Download PLANET WARM UP

Name:_________________________________________ Date: ________________________ Block: ________
SOLAR SYSTEM MODEL ACTIVITY
Procedures:
1. Color the planets with the following color scheme:
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Mercury = gray
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Saturn = yellow and orange stripes
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Venus = yellow
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Uranus = green
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Earth = blue with green
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Neptune = blue
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Mars = red
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Pluto = brown
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Jupiter = red and orange stripes
2. Put your name and block on the back of Jupiter.
3. Cut out the planets and line them up in order on your desk with the colored side up. Have them as
close together as you can get them.
4. Using scotch tape, tape the planets together applying the tape sticky side down right on top of the
colored side of the planets. You will use 5 short pieces of tape. Follow the instructions below to
minimize the amount of tape you use.
5. Start by taping the inner planets to Jupiter with one piece of tape.
6. Then using small pieces, tape together Jupiter to Saturn. Saturn to Uranus. Uranus to Neptune.
Neptune to Pluto.
7. Now you can tape your model anywhere in the room. Avoid the cement walls as the tape doesn’t like to
hold there.
8. If you have time, see your teacher for instructions to make a distance scale model.
Conclusion: After a class discussion about the distances between the planets, answer the questions below.
1. Why do you think the outer planets are so much farther apart than the inner planets?
________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Is there a correlation between planet size and how far it is from other planets? _______________________
3. What is the largest planet in the Solar System? _______________________________________________
4. Which planet is closest to the same size as Earth? _____________________________________________
5. What other two planets are very close in size? ________________________________________________
6. What do the Terrestrial Planets have in common? _____________________________________________
7. What do the Jovian Planets have in common? ________________________________________________
8. What does "Terrestrial" mean? ____________________________________________________________
9. What does "Jovian" mean? _______________________________________________________________
10. What is the smallest planet in the Solar System? _____________________________________________
Answer on a separate sheet of paperSolar System Model Questions:
1. Compare the solar system drawing you did as a warmup at the beginning of the chapter to the
actual scale sized models we completed last class. What was the same? What was different?
2. Why do you think the outer planets are so much farther apart than the inner planets?
3. Is there a correlation between planet size and how far it is from other planets?
4. What is the largest Planet in the Solar System?
5. Which planet is closest to the same size as Earth?
6. What other two planets are very close in size?
7. What do the Terrestrial Planets have in common?
8. What do the Jovian Planets have in common?
9. What does "Terrestrial" mean?
10. What does "Jovian" mean?