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Download Lesson #1: Introduction to the Solar System
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Earth and Space Science Lesson #1: Introduction to the Solar System Time Frame: 1 session of 30 minutes, may take 2 sessions Learning Standards: The Earth in the Solar System 13) Recognize that the earth is part of a system called the “solar system” that includes the sun (a star), planets, and many moons. The earth is the third planet from the sun in our solar system. Skills of Inquiry: - work together in a group to create their replica of the solar system Student will be able to: Learn about what the solar system contains: sun, stars, planets, and moons. Be able to place the different parts of the solar system in relation to the distance from each other. Background Information for Teacher: The Solar System consists of the Sun and those celestial objects bound to it by gravity, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The Sun's retinue of objects circle it in a nearly flat disc called the ecliptic plane, most of the mass of which is contained within eight relatively solitary planets whose orbits are almost circular. The four smaller inner planets; Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, also called the terrestrial planets, are primarily composed of rock and metal. The four outer planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, also called the gas giants, are composed largely of hydrogen and helium and are far more massive than the terrestrials. The Solar System is also home to two main belts of small bodies. The asteroid belt, which lies between Mars and Jupiter, is similar to the terrestrial planets as it is composed mainly of rock and metal. The Kuiper belt (and its subpopulation, the scattered disc), which lies beyond Neptune's orbit, is composed mostly of ices such as water, ammonia and methane. Within these belts, five individual objects, Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake and Eris, are recognized to be large enough to have been rounded by their own gravity, and are thus termed dwarf planets. The hypothetical Oort cloud, which acts as the source for long-period comets, may also exist at a distance roughly a thousand times beyond these regions. Within the Solar System, various populations of small bodies, such as comets, centaurs and interplanetary dust, freely travel between these regions, while the solar wind, a flow of plasma from the Sun, creates a bubble in the interstellar medium known as the heliosphere, which extends out to the edge of the scattered disc. Six of the planets and three of the dwarf planets are orbited by natural satellites, usually termed "moons" after Earth's Moon. Each of the outer planets is encircled by planetary rings of dust and other particles. Anticipatory Set: Split the students into four groups and pass out materials. Explain to the that they will be constructing their own solar system with clay. They will decide where the different parts of the solar system go in relation to each other. Activity: 1. Ask the question "what do you know about the planets?" Get students to brainstorm about this question. 2. Explain to the students that you can study astronomy through the use of models. The students will be creating a model of the solar system using clay to represent different planets and other objects in the solar system (asteroids, moons, etc.). The students can use as much or as little of the clay their group is provided. Students may use their books or previous knowledge to try to make an accurate model for the solar system. Tell students that their models should represent the true size and scale of the solar system. 3. Allow 15-20 minutes for the students to build their models. During this time students should also pick a spokesperson to explain the model to the rest of the class. Closure: Lead a class discussion about the models: 1) What are the strengths of our models? 2) What are the weaknesses of our models? 3) How are our models different from the real solar system? 4) How are our models similar to the real solar system? Explain to the students that 99% of the mass of the solar system is found in the Sun. That leaves only 1% for the rest of the solar system. In other words, for the models to be an accurate representation in terms of mass, 99 grams of clay would be needed to represent the Sun, and only 1 gram could be used for all of the planets, 59 moons, and thousands of asteroids. Hold up 99 grams of yellow clay for the Sun and 1 gram of gray clay that represents everything else in the solar system. It is hard to believe isn't it? Explain to students that over the course of the next unit, they will be building upon these models and correcting them based on what they learn. Assessment: Group participation in project and class discussion. Resources and Materials: For each group of 4 students: 50 grams of gray clay, 100 grams of yellow clay, 50 grams of green clay, 50 grams of blue clay, 50 grams of red clay, a balance.