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WOW Game Title: Zooming Through the Solar System
Content Area: Science
TEKS Focus: Our Solar System
Physical Education Unit: Physical Fitness, Toss, Catch
Grade: 4
Resource: Gracie Bouls, Roberta Rodriguez, and Rick Zuniga
Equipment/Materials: Poly spots, track, water fountain, parachute, tennis balls, large playground balls, 2
large cones, hula hoops for each student, small blue objects (wadded up blue paper), ping pong balls and
paddles.
Set Up:
Mercury: poly spots scattered on the blacktop.
Mars: Place tennis balls on top of a parachute. Students hold edge of parachute.
Jupiter: Place large cone next to large playground balls then place another large cone 30 feet away. You
may use soccer goals instead of cones.
Saturn: one hula hoop for each student scattered in play area
Neptune: Students stand face to face with a partner, with one partner holding a small blue object.
Pluto: each student has one ping pong ball and paddle, may need to use classroom desks, or table
Activity:
All students start at the sun (classroom) and move through the solar system completing each task.
Mercury- Spots on Planet: Using poly spots student will walk on “craters”.
Venus- Hottest Planet: Students will run on the track as they “orbit” in the sunlight.
Earth- Contains water: Water break after Venus laps.
Mars- Volcano: Olympus Mons: Using parachute to simulate eruptions. Place tennis balls on top of a
parachute. Students hold edge of parachute. On teacher command, students lift the parachute and
quickly bring it back down. The tennis balls will pop up like a volcano eruption.
Jupiter- Largest Planet: Students will relocate large playground balls or similar balls from point A to point
B.
Saturn- Ringed Planet: Students hula hoop.
Uranus- Tilted Axis: Balancing skills; Students balance on various body parts one foot, one foot and one
hand, one hand and two feet etc.
Neptune- Blue Planet: Tossing/Catching of blue objects
Pluto- Small Size: Ping Pong Ball and paddle skills: Students tap the ping pong ball downward/upward
with the ping pong paddle. Students hit the ping pong ball back and forth to a partner.
Variations:
 Teachers may choose to have the students move through the planets all on one day or break it up
over several days. Each Planet will have its own set up and can be individual activities.
Review Questions:
Skill focus: Name one physical skill you practiced. Did your heart rate increase during the activity?
Academic focus: Name the planets in the solar system.