Download Planet Travel Brochure

Planet Travel Brochure
Date Due:
Friday, December 5th
Getting Started:
Students will give me on Tuesday, November 4th their first three choices of a
planet. I will tell them before the end of the day, which planet they will be doing.
This will give us somebody doing ALL of the 9 planets. I am still including Pluto as a
planet.
Get to know your planet. Read as much information about the planet as you can find.
You will need at least 5 resources. Try the Internet, Library and our classroom
library. If you need help with Internet resources, please see me as quickly as
possible.
As you’re reading about your planet, take notes on key information, such as your
planet’s size, temperature range, its position in the Solar System, moons,
atmosphere, any unusual features, when it was discovered, etc. You will need to
turn in at least 15 note cards with your final brochure.
They will have some time in class to work on their research. I will teach them how
to do the note cards in class. We will take time during class Writing time to work on
writing notes. You can use your laptop to research your planet!
The actual travel brochure will need to be done at home. This will be their
homework assignment starting November 18th, other than Math, through December
5th.
Travel Brochure:
I will give you an 8x14 (legal) piece of paper. Fold it into 4ths (hot dog style.) This
will give you 8 sections (front and back.)
Section 1:
Name of your planet, your name and a drawing of your planet’s appearance
Section 2:
Position in the Solar System: Where is your planet located (for example, Earth is
the third planet from the Sun)? How far from the Sun does it orbit?
Orbit: How long does it take for your planet to orbit the Sun? (This is one year on
Earth.) Is its orbit unusual?
Rotation on its Axis: How long does it take for your planet to rotate on its own
axis? (This is one day on Earth.)
Appearance of your Planet: What does your planet look like? Are there any special
things on your planet?
BE SPECIFIC!
Section 3:
Size: How big is your planet? How does it rate in terms of the other planets in
terms of size (is it the biggest, the smallest)? Mass: What is your planet’s mass?
How does its mass rate in terms of the other planets (is it the biggest, the
smallest)?
Moons: If there are moons orbiting your planet, describe each of them and when
they were discovered.
Rings: If there are rings orbiting your planet, describe them and when they were
discovered.
BE SPECIFIC!
Section 4:
Composition of your Planet: What type of planet is it (is it rocky or a gas planet)?
What is its internal composition?
Gravity: What is the force of gravity at the surface your planet? (For example,
what would a 100-pound person weigh on your planet)?
Atmosphere: What is the composition of the atmosphere of your planet? Is it a
thick or a thin atmosphere?
Temperature: What is the temperature range on your planet? How does this
compare to the temperature on Earth?
BE SPECIFIC!
Section 5:
Discovery of your Planet:
The planets that are not visible using the naked eye were discovered after the
invention of the telescope (these are Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.) Tell when your
planet was discovered and by whom. Is there anything interesting about how your
planet was discovered? BE SPECIFIC!
Section 6:
How would a Human Being live on your planet:
On your planet, would a person choke in the atmosphere, be squashed by the
extreme gravity, float with ease, freeze, burn up, or something else? Be CREATIVE
in how you describe this, but SPECIFIC, as well.
Section 7:
Something Special:
Is there anything special about your planet? This can often be the best part of this
brochure, taking you off on interesting topics. For example, are there 100-year long
storms on your planet? Are there giant volcanoes? Does your planet have a very
titled axis (giving it extreme seasons)? Have spacecraft visited your planet? If so,
what have they discovered? Is you planet in an orbit with another solar body? BE
CREATIVE.
Section 8:
Cite your references (Bibliography), at least five:
List all of your references in appropriate format (see below.)
Formats for each type of publication follows (there are different formats for
different types of media):
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•
•
•
Internet: Author(s) if appropriate. Title of site or web page. URL of site,
date of publication (the earliest copyright year listed).
ZoomAstronomy.com would be cited as follows:
Col, Jeananda. ZoomAstronomy.com. http://www.ZoomAstronomy.com 1999.
Book: Author(s). Title of book. Location of publisher: Name of Publisher, year
of publication.
Simon, Seymour. Destination: Jupiter. New York: Harper Trophy, 2000.
Encyclopedia: Title of encyclopedia, volume of encyclopedia used. Location of
publisher: Name of publisher, year of publication, pages where the article is
located.
Britannica Editors. Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 1. London, Encyclopdia
Britannica, Inc., pages 245-256.
Magazine or journal: Author(s). “Title of article.” Name of magazine, Volume,
Issue (date): pages where the article is located.
Lemonick, Michael D. “Souped Up Telescope.” Time, Volume 170, October 8,
2007: pages 25-28.
Author(s) are listed: last name, first name or initials
Grading Rubric:
Turned in on time:
10 points
Minimum of 15 note cards:
10 points
Presentation:
20 points
Legible writing (typed is OK),
well organized, minimal spelling errors
Sections 1 – 8:
20 points for each section
(total of 160 points)
Total points possible:
200 points