Download Lesson Plan for "Our Solar System: The Planets"

Our Solar System: The Planets
Title:
Our Solar System: The Planets
Objectives/National Standards:
National Science Education Standards
Unifying Concepts and Processes
 Form and function
Understandings About Scientific Inquiry
 Scientists rely on technology to enhance the gathering and manipulation of data
Earth and Space Science
 Objects in the Sky
Materials
This lesson is based on the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Teaching PosterExploring the Planets: An Introduction to Planetary Spacecraft:
http://www.nasm.si.edu/education/pubs/planetsposter.pdf
Grade Levels:
Grades 2nd through 6th grades
Engage:
Watch APT video, Our Solar System: The Planets.
Background Information:
How have scientists learned about the solar system? First, they looked up with the unaided
eye at night and observed the planets. For a better view, scientists looked through
telescopes and saw the rings of Saturn, the Great Red Spot of Jupiter, and the thick
clouds of Venus. However, the images offered little detail, and basic questions about the
nature of the planets’ surfaces remained unanswered. For example, the fuzzy images
made from Earth-based telescopes could not begin to reveal the detailed structure of
objects in space. Not even the Hubble Space Telescope, from its orbit above Earth’s
atmosphere, can provide images with as much detail as scientists need. To overcome the
limitations of observation from Earth, scientists and engineers built spacecraft to carry
cameras and other instruments to each planet under study. Called remote sensing, this
kind of investigation involves gathering information from a distance without actually
touching.
Extend:
Poster Activity from Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Additional Planet Activities:
This website is an overview of the history, mythology, and current scientific
knowledge of the planets, moons and other objects in our solar system.
The Nine 8 Planets for younger students is a simplified version of the
nineplanets.org website.
Course of Study:
Science (2005)
Grade 2
11.) Identify basic components of our solar system, including the sun, planets, and Earth's
moon
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Our Solar System: The Planets
Grade 5
11.) Compare distances from the sun to planets in our solar system.
11a.) Relating the size of Earth to the size of other planets in our solar system
11b.) Identifying technology used to study planets
Grade 6
10.) Describe components of the universe and their relationships to each other, including
stars, planets and their moons, solar systems, and galaxies.
Suggested Reading:
The Planets in Our Solar System (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 2), Franklyn M.
Branley
The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System, Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen (Illustrator)
The Planets, Martha E. H. Rustad
Planets!, Lisa Jo Rudy
A Book About Planets and Stars, Betty Polisar Reigot
Author:
Alabama Public Television
Date:
Created December 30, 2011
Last Updated April 12, 2011
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