluto is the ninth dwarf planet in our solar system. A dwarf
planet must orbit the Sun; must have nearly a round shape; and has not
cleared away objects in its neighborhood.
4.
Pluto was demoted because of its highly elliptical orbit.
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5.
Demonstrate on the Solar System Board, Pluto's highly elliptical orbit as
compared to other planets. This orbit should not be on the same plane as the
other planets but should go off the board.
6.
Bring out a small ball to represent Pluto, compared to the other balls
representing relative planet sizes. The ball representing Pluto should be more
than ½ of Mercury.
7.
Inform students, “Pluto is the smallest and coldest dwarf planet compared to
the other eight planets. Why do you think Pluto is the coldest?”[Expected
Response: It's the farthest from the Sun]
8.
Ask students to demonstrate the planets in order using their hand signals.
9.
Inform students, “Pluto is the farthest planet, so it orbits the slowest. Pluto
takes 250 years to go around the Sun. So the farther the planet, the slower it
will be because it not only has more distance to travel but the Sun has a less
gravitational force on the planet.”
10.
Inform students, “Let’s look at a picture of Pluto. But wait, scientists have
never been to Pluto. So we really do not know what it looks like.”
11.
Inform students, “In January of 2005, a U.S. mission was sent to space to
observe Pluto. This mission is called the NEW HORIZON. In 9 years, the
spacecraft will reach Pluto and then we will have a picture of Pluto for the
very first time. So in nine years, look in the newspaper and discover Pluto's
appearance for the first time.”
12.
Ask students to complete questions 1- 8 in the student workbook.
13.
Use Pluto’s transparency on the overhead to check and complete answers.
14.
Inform students, “Technology is constantly advancing and scientists gather
newer information all the time. This newer information enhances, modifies,
or completely changes what we had previously thought. Such as, Pluto was
once a planet and is now a dwarf planet.”
15.
Inform students, “With this constantly changing technology, scientist have
detected other solar systems, with planets orbiting stars. Scientists have also
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detected something beyond Pluto, rotating and orbiting around our Sun.
16.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has categorized this object as a dwarf
planet, named Eris.
17.
Answer any questions students have about Eris, dwarf planets, or other solar
systems. Information can be found in the Science Content.
ACTIVITY #17 – Solar System Game
The intent of this activity is for students to demonstrate their knowledge of the
solar system by continuing to work in groups, using the strategy Numbered Heads
Together.
Directions For The Teacher
Steps to Numbered Heads Together
1.
Number students from 1 to 4 within their teams.
2.
Call out a question or problem. (Example: What is the closest planet to the
Sun?)
3.
Students in teams put their heads together to discuss the answer. They must
make sure everyone on their team knows the answer.
4.
Randomly call a number from 1 to 4 using a spinner, draw popsicle sticks
out of a cup, or roll a die.
5.
On each team, the student whose number was called writes the answer on
the team response board. They may not receive any help from their team at
this point! They place the response board face down when ready.
6.
When all teams are ready, have the designated student stand and hold up
their response board to show their answer. Check each team's answer for
accuracy.
7.
All groups that held up the right answer will receive a point.
8.
Repeat with additional questions as time allows.
94
9.
Suggested Questions found in appendix E.
95
RESOURCES AND REFERENCES
The following references were helpful in designing this module.
Books
Andrew Bridges, The Inside Story Of Mars, 2007, Sally Ride Science, ISBN: 09753920-8-5
Beth Geiger, The Inside Story Of Saturn and The Inside Story Of Jupiter, 2007,
Sally Ride Science, ISBN: 1-933798-08-4 and ISBN: 1-933798-07-6
Eric Chaisson and Steve McMillan, Astronomy Today 4th edition, 2002, Prentice
Hall, ISBN: 0-13-091542-4
Giovanni Caprara, The Solar System, 2003, A Firefly Guide, ISBN:1-55297-679-3
Matt Hutson, The Inside Story Of The Sun, 2007, Sally Ride Science, ISBN: 1933798-06-8
Poor Pluto! 2007, Scholastic, ISBN-10:0-545-04881-8, ISBN-13:978-0-54504881-1
Ralph M. Feather, Astronomy, 2008, McGraw Hill, ISBN: 978-0-07-877830-8
Tam O’Shaughnessy, The Inside Story Of Earth, 2007, Sally Ride Science, ISBN:
1-933798-09-2
The Planets: A Journey Through the Solar System, 2006, Quercus, ISBN: 1-84724514-5
Universe: A Journey From Earth To The Edge Of The Cosmos, 2006, Quercus,
ISBN: 1-8724-143-3
Websites
Formation of the Solar System
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
96
Picture of the Sun
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/sun/sun_soho_browse.jpg
Picture of Terrestrial Planets
http://cseligman.com/text/planets/terrestrialsize.jpg
Picture of Mercury
http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/mercury_worldbook.html
Picture Venus
http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/venus_worldbook.html
http://www.dtm.ciw.edu/akir/Images/Venus/venus.mariner.gif
http://www.solarviews.com/browse/venus/venus2.jpg
Picture of Earth
http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/earth_worldbook.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:The_Earth_seen_from_Apollo_17.jpg
http://www.wonderquest.com/FullEarth.htg/FullEarth1.jpg
Picture of Mars
http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/mars_worldbook.html
http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Sect19/br_earth-mars-front.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Face_on_Mars
http://alexis.m2osw.com/images/mars_face.jpg
Picture of Gas Giant Planets
http://motivate.maths.org/conferences/conf42/Talk_images/outer_planets_m
all_2.jpg
Picture of Jupiter
http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/jupiter_worldbook.html
http://d.villafruela.free.fr/dictionaire/J/img_J/jupiter.jpg
http://www.the-solar-system.net/galilean-moons.html
Picture of Saturn
http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/saturn_worldbook.html
http://hpd.botanic.hr/ast/astronomija/sunsust/saturn/saturn.jpg
Picture of Uranus
97
http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/uranus_worldbook.html
http://www.sarkanniemi.fi/oppimateriaali/tahtiakatemia/kuvat/aurinkokunta/
uranus.jpg
http://www.bnsc.gov.uk/assets/channels/education/ae/Uranus_from_Hubble.j
pg
Picture of Neptune
http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/neptune_worldbook.html
http://www.het.brown.edu/people/ian/ph21/neptune.jpg
Pluto
http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/pluto_worldbook.html
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/hubble_pluto.html
http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/science/everything_pluto/16_plutoOrbit.html
Solar System Lithographs
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/tonav/materials/listbytape/By_T
ype_Lithographs_landingpage.html
Relative Sizes of Planets
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/index.html
Solar System
http://www.nineplanets.org/
http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/planets.ht
ml
http://www.nineplanets.org/overview.html
http://www.solarviews.com/eng/solarsys.htm
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/index.cfm
http://www.space.com/planets/
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/
http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/planetlila/
Kids Astronomy websites:
www.kidsastronomy.com
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/
98
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/
Interactive Universe
http://www.history.com/genericContent.do?id=5449
Let’s Plan It: Getting Your System In Order
www.science-fest.org
OTHER
Lakeshore Learning Materials
2695 E. Dominguez St.
Carson, CA 90895
www.lakeshorelearning.com
The Universe (Season 1 and Season 2)
www.historychannel.com
Planets- Eyewitness DVD Video
ISBN: 978-0-7566-3890-0
99
Appendix A
Planet Hand Signals
Planet Hand Signals
M is for Mercury. Use three fingers to make
an “M.” Mercury is the first planet from the
Sun.
V is for Venus. Use two fingers to make a
“V.” Venus is the second planet from the Sun.
E is for Earth. Use three fingers to make an “E.”
Earth is the third planet from the Sun.
M is for Mars. Use four fingers to make another
version of an “M.” Mars is the fourth planet
from the Sun.
J is for Jupiter. Use two hands to make a “J” and
Jupiter is a gas giant and gas giants are huge.
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun.
S is for Saturn. Use two hands to make an “S.”
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun.
U is for Uranus. Use two hands to make a “U.”
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun.
N is for Neptune. Use two hands to make an “N.”
Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun.
P is for Pluto. Use one hand to make a “P.”
Pluto is the small and is neither a terrestrial nor
gas giant. Pluto is a dwarf planet and the ninth
from the Sun.
Appendix B
Materials Needed
For Module
Materials Needed To Be Prepared By The Teacher Prior To Teaching
Day 1-4 uses Materials #1-10 and Student Materials #1-2 throughout
the module. Extra materials for each day are included.
1. Planet Costume: Cut a circle out of
cardboard, about 20-26 inches in diameter.
Punch two holes on the top of the circle. Tie a
30 inch string through the holes. You should
be able to hang the costume around your
neck to wear. Punch another two holes on the
right and left corners. Tie another 20-26
inches string for the signs of the planets. Tie
the string in the back. This allows you to flip
the signs. Attach all eight planet signs to the
board.
2. Signs for the planet
costume: Write out the
names of the planets on
construction
paper.
If
possible, laminate signs.
Attach signs to the planet
costume with tape. For
Venus, write the letters
backwards because Venus
rotates backwards.
3. Picture of each planet: Obtain photos from the
NASA website.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnv
/materials/listbytype/Solar.System.Lithograph.Set.
html or refer to the resource page in this module.
Make enough copies of each planet for each
group.
4. Relative sizes for each planet: Look for
different size balls. This website will give you the
relative size of each planet based on the Sun
(classroom width).
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/i
ndex.html
5. Yellow ball: representing the Sun, as big as
possible.
6. Earth ball: 1 inch ball representing the Earth.
7. Transparency- Make a transparency of each
worksheet for each planet.
8. Teacher's Guidebook: worksheets with the answers.
9. Model of a planet orbiting around the Sun: A model can be purchased at
Lakeshore Learning found on the resource page. You can also make your own
model with a large straform ball, small straform ball and a wire. Bend the wire
tip about one inch and stick it in the bottom of the larger straform ball
representing the Sun. On the other side of the wire bend the tip about one inch
and stick it on the bottom of the smaller straform ball representing Earth.
Sticking the wire in the bottom of the smaller straform ball (Earth) allows it to
orbit around the larger straform ball (Sun).
10. Solar System
Board: Use two pieces
of cardboard and small
pictures of the planets.
Draw the orbital paths
of the planets. Label
the planets by initials
and how long each
planet’s orbital path
takes.
Student Materials
1. Student Workbook: Worksheets for the planets.
2. Crayons: Basic eight crayons.
Extra for Day 1
11. Ball: Straform ball or any size ball. Cut the
ball in half to show diameter of a circle.
12. Circle Packet: Have a ziplock bag with
various size circles and rulers in it to measure the
circles’ diameters.
13. Small Sun: classroom set of a small pictures or
stickers of the Sun.
14. Balloon: Any size, any color.
15. Optional: Tape measure.
16. Optional: Star Wars theme song or any type of music for the Solar System
Story.
Extra for Day 2
11. Face on Mars: Picture of the “Face On
Mars” found on the resource page of this
module.
12. Two balls: any size as long as both balls are
similar in size.
13. Terrestrial Planet Transparency
14. Terrestrial Planet Board
15. 2 ropes: small (4ft.), big (16-20ft.)
16. Signs: 1st sign should read #1 Mercury and the 2nd sign should read #9 Pluto.
Laminate these signs and glue a popsicle stick on the back of the sign. This
will help students to hold up the sign.
Student Materials
3. Rocks: any types of rocks
Extra for Day 3 &4
11. Gas Giant Transparency
12. Gas Giant Board
13. Terrestrial Versus Gas Giant Transparency
14. Terrestrial Versus Gas Giant Board: Cut a
poster board in half and label the two columns
terrestrial and gas giants. Draw a line in the middle
separating the two categories. Print out a copy of
pg.11 found in students’ workbook of the eight
characteristics for each category. Cut, laminate, and
attach Velcro to all sixteen characteristics. Attach
Velcro to the board. Students have to sort and
match each characteristic to the correct category.
15. Huge Exercise Ball: to represent Jupiter.
16. Light Blue And Dark Blue Balloons: representing Uranus and Neptune.
17. Optional: A spinner, dice, popsicle sticks (1- 4) to randomly call team
member’s number.
Student Materials
3. Small water balloon taped to tray:
Should be taped because students will
play with it.
4. Optional: Small cup with ice to taste the rings of Saturn.
Appendix C
Overhead Transparencies
1ST PLANET: MERCURY
1. Rotate:
3. Diameter:
88days
2. Orbit:
59 days
4,222 miles
4. Distance from the Sun: 36 million miles
5. Appearance/Surface: Heavily cratered, rocky, and yellowbrown.
6. Atmosphere: Yes
No
7. Can we live on this planet?
Yes
No
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
And if so, how many moons? ___________
No
9. Fun Facts: Mercury is the smallest terrestrial planet. Mercury
is the 2nd hottest and coldest planet in our solar system. Mercury
is also the fastest orbiting planet because it’s the closest to the
Sun and it has a shorter distance to travel.
Terrestrial Planet pg. 1
2nd PLANET: VENUS
1. Rotate:
243 days
2.Orbit:
225 days
(IN RETROGRADE)
3. Diameter:
7,523 miles
4. Distance from the Sun:
67 million miles
5. Appearance/Surface: Rocky surface with thick cloudy yellow
atmosphere.
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet?
No
Yes
No
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
No
And if so, how many moons?____________
9. Fun Facts: Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system
because its gases in its atmosphere trap heat creating an intense
greenhouse effect. Venus has the slowest retrograde rotation
because scientists think something hit it or because of the
powerful Sun’s gravity. Venus is also Earth’s “sister planet”
because of their similar diameter.
Terrestrial Planet pg. 2
3rd PLANET: EARTH
1. Rotate:
3. Diameter:
1 day
2. Orbit:
1 year
9, 726 miles
4. Distance from the Sun:
93 million miles = 1 AU
5. Appearance/Surface: blue water, white clouds, and
brown patches of land.
6. Atmosphere: Yes
OR
7. Can we live on this planet?
No
Yes
OR
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
And if so, how many moons? 1
No
OR
No
9. Fun Facts: Earth is the only planet that has life on it that we
know of. It is the most active planet in our solar system. Earth is
the largest terrestrial planet but not the largest planet in our solar
system.
Terrestrial Planet pg.
3
4th PLANET: MARS
1. Rotate: 1 day and 37 minutes. 2. Orbit:
3. Diameter:
1.2 years
4,222 miles
4. Distance from the Sun:
142 million miles
5. Appearance/Surface: red-brown rocky surface
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet:
No
Yes
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
And if so, how many moons? 2
No
No
9. Fun Facts: Mars use to have water on it! Mars has very small
traces of Oxygen in its atmosphere. Mars has the biggest
volcano in our solar system called Olympus Mons. Mars is also
known as the “Red Planet.”
Terrestrial Planet pg. 4
5th PLANET: JUPITER
1.Rotate:
9 hours and 55 minutes
3. Diameter:
2. Orbit:
12 years
88, 846 miles
4.Distance from the Sun:
483 million miles
5.Appearance/Surface: Great Red Spot, swirling stripes of gases
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet:
No
Yes
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
And if so, how many moons? At least 63
No
No
9. Fun Facts: Jupiter is the BIGGEST planet in our solar system.
Jupiter rotates the fastest and has crazy weather. Jupiter has a
Great Red Spot which is a constant tornado. Jupiter's has some
of the most unique and biggest moons in the solar system
(Ganymede, Callisto, Io, Europa).
Gas Giants pg. 5
6th PLANET: SATURN
1.Rotate: 10 hours and 13 minutes 2. Orbit:
3. Diameter/Size:
29.4 years
74, 898 miles
4.Distance from the Sun:
888 million miles
5.Appearance/Surface: Rings, smooth gaseous, yellowish,
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet:
No
Yes
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
And if so, how many moons?
31
No
No
9. Fun Facts: Saturn’s density is less dense than that of water.
Therefore, Saturn is the only gas giant that could float in a
bathtub of water, if such a thing existed. Saturn is known for its
fabulous rings, which are made of ice, rock, and dust particles.
Gas Giants pg. 6
7th PLANET: URANUS
1.Rotate:
17. 2 hours
2. Orbit:
84 years
(SIDEWAYS and IN RETROGRADE)
3. Diameter:
31, 763 miles
4.Distance from the Sun:
1,784 million miles
5.Appearance/Surface: Green-blue smooth surface,
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet:
No
Yes
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
And if so, how many moons? 27
No
No
9. Fun Facts: Uranus rotates on its side and goes in retrograde.
Evidence suggests that rock and ice may exist underneath
Uranus atmosphere. Like all the gas giants, Uranus has rings but
you can't see them because they are thin.
Gas Giants pg. 7
8th PLANET: NEPTUNE
1.Rotate: 16 hours and 17 minutes 2. Orbit: 165 years
3. Diameter:
30,775 miles
4.Distance from the Sun:
2,794 million miles
5.Appearance/Surface: Darker blue, Great Dark Spot, small
cloud formation
6. Atmosphere: Yes
OR
7. Can we live on this planet:
No
Yes
OR
No
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes OR No
And if so, how many moons? 13
9. Fun Facts: Neptune has the fastest winds in the solar system;
reaching up to 1,200 mph. Neptune has a “Great Dark Spot,”
which is a tornado.
Gas Giants pg. 8
9th PLANET: PLUTO
1.Rotate: 6 days and 9 hours 2. Orbit:
3. Diameter:
250 years
1,485 miles
4.Distance from the Sun:
3,647 million miles
5.Appearance/Surface: Haven’t been there yet/ No Pictures
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet:
No
Yes
No
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
No
And if so, how many moons? 3
9. Fun Facts: Pluto is the coldest planet in our solar system (-378
to -396 degrees Fahrenheit). Pluto's atmosphere sometimes
freezes because it is so cold. Pluto is the smallest planet and is
even smaller than the seven largest moons. It has a weird
elliptical orbit that at one time crossed Neptune’s path. NASA
launched for the first time a trip to Pluto, known as the New
Horizon Mission. In nine years, we will have the first pictures of
Pluto. There are three known dwarf planets, Pluto, Eris and
Ceres.
Odd-Ball pg. 9
Appendix D
Student Workbook
An Astronomer’s Guide
Through The Solar
System
Student Workbook
Name:____________________________
Table of Contents
1st Planet: Mercury………………………………………….pg. 1
2nd Planet: Venus……………………………………………pg. 2
3rd Planet: Earth……………………………………………..pg. 3
4th Planet: Mars……………………………………………..pg. 4
5th Planet: Jupiter……………………………………….…...pg. 5
6th Planet: Saturn……………………………………………pg. 6
7th Planet: Uranus………………………...…………………pg. 7
8th Planet: Neptune…………………….……………………pg. 8
9th Dwarf Planet: Pluto……………...………………………pg. 9
Glossary………………………………………………..pg. 10-11
Terrestrial Versus Gas Giants……………………………...pg. 12
Seven Largest Moons in the Solar System………………..pg. 13
1ST PLANET: MERCURY
1. Rotate:
3. Diameter:
2. Orbit:
4,222 miles
4. Distance from the Sun: 36 million miles
5. Appearance/Surface:
6. Atmosphere: Yes
No
7. Can we live on this planet?
Yes
No
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
No
And if so, how many moons? ____________
9. Fun Facts: Mercury is the smallest terrestrial planet. Mercury
is the 2nd hottest and coldest planet in our solar system. Mercury
is also the fastest orbiting planet because it’s the closest to the
Sun and it has a shorter distance to travel.
Terrestrial Planet pg. 1
2nd PLANET: VENUS
1. Rotate:
2.Orbit:
(IN RETROGRADE)
3. Diameter:
7,523 miles
4. Distance from the Sun:
67 million miles
5. Appearance/Surface:
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet?
No
Yes
No
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
No
And if so, how many moons?____________
9. Fun Facts: Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system
because its gases in its atmosphere trap heat creating an intense
greenhouse effect. Venus has the slowest retrograde rotation
because scientists think something hit it or because of the
powerful Sun’s gravity. Venus is also Earth’s “sister planet”
because of their similar diameter.
Terrestrial Planet pg. 2
3rd PLANET: EARTH
1. Rotate: _______________ 2. Orbit: ____________________
3. Diameter: _________________________________________
4. Distance from the Sun:
= 1 AU
5. Appearance/Surface:_________________________________
6. Atmosphere: Yes
OR
7. Can we live on this planet?
No
Yes
OR
No
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
OR
And if so, how many moons? ____________
No
9. Fun Facts: Earth is the only planet that has life on it that we
know of. It is the most active planet in our solar system. Earth is
the largest terrestrial planet but not the largest planet in our solar
system.
Terrestrial Planet pg.
3
4th PLANET: MARS
1. Rotate:
3. Diameter:
2. Orbit:
4,222 miles
4. Distance from the Sun:
142 million miles
5. Appearance/Surface:
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet:
No
Yes
No
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
No
And if so, how many moons?____________
9. Fun Facts: Mars use to have water on it! Mars has very small
traces of Oxygen in its atmosphere. Mars has the biggest
volcano in our solar system called Olympus Mons. Mars is also
known as the “Red Planet.”
Terrestrial Planet pg. 4
5th PLANET: JUPITER
1.Rotate:_________________
3. Diameter:
2. Orbit:
88, 846 miles
4.Distance from the Sun:
483 million miles
5.Appearance/Surface:
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet:
No
Yes
No
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
No
And if so, how many moons?____________
9. Fun Facts: Jupiter is the BIGGEST planet in our solar system.
Jupiter rotates the fastest and has crazy weather. Jupiter has a
Great Red Spot which is a constant tornado. Jupiter's has some
of the most unique and biggest moons in the solar system
(Ganymede, Callisto, Io, Europa).
Gas Giants pg. 5
6th PLANET: SATURN
1.Rotate: 10 hours and 13 minutes 2. Orbit:
3. Diameter/Size:
74, 898 miles
4.Distance from the Sun:
888 million miles
5.Appearance/Surface:
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet:
No
Yes
No
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
No
And if so, how many moons? ____________
9. Fun Facts: Saturn’s density is less dense than that of water.
Therefore, Saturn is the only gas giant that could float in a
bathtub of water, if such a thing existed. Saturn is known for its
fabulous rings, which are made of ice, rock, and dust particles.
Gas Giants pg. 6
7th PLANET: URANUS
1.Rotate:
17. 2 hours
2. Orbit:
(SIDEWAYS and IN RETROGRADE)
3. Diameter:
31, 763 miles
4.Distance from the Sun:
1,784 million miles
5.Appearance/Surface:
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet:
No
Yes
No
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
No
And if so, how many moons?____________
9. Fun Facts: Uranus rotates on its side and goes in retrograde.
Evidence suggests that rock and ice may exist underneath
Uranus atmosphere. Like all the gas giants, Uranus has rings but
you can't see them because they are thin.
Gas Giants pg. 7
8th PLANET: NEPTUNE
1.Rotate: 16 hours and 17 minutes 2. Orbit:
3. Diameter:
30,775 miles
4.Distance from the Sun:
2,794 million miles
5.Appearance/Surface:
6. Atmosphere: Yes
OR
7. Can we live on this planet:
No
Yes
OR
No
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes OR No
And if so, how many moons?____________
9. Fun Facts: Neptune has the fastest winds in the solar system;
reaching up to 1,200 mph. Neptune has a “Great Dark Spot,”
which is a tornado.
Gas Giants pg. 8
9th PLANET: PLUTO
1.Rotate: 6 days and 9 hours 2. Orbit:
3. Diameter:
1,485 miles
4.Distance from the Sun:
3,647 million miles
5.Appearance/Surface: Haven’t been there yet/ No Pictures
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet:
No
Yes
No
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
No
And if so, how many moons?____________
9. Fun Facts: Pluto is the coldest planet in our solar system (-378
to -396 degrees Fahrenheit). Pluto's atmosphere sometimes
freezes because it is so cold. Pluto is the smallest planet and is
even smaller than the seven largest moons. It has a weird
elliptical orbit that at one time crossed Neptune’s path. NASA
launched for the first time a trip to Pluto, known as the New
Horizon Mission. In nine years we will have the first pictures of
Pluto. There are three known dwarf planets, Pluto, Eris and
Ceres.
Odd-Ball pg. 9
Glossary
Appearance:
an object’s physical features or what an object looks like.
Astronomical Unit:
measures the distance from the Sun to a planet.
1 AU = 93 million miles away.
Atmosphere:
gaseous mass surrounding a celestial body.
Asteroid:
a piece of rock left over after the formation of the solar
system about 4.6 billion years ago.
Big Bang Theory:
states that a tiny hot ball contained everything in the
universe which exploded about 14 billion years ago.
Comet:
composed mainly of ice and dust, referred to as “dirty ice
balls” leftovers from the early formation of the solar
system.
Diameter:
a straight line measuring the center of a circle, from end
to end.
Distance:
the amount of space between two objects.
Dwarf Planet:
must orbit the Sun; must have nearly a round shape; and
has not cleared away objects in its neighborhood.
Gas Giants:
outer planets including Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and
Neptune.
Moon:
a small body orbiting around a planet.
Orbit:
to move or travel around in a curved path. For
example, the Earth orbits around the Sun in 365.25 days.
Page 10
Planet: must
orbit the Sun; be massive enough that its own gravity
pulls it into a nearly round shape; and be dominant
enough to clear away objects in its neighborhood.
Prograde rotation:
counterclockwise, rotation of most planets.
Retrograde rotation:
clockwise rotation which is considered “backwards”
rotations compared to most planets. Venus, Uranus and
Pluto all rotate in retrograde or in retrograde.
Rotate:
to turn around in on its axis or in one place.
Solar System:
a star with planets, asteroids and comets orbiting
around it.
Star:
a glowing ball of burning gases.
Sun:
a medium size star.
Terrestrial planet:
inner planets including Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
Page 11
TERRESTRIAL VERSUS GAS GIANTS
1.INNER PLANETS
1.OUTER PLANETS
2. ROCKY
2. GASEOUS
3. SOLID SURFACE
3. NO SOLID SURFACE
4. SMALL MASSES
4. LARGE MASSES
5. SLOW ROTATION
5. FASTROTATION
6. FAST ORBIT
6. SLOW ORBIT
7. FEW/NO MOONS
7. LOTS OF MOONS
8. NO RINGS
8. MANY RINGS
Page 12
SEVEN LARGEST MOONS
Moon:
Diameter:
What planet does
the moon orbit
around?
1.Ganymede
3,280 miles
Jupiter
2.Titan
3,200 miles
Saturn
3.Callisto
2,985 miles
Jupiter
4.Io
2,255 miles
Jupiter
5. The Moon
2,160 miles
Earth
6.Europa
1,950 miles
Jupiter
7.Triton
1,683 miles
Neptune
Page 13
Appendix E
Teacher’s Guidebook
An Astronomer’s Guide
Through The Solar
System
Teacher’s Guidebook
Name:____________________________
Table of Contents
1st Planet: Mercury………………………………………….pg. 1
2nd Planet: Venus……………………………………………pg. 2
3rd Planet: Earth……………………………………………..pg. 3
4th Planet: Mars……………………………………………..pg. 4
5th Planet: Jupiter……………………………………….…...pg. 5
6th Planet: Saturn……………………………………………pg. 6
7th Planet: Uranus………………………...…………………pg. 7
8th Planet: Neptune…………………….……………………pg. 8
9th Dwarf Planet: Pluto……………...………………………pg. 9
Glossary………………………………………………..pg. 10-11
Terrestrial Versus Gas Giants……………………………...pg. 12
Seven Largest Moons in the Solar System………………..pg. 13
1ST PLANET: MERCURY
1. Rotate:
3. Diameter:
88days
2. Orbit:
59 days
4,222 miles
4. Distance from the Sun: 36 million miles
5. Appearance/Surface: Heavily cratered, rocky, and yellowbrown.
6. Atmosphere: Yes
No
7. Can we live on this planet?
Yes
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
And if so, how many moons? 0
No
No
9. Fun Facts: Mercury is the smallest terrestrial planet. Mercury
is the 2nd hottest and coldest planet in our solar system. Mercury
is also the fastest orbiting planet because it’s the closest to the
Sun and it has a shorter distance to travel.
Terrestrial Planet pg. 1
2nd PLANET: VENUS
1. Rotate:
243 days
2.Orbit:
225 days
(IN RETROGRADE)
3. Diameter:
7,523 miles
4. Distance from the Sun:
67 million miles
5. Appearance/Surface: Rocky surface with thick cloudy yellow
atmosphere.
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet?
No
Yes
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
And if so, how many moons? 0
No
No
9. Fun Facts: Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system
because its gases in its atmosphere trap heat creating an intense
greenhouse effect. Venus has the slowest retrograde rotation
because scientists think something hit it or because of the
powerful Sun’s gravity. Venus is also Earth’s “sister planet”
because of their similar diameter.
Terrestrial Planet pg. 2
3rd PLANET: EARTH
1. Rotate:
3. Diameter:
1 day
2. Orbit:
1 year
9, 726 miles
4. Distance from the Sun:
93 million miles = 1 AU
5. Appearance/Surface: blue water, white clouds, and
brown patches of land.
6. Atmosphere: Yes
OR
7. Can we live on this planet?
No
Yes
OR
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
And if so, how many moons? 1
No
OR
No
9. Fun Facts: Earth is the only planet that has life on it that we
know of. It is the most active planet in our solar system. Earth is
the largest terrestrial planet but not the largest planet in our solar
system.
Terrestrial Planet pg.
3
4th PLANET: MARS
1. Rotate: 1 day and 37 minutes. 2. Orbit:
3. Diameter:
1.2 years
4,222 miles
4. Distance from the Sun:
142 million miles
5. Appearance/Surface: red-brown rocky surface
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet:
No
Yes
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
And if so, how many moons? 2
No
No
9. Fun Facts: Mars use to have water on it! Mars has very small
traces of Oxygen in its atmosphere. Mars has the biggest
volcano in our solar system called Olympus Mons. Mars is also
known as the “Red Planet.”
Terrestrial Planet pg. 4
5th PLANET: JUPITER
1.Rotate:
9 hours and 55 minutes
3. Diameter:
2. Orbit:
12 years
88, 846 miles
4.Distance from the Sun:
483 million miles
5.Appearance/Surface: Great Red Spot, swirling stripes of gases
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet:
No
Yes
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
And if so, how many moons? At least 63
No
No
9. Fun Facts: Jupiter is the BIGGEST planet in our solar system.
Jupiter rotates the fastest and has crazy weather. Jupiter has a
Great Red Spot which is a constant tornado. Jupiter's has some
of the most unique and biggest moons in the solar system
(Ganymede, Callisto, Io, Europa).
Gas Giants pg. 5
6th PLANET: SATURN
1.Rotate: 10 hours and 13 minutes 2. Orbit:
3. Diameter/Size:
29.4 years
74, 898 miles
4.Distance from the Sun:
888 million miles
5.Appearance/Surface: Rings, smooth gaseous, yellowish,
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet:
No
Yes
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
And if so, how many moons?
31
No
No
9. Fun Facts: Saturn’s density is less dense than that of water.
Therefore, Saturn is the only gas giant that could float in a
bathtub of water, if such a thing existed. Saturn is known for its
fabulous rings, which are made of ice, rock, and dust particles.
Gas Giants pg. 6
7th PLANET: URANUS
1.Rotate:
17. 2 hours
2. Orbit:
84 years
(SIDEWAYS and IN RETROGRADE)
3. Diameter:
31, 763 miles
4.Distance from the Sun:
1,784 million miles
5.Appearance/Surface: Green-blue smooth surface, thin rings
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet:
No
Yes
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
And if so, how many moons? 27
No
No
9. Fun Facts: Uranus rotates on its side and goes in retrograde.
Evidence suggests that rock and ice may exist underneath
Uranus atmosphere. Like all the gas giants, Uranus has rings but
you can't see them because they are thin.
Gas Giants pg. 7
8th PLANET: NEPTUNE
1.Rotate: 16 hours and 17 minutes 2. Orbit: 165 years
3. Diameter:
30,775 miles
4.Distance from the Sun:
2,794 million miles
5.Appearance/Surface: Darker blue, Great Dark Spot, small
cloud formation
6. Atmosphere: Yes
OR
7. Can we live on this planet:
No
Yes
OR
No
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes OR No
And if so, how many moons? 13
9. Fun Facts: Neptune has the fastest winds in the solar system;
reaching up to 1,200 mph. Neptune has a “Great Dark Spot,”
which is a tornado.
Gas Giants pg. 8
9th PLANET: PLUTO
1.Rotate: 6 days and 9 hours 2. Orbit:
3. Diameter:
250 years
1,485 miles
4.Distance from the Sun:
3,647 million miles
5.Appearance/Surface: Haven’t been there yet/ No Pictures
6. Atmosphere: Yes
7. Can we live on this planet:
No
Yes
No
8. Does this planet have any moons? Yes
No
And if so, how many moons? 3
9. Fun Facts: Pluto is the coldest planet in our solar system (-378
to -396 degrees Fahrenheit). Pluto's atmosphere sometimes
freezes because it is so cold. Pluto is the smallest planet and is
even smaller than the seven largest moons. It has a weird
elliptical orbit that at one time crossed Neptune’s path. NASA
launched for the first time a trip to Pluto, known as the New
Horizon Mission. In nine years, we will have the first pictures of
Pluto. There are three known dwarf planets, Pluto, Eris and
Ceres.
Odd-Ball pg. 9
GLOSSARY
Appearance:
an object’s physical features or what an object looks like.
Astronomical Unit:
measures the distance from the Sun to a planet.
1 AU = 93 million miles away.
Atmosphere:
gaseous mass surrounding a celestial body.
Asteroid:
a piece of rock left over after the formation of the solar
system about 4.6 billion years ago.
Big Bang Theory:
states that a tiny hot ball contained everything in the
universe which exploded about 14 billion years ago.
Comet:
composed mainly of ice and dust, referred to as “dirty ice
balls” leftovers from the early formation of the solar
system.
Diameter:
a straight line measuring the center of a circle, from end
to end.
Distance:
the amount of space between two objects.
Dwarf Planet:
must orbit the Sun; must have nearly a round shape; and
has not cleared away objects in its neighborhood.
Gas Giants:
outer planets including Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and
Neptune.
Moon:
a small body orbiting around a planet.
Orbit:
to move or travel around in a curved path. For
example, the Earth orbits around the Sun in 365.25 days.
Page 10
Planet:
must orbit the Sun; be massive enough that its own
gravity pulls it into a nearly round shape; and be
dominant enough to clear away objects in its
neighborhood.
Prograde rotation:
counterclockwise, rotation of most planets.
Retrograde rotation:
clockwise rotation which is considered “backwards”
rotations compared to most planets. Venus, Uranus and
Pluto all rotate in retrograde or in retrograde.
Rotate:
to turn around in on its axis or in one place.
Solar System:
a star with planets, asteroids and comets orbiting
around it.
Star:
a glowing ball of burning gases.
Sun:
a medium size star.
Terrestrial planet:
inner planets including Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
Page 11
TERRESTRIAL VERSUS GAS GIANTS
1.INNER PLANETS
1.OUTER PLANETS
2. ROCKY
2. GASEOUS
3. SOLID SURFACE
3. NO SOLID SURFACE
4. SMALL MASSES
4. LARGE MASSES
5. SLOW ROTATION
5. FASTROTATION
6. FAST ORBIT
6. SLOW ORBIT
7. FEW/NO MOONS
7. LOTS OF MOONS
8. NO RINGS
8. MANY RINGS
Page 12
SEVEN LARGEST MOONS
Moon:
Diameter:
What planet does
the moon orbit
around?
1.Ganymede
3,280 miles
Jupiter
2.Titan
3,200 miles
Saturn
3.Callisto
2,985 miles
Jupiter
4.Io
2,255 miles
Jupiter
5. The Moon
2,160 miles
Earth
6.Europa
1,950 miles
Jupiter
7.Triton
1,683 miles
Neptune
Page 13
Appendix F
Suggested Questions
For
Solar System Game
NAME:__________________________
SOLAR SYSTEM GAME QUESTIONS
1. What planet do we live on?
2. What is the biggest planet?
3. How many planets do we have in our solar system?
4. What is the smallest planet?
5. What planet is known as the “Red Planet?”
6. What planet is the farthest away from the Sun?
7. What planet has the Red Spot?
8. What planet is the closest to the Sun?
9. What is the hottest planet in our solar system?
10. What planet has the fastest winds in its atmosphere?
11. What planet has no atmosphere?
12. Which planet has the Dark Spot?
13. What are the Red Spot and Dark Spot?
14. What planet can float in a bathtub?
15. What planets do not have rings?
16. What planet has the most Moons?
17. What are Saturn’s rings made out of ?
18. Why does Uranus appear to rotate on its side?
19. Why is Venus so Hot?
20. How long does it take Earth to rotate?
21. How long does it take Earth to revolve?
22. Can you list the planets in order?
23. Can you show the planet hand signals in order?
NAME:__________________________
SOLAR SYSTEM GAME QUESTIONS
1. What planet do we live on? [Expected Response: Earth]
2. What is the biggest planet? [Expected Response: Jupiter]
3. How many planets do we have in our solar system? [Expected Response: 8
planets and 3 dwarf planets]
4. What is the smallest planet? [Expected Response: Pluto]
5. What planet is known as the “Red Planet?” [Expected Response: Mars]
6. What planet is the farthest away from the Sun? [Expected Response: Pluto]
7. What planet has the Red Spot? [Expected Response: Jupiter]
8. What planet is the closest to the Sun? [Expected Response: Mercury]
9. What is the hottest planet in our solar system? [Expected Response: Venus]
10. What planet has the fastest winds in its atmosphere? [Expected Response:
Neptune]
11. What planet has no atmosphere? [Expected Response: Mercury]
12. Which planet has the Dark Spot? [Expected Response: Jupiter]
13. What are the Red Spot and Dark Spot? [Expected Response: Tornado]
14. What planet can float in a bathtub? [Expected Response: Saturn]
15. What planets do not have rings? [Expected Response: terrestrial planets,
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars]
16. What planet has the most Moons? [Expected Response: Jupiter]
17. What are Saturn’s rings made out of? [Expected Response: Rocks, ice, dust]
18. Why does Uranus appear to rotate on its side? [Expected Response: In the
early formation of the solar system, Uranus was struck by a large object
that forced Uranus to rotate backwards with a severe tilt.]
19. Why is Venus so Hot? [Expected Response: Greenhouse Effect]
20. How long does it take Earth to rotate? [Expected Response: 1 day]
21. How long does it take Earth to revolve? [Expected Response: 1 year]
22. Can you list the planets in order? [Expected Response: Mercury, Venus,
Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto]
23. Can you show the planet hand signals in order? [Expected Response:
MVEMJSUNP]