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The Sun:
Our Star Attraction
from
A Spin Around the Solar System Series
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Maslowski Wildlife Productions
Teacher’s guide by...
Lauren LaComb
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Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Links to Curriculum Standards . . . . . . . .1
Summary of the Program . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Student Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Instructional Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Student Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Introducing the Program . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Follow-Up Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Extended Learning Activities . . . . . . . . .7
Internet Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Reference Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Script of Narration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
CC This video is closed captioned
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The Sun: Our Star Attraction
from A Spin Around the Solar System Series
Grades 5-8
Viewing Time: 15 minutes with a three-minute,
ten-question, Video Quiz
INTRODUCTION
This in-depth series covers a wide range of essential matters about the solar system. Such topics as planet formation, gravity, nuclear fusion, and the Big Bang theory are
presented concisely with the help of specially designed
graphics and animations. Each of the eight shows can be
presented as a free-standing lesson on its own, but the
shows also work together to reinforce important concepts
and to add breadth and depth to a student’s cumulative
knowledge.
LINKS TO CURRICULUM STANDARDS
This lesson correlates to the following standards, outlined
by the National Science Education Standards, for students in grades 5-8. Use individual state standard outlines to specify correlations to your state's guidelines.
Earth & Space Science (Content Standard D)
• Gravity is the force that keeps planets in orbit around the
sun and governs the rest of the motion of the Solar
System.
• The Sun is the major source of energy for the phenomena of the earth's surface
SUMMARY OF VIDEO
Our sun sits at the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy. It is a
medium-sized star, which is the center of our solar system. The sun's powerful gravity, an invisible force that
causes objects to attract one another, keeps the planets
1
in their orbits. The source of the sun's gravity is its size.
The laws of gravity state that larger objects have stronger
gravity than smaller ones. At the same time, inertia balances the gravity and prevents the planets from crashing
into the sun.
Life on Earth could not survive without the heat and light
energy from the sun. Light and heat energy are created
within the sun due to the process called nuclear fusion.
This process occurs in the core of the sun. The core has
a tremendous amount of pressure on it from hundreds of
thousands of miles of the sun's material surrounding it.
Gravity pulls this material towards the core.
The core is made of the lightest and simplest gas, hydrogen. Hydrogen, like all gases, will fit into whatever shape
that surrounds them. Gravity of the sun puts pressure on
these hydrogen atoms, making it very dense and heavy.
This pressure also makes the hydrogen extremely hot,
over 20 million degrees Farenheit. The combination of
the heat and pressure causes nuclear fusion.
Fusion occurs when atoms, which cannot be seen, are
welded together. Atoms look similar to a mini solar system. There is a big ball in the center, circled by smaller
balls. The center ball is the nucleus of the atom and the
smaller balls are the electrons of the atom. Normally,
atoms stay a certain distance apart from one another.
When atoms are heated, along with the immense pressure, they move wildly. Hydrogen atoms begin to crash
into one another, sometimes with such a force, the nuclei
weld to each other. This is nuclear fusion. When this
occurs, the two hydrogen atoms become helium, which is
a completely different gas. In addition, there are leftovers
from the process. One hundred pounds of hydrogen create 99 pounds of helium; this extra pound changes into
energy. Nuclear fusion also helps the sun keep its shape.
Gravity is pulling materials towards the core of the sun.
2
Nuclear fusion pushes outward. The sun is like a balloon,
where the pressure pushing out equals the pressure
pushing in.
This energy created is mostly in the form of gamma rays,
which are deadly to life. This energy takes a long journey
to the sun's surface, and along the way, it changes form.
Granules carry the core's energy to the photosphere, the
surface of the sun. These granules are giant bubbles of
boiling gas. By the time the energy reaches the photosphere, it has changed from gamma rays to heat, light, and
other forms of energy. The dark spots, known as sunspots found on the photosphere, are cooler than the surface. There are also fierce storms on the photosphere,
which send huge flares out tens of thousands of miles.
The largest flares are called prominences.
Light travels from the sun at the rate of 186,000 miles per
second (the speed of light). It takes eight and one-half
minutes for sunlight to cross the 93 million mile journey
from the sun to Earth. Light and heat are not the only
energies we receive from the sun. The sun pours magnetism, ultraviolet, radio waves, and many other energy
waves that humans cannot sense. The sun also sends off
solar wind. Humans can see this wind known as the
"aurora lights," which is the solar wind interacting with the
earth's magnetic field.
The sun's energy reaches the limits of our solar system.
It is a middle-aged star that will grow old in, perhaps, five
billion years from now. Until then, we will live off the heat
and light energy that the sun provides for us.
Notes:
Underlined words are identified vocabulary words to
enhance student understanding. Additional posters,
books, and magazines about the sun would enhance this
program.
3
VOCABULARY
Milky Way Galaxy
orbits
energy
atoms
nucleus
granules
star
heat
core
dense
nuclei
sunspots
gravity
light
pressure
weld
helium
electrons
inertia
nuclear fusion
hydrogen
photosphere
gamma rays
prominences
STUDENT OBJECTIVES
After viewing the program and participating in the followup activities, students should be able to:
• Define key terminology and utilize context.
• Explain the effects gravity has on the sun, Earth, and
solar system.
• Identify the sun as a middle-aged star.
• Explain the process of nuclear fusion that occurs within
the sun.
• Explain how energy created from nuclear fusion is
brought to the Earth.
• Identify the photosphere and core of the sun.
INSTRUCTIONAL NOTES
Before presenting this lesson to your students, we suggest that you preview the program, review the guide, and
the accompanying blackline master activities in order to
familiarize yourself with their content.
As you review the materials presented in this guide, you
may find it necessary to make some changes, additions
or deletions to meet the specific needs of your class. We
encourage you to do so; for only by tailoring this program
to your class will they obtain the maximum instructional
benefits afforded by the materials.
4
An optional pre-test is provided on Blackline Master 2,
Anticipation Guide. This will help you determine the
level of student comprehension prior to participating in
this lesson. An answer key begins on page 9 of this
Teacher's Guide.
This program concludes with a ten-question Video Quiz,
which may be used to gauge student comprehension
immediately after the presentation of the program.
Blackline Master 3, Video Quiz, provides students with
a printed copy of the questions and a list from which to
choose correct answers.
STUDENT PREPARATION
You may want the students to view the vocabulary words
addressed in the program prior to showing the program.
This may be accomplished by implementing a Word
Splash. A Word Splash is an active learning activity that
introduces to the students vocabulary words to which they
will be exposed in the program. By doing this activity, students are given the chance to show what words they
know well, and become aware the words they need to find
meaning. This is a good pre- and post-activity. It excites
the students and gets them thinking. Writing all of the
vocabulary words on an overhead does this (see
Blackline Master 1) or individually on pieces of paper.
Have students create sentences using as many words as
possible. This may be done individually, in partners, or in
small groups. Have the students share their sentences
and post them. By exposing the students to vocabulary
prior to viewing the program, students will be prepared to
listen for these words in the program. Additionally, they
will want to find the correct meaning.
Note:
Word Splash may be done at the conclusion of the entire
lesson, to compare learning accomplished by students.
5
INTRODUCING THE VIDEO
Ask students to share what they know about the sun.
Encourage scientific thinking. Instruct the students that
they will complete Blackline Master 2, Anticipation
Guide on this concept prior to viewing the program.
Explain that they are not expected to get all answers correct, but they are expected to try their best.
Present the program. The length of the program is 15
minutes followed by a three-minute video quiz.
FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES
The following Blackline Activity Master sheets are included with this guide. They correlate with the learning objectives outlined on page one of this guide. You may replicate and distribute them as needed.
Following the program, students may have additional
questions. The facilitator may want to hold off questions
until follow-up activities are completed. They may write
these answers down and the class may review them prior
to the post-test. By doing so, the students may find the
answers on their own.
Immediately after viewing the program, have students
complete Blackline Master 3, Video Quiz. As a class,
you may wish to discuss questions that appear on
Blackline Master 4, Discussion Questions. These
questions should be copied onto an overhead or distributed to students, in order to meet the needs of your visual learners. To provide the students with a more active
learning activity, divide the questions up between small
groups of students. Have the students answer these
within their group and then share their findings with the
rest of the class.
6
In order to enforce vocabulary, review words from
Blackline Master 1, Word Splash as a class. Students
can then fill out Blackline Master 5, Cloze Activity. This
activity also covers the concepts of nuclear fusion.
To help students identify their knowledge of gravity and
other key vocabulary use, Blackline Master 6: Connect
Two. Students can start by filling out the worksheet individually. Once the students have done as much as possible, have students put Two Heads Together. This active
learning strategy allows students to pair up and teach one
another what they know, and provides the opportunity to
add to their own knowledge. This can be done again by
putting Four Heads Together and so on.
To practice the concept of the purpose of gravity, complete Blackline Master 7, Gravity. Have students complete these in pairs. This will enhance their learning, as
well as provide teaching opportunities.
To demonstrate their knowledge of nuclear fusion, ask
students to illustrate the process. Blackline Master 8,
Nuclear Fusion. Key vocabulary is provided. Students
may request larger pieces of paper. It is suggested that
students complete rough drafts on the Blackline Master
before making a large-scale illustration.
To conclude your study of A Spin in the Solar System:
The Sun: Our Star Attraction, use Blackline Master 9,
Post-Test. This should be given to your students after
viewing the program and completing additional activities
to assess their knowledge of the topic.
EXTENDED LEARNING ACTIVITIES
SCIENCE EXTENSIONS: Explore the aurora lights. This
may be done through the Internet, personal experiences,
7
books, or videos. Explore the photosphere and prominences. Explore the Greenhouse Effect.
ART CONNECTION: Have the students create 3-D
posters that demonstrate nuclear fusion within the core of
the sun, how it travels to the surface, and how the sun's
energy moves from the sun to the Earth. This is an extension from Blackline Master 8. Provide students with
project expectations (i.e., neatness, key vocabulary, and
complete sentences) that clearly outline your expectations of the poster, along with key terminology.
MATH CONNECTION: Using the speed of light, 186,000
miles per second, have students figure out how long it
would take for the sun's energy to hit each of the nine
planets of the solar system.
CREATIVE WRITING CONNECTION: Students write a
biography that personifies the sun. For example, students would report on the sun's occupation, neighbors,
physiological make-up, etc.
SOCIAL STUDIES CONNECTION: Research scientists
who study from the United States and other countries.
Have students make a classroom timeline of their findings. Students could also look up different myths about
the sun and report their findings to the class.
TECHNOLOGY CONNECTION: Have students create
questions based on the key vocabulary covered in this
program. Have the students research the Internet for
answers to the questions. Encourage students to find
experiments, reports, and any other related materials. It
may help if you assign students to specific questions.
Have a sharing session at the conclusion of class.
INTERNET SITES
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov (Nasa's K-12 internet initiative)
http://www.nsta.org/ (National Science Teacher's
Association)
8
http://www.nasa.gov (NASA)
http://www.sln.org/ (Science Learning Network)
http://ajkids.com (Resource for students to use when
searching the internet)
http://K12.njin.net/educationlinks.html (Collaborative
projects throughout the United States)
REFERENCE MATERIALS
Our Star: The Sun. by Robert Estella. Barron's Educational Series, NY. 1993. 0-8120-6370-8.
Exploring The Reaches of the Solar System. Ray
Spangenburg & Diane Moser. Fact on File, NY, Oxford,
Sydney. 1990. 0-8160-1850-2.
Merlin's Tour of the Universe. Neil de Grasse Tyson.
Doubleday, NY. 1989. 0-385-48835-1.
The Sun. Seymour Simon. Mulberry Books, NY. 1986.
0-688-09236-5.
Stars and Planets. The Nature Company Discoveries
Library. Time-Life Books, Sydney, San Francisco,
London. 1996.0-8094-9246-6.
Stars and Planets. Robin Kerrod. Marshall Cavendish
Corp., NY. 1991. 1-8543-5272-5.
ANSWER KEY
Blackline Master 1, Word Splash
Answers to the Word Splash will vary. When you use it
before viewing the program, do not expect correct connections for all words. After viewing the video and completion of Blackline Masters, expect correct connections.
9
Blackline Master 2, Anticipation Guide
1. T
2. F; It is the largest object in the solar system.
3. F; Nnuclear fusion occurs in the core.
4. T
5. F; Gases squeeze, or fit, into shapes around them.
6. T
7. T
8. F; Nuclei is the plural word for nucleus.
9. T
10. T
11. T
12. F; Nuclear fusion and gravity help keep the sun's
shape. They are opposing forces.
13. T
14. T
15. T
Blackline Master 3, Video Quiz
1. Milky Way
6. atoms or nuclei
2. a million
7. energy
3. gravity
8. surface
4. nuclear fusion
9. 8-1/2
5. hydrogen
10. billion
Blackline Master 4, Discussion Questions
1. The sun plays a key role in providing the planets with
gravitational pull.
2. The sun provides our planet with heat and light. Other
answers may include gravitational pull, magnetism, ultraviolet rays, radio waves, etc.
3. Too much sun on human bodies may cause cancer.
With the ozone layer diminishing, the sun's heat is creating imbalances within our weather systems. Other answers may arise.
4. Gravity is the force that pulls one object to another.
Inertia keeps things moving in a certain direction.
10
Together these two forces balance out the objects within
the solar system.
5. Nuclear Fusion. This occurs when two hydrogen atoms
collide and their nuclei fuse together. As a result, helium
is formed. This gas is lighter than hydrogen, therefore
extra energy is released.
6. The core. This energy takes a long journey to the sun's
surface, and along the way it changes form. Granules
carry the core's energy to the photosphere, the surface of
the sun. These granules are giant bubbles of boiling gas.
By the time the energy reaches the photosphere, it has
changed from gamma rays to heat, light, and other forms
of energy.
7. The gravity of the sun squeezes its hydrogen atoms,
making it very dense and heavy. This pressure makes the
hydrogen extremely hot, over 20 million degrees
Farenheit. The combination of the heat and pressure
causes nuclear fusion.
8. The power is too strong for our planet. A single hydrogen bomb can destroy an entire building.
9. Nuclear fusion and gravity. Gravity is pulling materials
towards the core of the sun. Nuclear fusion pushes outward. The sun is like a balloon where the pressure pushing out equals the pressure pushing in.
10. The photosphere.
11. You would see a grainy texture, dark spots
(sunspots), and prominences (flares).
12. 186, 000 miles per second.
13. Answers may vary. Further investigation may be
needed.
14. Answers will vary to the first part of this question. The
reason they happen are because the solar winds from the
sun interact with the earth's magnetic field.
15. Answers may vary.
11
Blackline Master 5, Cloze Activity
1. welded
6. fusion
2. nucleus
7. helium
3. nuclei
8. energy
4. sun's
9. light
5. hydrogen
10. nuclear
Blackline Master 6, Connect Two
Answers will vary. Encourage students to share ideas.
Make sure their connections are logical and make sense
Blackline Master 7, Gravity
The students' answers will vary. Highlight scientific responses. Review answers as a class. This is a great
opportunity to observe student behavior.
Blackline Master 8, Nuclear Fusion
Illustrations will vary. Look for appropriate labeling of
terms.
Blackline Master 9, Post-Test
1. T
6. D
2. B
7. D
3. A
8. B
4. A
9. D
5. B
10. B
The Sun: Our Star Attraction
Script of Narration
Our sun sits near an edge of the pinwheel-shaped Milky
Way galaxy. The Milky Way galaxy is a group of over a
hundred billion stars. Among these, our sun, which is
really just a star, is only medium-sized and medium bright.
By star standards, our sun is only average.
12
But for the solar system, our sun is the star attraction.
The sun takes center stage as the solar systems biggest,
brightest object. Its light and heat provide all energy for
life on Earth, and its immense gravity keeps the solar system together. Without the sun, the Earth would be frozen,
dark and dead, and the solar system would cease to exist.
The key to the sun is its size. The sun is almost a thousand times more massive than all the planets combined.
It could hold a million Earths inside.
How does the sun's size affect its gravity, heat and light?
Let's first look at gravity. Gravity is an invisible force that
causes objects to attract one another. The Earth's gravity holds you to the ground, and pulls an apple down when
it falls from a tree. The laws of gravity state that larger
objects have stronger gravity than smaller ones.
Because the sun is so big, it has, by far, the strongest
gravity in the solar system. It's pull keeps planets from
flying out into deep space. Fortunately, while the sun's
gravity pulls planets towards it, another force, called inertia, keeps them away. For each planet, gravity and inertia
balance each other.
What about the sun's heat and light? How does the sun's
size create that? Gravity again comes into play, as does
a remarkable process called nuclear fusion. For generating heat and light, nuclear fusion is billions of times more
powerful than a fire burning wood. The difference is
between this (campfire) and this (a hydrogen/atomic
bomb).
Nuclear fusion occurs deep inside the sun, in an area
called the core. The core has tremendous pressure on it
from the weight of hundreds of thousands of miles of
other sun material surrounding it. Gravity pulls all weight
towards the center of an object.
13
The core, like the rest of the sun, is made mostly of hydrogen. Hydrogen, which is a type of gas, is the simplest,
most abundant of all elements. The core is special
because its gases are packed so tightly.
We might remember gases do not have definite shapes or
volumes. Gases fill or squeeze into shapes surrounding
them. If we squeeze a whole lot of gas, no matter how
light weight, into a container, such as a scuba tank, the
gas can become dense and heavy. In the sun's core,
gravity squeezes the gases so hard, a single bucketful of
the core weighs more than any human can lift.
The pressure in the sun's core makes the hydrogen
extremely hot, over 20 million degrees Farheneit, 11 million degrees Celsius. The combination of the core's heat
and pressure causes nuclear fusion.
During fusion atoms get welded together. We cannot see
atoms - they are too small - but we think they look something like miniature solar systems. There is a big sphere
in the center called a nucleus, which is circled by much
smaller spheres called electrons.
Normally atoms stay at least a certain distance apart.
They also move around. The hotter they get, the faster
they move, especially with gases.
The immense pressure of the sun's core forces hydrogen
atoms closer together than normal, and the immense heat
makes them move wildly. Under these extreme conditions hydrogen atoms crash into each other, sometimes
with such force, the nucleuses weld to each other. This
welding of hydrogen nucleuses is the nuclear fusion that
makes the sun so powerful.
When hydrogen nuclei fuse, they are no longer hydrogen.
14
The fused nucleuses make helium, a completely different
gas. The sun's nuclear fusion turns hydrogen into helium.
Equally important, a hundred pounds or kilograms of
hydrogen fuses into only about 99 pounds, or kilograms,
of helium. What happens to the missing pound of nuclear
material is the source of the sun's amazing power. The
missing material, or matter, changes into an amazing
amount of energy. For example, which is about the
weight of a bowling ball, changed into energy, could supply the electricity needs for the United States for an entire
year.
Unfortunately, we don't know how to control nuclear
fusion. We can only make powerful bombs with it. A single hydrogen, or fusion, bomb can destroy an entire city.
But our sun is more powerful than millions of hydrogen
bombs exploding at once. In just one second the sun converts over four million tons of matter into energy, creating
more energy than all humans have ever used.
If nuclear fusion on earth causes explosions, why doesn't
the sun blow itself apart? As we'll see, nuclear fusion
doesn't threaten to destroy the sun, it actually helps the
sun keep its shape.
The sun formed when gravity pulled a nebula into a
shrinking ball. A nebula is a huge space cloud of gas and
dust. Gravity would have continued making the ball smaller and denser, but nuclear fusion started when heat and
pressure climbed. The fusion pushed outwards and
stopped the nebula from contracting further. The sun is
like a balloon, where the pressure pushing out equals the
pressure pushing in.
The energy created by nuclear fusion in the sun's core is
mostly in the form of gamma rays, which are deadly to life.
15
Fortunately for us, the core's energy takes a long complicated million-year journey to the sun's surface, and along
the way it changes form.
We might compare the changes to heating water on a
stove. The core is like the heating element, which transfers its heat to the pot, which transfers heat to the water,
which takes it to the top in boiling bubbles. The energy
starts as electricity, and ends as hot, steamy air.
In the sun, by the time the core's energy reaches the surface, most of it has changed from gamma rays to more
friendly heat and light and other forms of energy.
We call the sun's surface the photosphere. Photo means
light. The photosphere is very bright. In fact, it equals
four trillion trillion light bulbs.
Photographs of the photosphere show a grainy texture.
The grains, or granules, are giant bubbles of boiling gas.
Granules are the final carriers of the core's energy to the
surface. Each granule lasts only a few minutes before
being replaced by another hotter one from below.
The photosphere often has a few dark spots, which we
call sunspots. These sunspots are slightly cooler than the
rest of the photosphere, which is about 10,000 degrees
Farenheit, 7000 degrees Celsius. The photosphere also
has fiery storms that send huge flares out tens of thousands of miles. The largest flares are called prominences.
Sometimes the sun's gravity pulls prominences into
curves.
Once light leaves the sun, it takes just eight and one-half
minutes for it to cross the 93 million miles, or 148 million
kilometers, to Earth.
16
The light we see and heat we feel are not all that flows
from the sun. The sun pours out magnetic fields, ultraviolet, and radio waves and many other energy waves that
our five senses cannot detect. However, we can measure
their flow with a variety of instruments. Plus the sun sends
off tiny particles with exotic names, such as nutrinos, that
form what's called the solar wind. Some solar wind particles are harmful to us, but our atmosphere and magnetic
poles help protect us from the worst. At times, the solar
wind interacts with the Earth's magnetic field to create the
strange aurora lights seen near the poles.
The waves of energy from the sun continue well past the
Earth. About four hours after passing us, sunlight reaches Pluto. By then, the light is thousands of times dimmer
than here on Earth and Pluto's temperature is barely different than the surrounding space. From Pluto, the sun
looks almost like any other star.
Probably of greater importance to Pluto than the sun's
light is its gravity. The sun's gravity reaches across nearly four billion miles, or 6.4 billion kilometers, of space to
hold Pluto in its orbit. Gravity continues even beyond
Pluto, reaching with a weakening grip almost halfway to
the nearest stars.
Like any star, the sun will grow old. It's already middle
aged. Someday, perhaps five billion years from now, the
sun will use the last of the core's hydrogen fuel and the
nuclear fire will dim. This will upset the balance of forces
shaping the sun. In a series of complex steps leading
towards the grave, the dying sun will first swell to become
a red giant that engulfs the Earth in its fires. Then the red
giant sun will collapse and shrink to a glowing white
ember only a millionth of the sun's present size.
Eventually, the white dwarf will grow dark and cold, and
our star attraction will be a thing of the past.
17
Let's take a few minutes to review some of the things you
learned in this video. In the following quiz fill in the blanks
with the correct words when you hear this tone.
Good luck. And let's begin.
THE SUN: OUR STAR ATTRACTION
Video Quiz Questions
1. Our sun is an average-sized star in the __ __ Galaxy.
2. To us the sun is huge. It could hold a ____ Earth's
inside?
3. Inertia keeps planets away from the sun. ____ pulls
planets towards the sun.
4. The sun creates heat and light through a process called
____ _____.
5. The core, like the rest of the sun, is made from _____,
a gas that is the simplest, most abundant of all elements.
6. During nuclear fusion, hydrogen _________ fuse, or
weld, together, making helium.
7. The matter lost during nuclear fusion changes
into______________.
8. The photosphere is the sun's _____.
9. It takes sunlight just ____ minutes to cross 93 million
miles (148 million kilometers) to reach Earth.
10. The sun will someday use up its fuel. We need not
worry because the fuel is expected to last five _____
18
more years.
19
1
Name_______________________
A Spin in the Solar System: The Sun: Our Star Attraction
Word Sort
core
magnetism
NUCLEAR FUSION
Milky Way galaxy
prominences
heat
star
gravity
nucleus
inertia
gamma rays
helium
dense
atoms
photosphere
sunspots
© 2001 Maslowski Wildlife Productions
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
2
Name_______________________
A Spin in the Solar System: The Sun: Our Star Attraction
Anticipation Guide
Directions: Answer the following questions by circling the correct response. Do your best!
1. The sun is just a middle-aged star
True False
2. The sun is a medium-sized object in the solar system.
True False
3. Nuclear fusion occurs at the surface of the sun.
True False
4. The core of the sun is made up mostly of hydrogen.
True False
5. Gases have definite shape.
True False
6. Pressure on gases make them dense and heavy.
True False
7. Fusion occurs when atoms get welded together.
True False
8. Nucleus is the plural form of nuclei.
True False
9. The nucleus is the center of an atom, with electrons surrounding it.
True False
10. When two hydrogen nuclei fuse, they make helium.
True False
11. The sun converts nearly five million tons of matter into energy per second.
True False
12. Nuclear fusion does not help keep the suns shape.
True False
13. The energy created by nuclear fusion is in the form of gamma rays.
True False
14. The photosphere is the sun's surface.
True False
15. The sun will last for more than a billion years.
True False
After viewing the program, review your answers. See how many questions you answered correctly.
Review the ones you answered incorrectly.
© 2001 Maslowski Wildlife Productions
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
3
Name_______________________
A Spin in the Solar System: The Sun: Our Star Attraction
Video Quiz
Directions: Now that you have viewed the video, let's challenge your memory by answering some
quiz questions. Fill in the blanks with the correct words. Good luck!
1. Our sun is an average sized star in the _________ ________ Galaxy.
2. To us the sun is huge. It can hold a __________________ Earths inside.
3. Inertia keeps planets away from the sun. ________________ pulls planets towards the sun.
4. The sun creates heat and light through a process called ___________________________ .
.
5. The core, like the rest of the sun, is made from ___________________ , a gas that is the simplest,
most abundant of all elements.
6. Nuclear fusion, hydrogen __________________ , fuse or weld together, making helium.
7. The matter lost during nuclear fusion changes into ___________________ .
8. The photosphere is the sun's _____________________ .
9. It takes sunlight just ____________________ minutes to cross 93 million miles (148 million kilometers) to reach Earth.
10. The sun will someday use up its fuel. We need not worry because the fuel is expected to last
five _____ more years.
© 2001 Maslowski Wildlife Productions
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
4
Name_______________________
A Spin in the Solar System: The Sun: Our Star Attraction
Discussion Questions
Directions: Answer the following questions as directed by your teacher.
1. Why is the sun the center of our system?
2. What does the sun contribute to our life on Earth?
3. What are some problems that the sun creates for life on Earth?
4. Explain how inertia and gravity work together as a team.
5. What is the process called that makes the sun's heat and light? Explain how it works.
6. Where does nuclear fusion occur in the sun? How does it travel to the rest of the solar system?
7. How does pressure and heat play a role in the process of nuclear fusion?
8. The sun makes more energy in one second than all of mankind has ever used. Knowing this, why
can't we use this knowledge to help meet our planet's energy needs?
9. What helps the sun keep its shape?
10. What is the surface of the sun called?
11. If you were to travel by the sun in a protective ship, what would you see happening on the photosphere?
12. How fast does light travel?
13. How do you think scientists figured out the speed of light?
14. Has anyone ever seen the aurora lights? Describe what you saw. Can anyone explain why these
occur?
15. The sun will grow old one day. What do you think this process will be like?
© 2001 Maslowski Wildlife Productions
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
5
Name_______________________
A Spin in the Solar System: The Sun: Our Star Attraction
Cloze Activity: Nuclear Fusion
Directions: Choose the correct word from the word box to complete the paragraph below. Reread
your answers when you first complete the cloze activity to ensure your answers make sense.
welded
helium
light
hydrogen
nucleus
nuclear
energy
sun’s
fusion
nuclei
Fusion occurs when atoms get (1.) _______________ together. We cannot see atoms, but we think
they look something like a miniature solar system. There is a big ball in the center called the
(2.) _________________ , which is circled by electrons. The plural of nucleus is (3.) ___________ .
Normally, atoms stay at least a certain distance apart as they move around. The hotter they get, the
more they move around. The immense pressure of the (4.) ___________________ core, forces
hydrogen atoms closer together than normal. The immense heat makes them move wildly. Under
these extreme conditions (5.) __________________ atoms crash into each other. As a result, the
nuclei weld together. This welding of hydrogen nuclei is the nuclear (6.) ________________ , which
makes the sun so powerful. When hydrogen nuclei fuse, they are no longer hydrogen. Together they
make
(7.) ______________________ , a completely different gas. A hundred pounds of hydrogen fuses into
about 99 pounds of helium. The missing pound of material changes into (8.) ___________________.
This energy is the source of the (9.)_____________________ and heat we receive from the sun. This
energy is extremely strong. For example, 10 pounds of matter from (10.) ___________________
fusion changes into enough energy that could supply the electricity needs of for the Untied States for
an entire year.
© 2001 Maslowski Wildlife Productions
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
6
Name_______________________
A Spin in the Solar System: The Sun: Our Star Attraction
Connect Two
Directions: Pick two words from below and connect the two words so the sentence makes make
sense and is true. Make as many connections as you can. Use the back if necessary. Use a sentence to connect the following words:
gravity
nuclear fusion
dense
granules
inertia
energy
nucleus
orbits
core
electrons
heat
pressure
nuclei
light
hydrogen
helium
1. Example: Gravity is connected to orbits because gravity keeps planets in their orbit around the
sun.
2. ________________________ is connected to __________________ because ______________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.
3. ________________________ is connected to __________________ because ______________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.
4. ________________________ is connected to __________________ because ______________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.
5. ________________________ is connected to __________________ because ______________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.
6. ________________________ is connected to __________________ because ______________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.
7. ________________________ is connected to __________________ because ______________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.
8. ________________________ is connected to __________________ because ______________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.
9. ________________________ is connected to __________________ because ______________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.
10. ________________________ is connected to __________________ because______________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.
© 2001 Maslowski Wildlife Productions
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
7
Name_______________________
A Spin in the Solar System: The Sun: Our Star Attraction
Gravity
Gravity is an incredible force. Explain below the effect that gravity has on each component of the
Milky Way Galaxy. Use complete sentences.
Sun:
Earth:
Solar System:
© 2001 Maslowski Wildlife Productions
Published and Distributed by United Learning
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8
Name_______________________
A Spin in the Solar System: The Sun: Our Star Attraction
Nuclear Fusion
Directions: Draw a picture below to explain the process of nuclear fusion. Label each part to explain
the process clearly. The following words should be included, but more may be used. Be creative!!
nucleus
helium
heat
Vocabulary:
hydrogen
core
weld
nuclei
force
energy.
© 2001 Maslowski Wildlife Productions
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.
9
Name_______________________
A Spin in the Solar System: The Sun: Our Star Attraction
Post-Test
Directions: Answer the following questions by circling the correct answer. Remember to doublecheck your work for accuracy after you have completed the test. Do your best!
1. The sun's major influence on all of the objects within the Milky Way galaxy is:
A. heat
B. light
C. gravity
2. Nuclear Fusion occurs within what past of the sun?
A. prominences
B. photosphere
C. sunspots
D. core
3. The sun is made up mostly of which gas?
A. hydrogen
B. helium
C. carbon dioxide
D. nitrogen
4. This is created when two hydrogen atoms weld or fuse together.
A. two hydrogens
B. helium
C. light
5. The missing material from nuclear fusion changes into an amazing amount of
A. liquid
B. energy
C. nothing
.
6. This and nuclear fusion helps the sun keep its shape.
A. Gravity
B. Light
C. Heat
D. Glue
7. The sun's surface is called this?
A. sunspots
B. prominences
C. photosphere
D. fares
8. Which of the following are emitted from the sun?
A. radio waves
B. ultraviolet rays
C. solar wind
D. all of the above
9. The sun is which of the following?
A. a planet
B. a young star
C. an old star
D. a middle-aged star
10.The combination of the sun's heat and pressure causes nuclear fusion.
A. true
B. false
© 2001 Maslowski Wildlife Productions
Published and Distributed by United Learning
All rights to print materials cleared for classroom duplication and distribution.