Download Lesson Plan Title: Solar System Web quest

Lesson Plan Title: Solar System Web quest
*Assistive Techonolgy is listed below in
pink font
Concept/Topic to Teach: Planets
Standards Addressed:
AL.SC.4.1
STANDARD: Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations.
AL.SC.4.2
STANDARD: Use appropriate tools and technology resources to gather, analyze, and
interpret data. Example: calculators, microscopes, cameras, sound recorders, computers,
hand lenses, rulers, thermometers, meter sticks, timing devices, balances, compasses,
maps
AL.SC.4.35
STANDARD: Describe the basic components of the solar system. Example: planets,
moons, asteroids, comets, sun, meteors
AL.SC.4.36
STANDARD: Compare the relative scale of the Earth to other components of the solar
system.
AL.SC.4.40
STANDARD: Compare stars, planets, and moons.
Specific Objectives:
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The students will:
Develop research skills
Use oral language through participation in group discussions
Develop technological skills by using the internet
Create a PowerPoint on the information gathered through the web quest
Required Materials:
Teacher materials: computer, pictures of planets, web quest mission to assist students,
United Streaming video called Space Exploration: Our Solar System (saved under
favorites on the computer for easy assess)
Student materials: computer with internet access, web quest directions, web quest
checklist, and pencil
Anticipatory Set (Lead-In):
To grab the students' attention, I will show them the pictures of the different planets. I will ask
the students to discuss the differences in the planets. Then I will ask some questions like:
 What do you think these pictures
 Where would you see these?
are showing?
 How do you know that?
 What are the differences among them?
 Do you have an idea what would cause them
to look different?
Then I will tell them that today we are going to research the different planets by going on a web
quest. I will explain to the students it is very similar to an Internet scavenger hunt. I will tell the
students that they are going to work in groups to research, and discuss the different planets they
will be learning about. I will explain to them that they will create a PowerPoint to show what
they have learned about their planet.
Step-By-Step Procedures for Teaching the Lesson:
I will begin by stating the purpose of why we are learning about our solar system. During this
lesson, we are going to learn about the planets. We will research their location and
characteristics while discovering new facts just like real scientists. We will discuss the size of
the planets and who the planets were named after. We will discuss how many moons each planet
has, and how long it would take us to get there. In a class discussion, we will compare the
similarities and differences in the planets. I will use Kidspiration to make a concept map to help
me organize how I am going to present this lesson.
I am now going to read a book called, The Planets in our Solar System By: Franklyn M. Branley.
I will ask the following questions:
What did you learn about the planets in our solar system?
What did you hear in the story that you already knew about the planets?
What is the most interesting thing you learned about our solar system?
Vocabulary words will be used throughout the lesson. We will stop the lesson and discuss these
words, so the students understand their meaning and importance. Some words we will explore
are:
1. axis
4. orbit
7. sun
2. galaxy
5. planet
8. universe
3. moon
6. star
9. astronomer
These words will also be put on our classroom word wall.
I will show the students the pictures that I used earlier (as visual aids) of different things in our
solar system, and ask them if they have learned anything about the different pictures. I will also
allow them to tell some facts they might know about our planets that we did not read in our book.
We will have many pictures, posters, and drawings relating to space placed around our
classroom.
I will now show them the United Streaming video called Space Exploration: Our Solar System.
It is now time to start on our web quest. Students will go to the website
http://teach.fcps.net/trt8/SolarSystem/Planets.htm to complete their web quest. I will explain the
web quest to my students, and show them the PowerPoint I completed to provide my students
with a visual aid of what the completed product should look like.
Students will gather the materials needed to perform the web quest. We will be divided into
cooperative student groups to ensure that everyone gets an equal opportunity to participate in the
web quest. Each group will receive their task or mission, Internet access, planet worksheet, web
quest checklist, pencil. Each group will be assigned a planet.
Group 1- Mercury
Group 2- Venus
Group 3- Mars
Group 4- Jupiter
Group 5- Saturn
Group 6- Uranus
Group 7-Neptune
The groups will write on their paper what planet they are researching. I will also guide the
students in locating the correct websites and answering the first question so they can see a
demonstration of what they should be doing. Students should be recording the information they
discover on their planet worksheet. I have screen enlargers on some of my computers to serve as
an assistive technology to work like a magnifying glass for the computer by enlarging a portion
of the screen which can increase legibility and make it easier to see items on the computer. Some
screen enlargers allow a person to zoom in and out on a particular area of the screen.
Guided Practice/Monitoring:
I will guide my students through this lesson by demonstrating with our planet, Earth, what the
students will be doing when completing their Planet Power Point. I am going to use Earth as the
example because the students will all be assigned other planets besides Earth. We will learn
about our planet all together.
I will now model how to create your PowerPoint by showing specifics steps in what I want my
students to do. I will show them the PowerPoint that I prepared again, so they can see exactly
what I expect of them.
Now that the information is gathered from the web quest, it is time to create the Power Point.
I will check for understanding by moving around the room to assist my students in any questions
they may have, and to make sure they are completing the Power Point in the correct form.
After creating the Planet power point, the students will share the information they gathered in an
oral presentation to the classroom while using their PowerPoint to support their statements.
Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set):
Let's talk about what we have learned about planets. Who can tell me something interesting
about planets? Who can tell me something they learned and did not already know about their
planet?
We will continue our discussion on the solar system next week. We will continue exploring
different parts of our solar system. We will also use the information gathered about the planets
to play a game for a follow up activity.
Assessment Based on Objectives: 
The students will:
 Develop research skills with 85% accuracy
 Use oral language through participation in group discussions with 95% accuracy
 Develop technological skills by using the internet with 90% accuracy
 Create a PowerPoint on the information gathered through the web quest with 95%
accuracy
Adaptations (For Students With Special Needs):
I will modify my lesson for ADHD students by placing them in a group with an advanced
student to try and keep them on task. I will put them in the best place that is free of
distractions. I will constantly walk around to ensure the student is staying on task. I
will provide them with additional assistance.
Extensions (For Advanced Students):
For advanced students, I will have them locate additional research on planets and they
will complete an oral report that will be shared with the other advanced students in
my room. They will discuss the information they learned in a cooperative group.
Possible Connections to Other Subjects:
 Math - Plot the number of moons each planet has on a line graph
 Social Studies - Explain the history of certain planets to students
 Writing - Have students write about what they would have to wear
on the planet that
they researched and why
Reflection:
The solar system web quest lesson went really great. The students really enjoyed this project.
The students got to explore the Internet which they loved. I wanted them to treat this lesson
like a real life scavenger hunt, but the only difference was the use of technology to perform the
hunt. The students learned so many great facts about their assigned planet which they got to
share with the other students. The students worked well together. After going over what we
would be doing in the computer lab, I circulated the room helping the students if they needed
assistance. The students really liked viewing the pictures of the planets and talking about the
characteristics of each. The students gave an oral report with the PowerPoint to the class on their
findings, so that they could all learn about the different planets. I also thought this was a really
great topic to integrate other subjects. The students even did it some which showed me they
really had learned things from their space web quest lesson. I believe next time I might allow the
students to research certain topics on each of the planets instead of doing one planet per group.
Some of the students seemed very interested in certain planets that they did not get to research
themselves. However, I provided additional time when they went to the computer lab to research
the planets they were not assigned. When I closed my lesson, I asked the students something they
had learned, but did not already know about their planet. Most students raised their hands which
made me really happy. I believe next time I might allow the students to research certain topics
on each planet instead of doing one per group. Some of the students seemed very interested in
certain planets that they did not get to research themselves. However, I provided additional time
when they went to the computer lab to research the planet they were not assigned.
PLANET WEBQUEST
CHECKLIST
Name of each astronaut on the crew to planet _________________:
_________________, _________________ and ________________.
We designed a slide for each different topic on our planet. _____
We completed the web quest as a group with each person contributing. _____
We completed the worksheet by collecting information from the web quest, website,
and other resources about our planet. _____
We had a minimum of 5 slides for our planet. _____
We added a minimum of 3 pictures to our PowerPoint. ______
We used complete sentences, correct punctuation and capital letters. _____
We used technology to gather and organize information. _____
We described our planet and its features in our PowerPoint. _____
We presented our PowerPoint to the class as a group. _____
While presenting, we remembered to:
_____use a loud, clear voice.
_____look at the audience.
We provided our peers with a clear understanding of the planet we researched. _____