Download Planetarium Field Guide 2015-2016 Fifth Grade

The Planetarium @ Nimitz
Fifth Grade Field Trip Guide
Fifth Grade
Teacher Guide
TEKS
5.8 Earth and space. The student knows there are recognizable patterns in the natural world
and among the Sun, Earth, and Moon system. The student is expected to:
C. demonstrate the Earth rotates on its axis once approximately every 24 hours causing the
day/night cycle and the apparent movement of the Sun across the sky; and
D. identify and compare the physical characteristics of the Sun, Earth and Moon.
Vocabulary:
Ellipse
Star
Synchronous Orbit
Magnetic field
Important Ideas:
Why does the Earth have seasons?
Why does the Sun appear to move across the sky?
Program: “Field Trip to the Moon”
The program is a virtual journey that was created using NASA engineering models and scientific
data. The students will come face-to-face with the challenges and excitement of traveling
through space to land on the Moon. Students will discover the differences between the Earth
and the Moon and what makes our planet unique and habitable.
The Earth System
a. Earth’s magnetic field shields us from energetic particles in the solar wind.
b. The atmosphere also protects us. Most of the rock and dust from space that collides
with Earth’s atmosphere burns up before it hits the ground.
The Lunar Environment
a. With no magnetic field or atmosphere the Moon is exposed to the Sun’s radiation and
impacts from space rocks and dust.
Technology Links:
www.moonzoo.org
www.galaxyzoo.org
Science Note booking: Please use the following page for student science notebooks ☺
Pre-visit Activity
I wonder what the Earth looks like from the surface of the moon.
Write down one reason the Sun looks like it travels across the sky?
Post-visit Activity
Can you draw a picture of the Sun, the Earth and some other planets?
Bonus Question: Can you draw a picture that explains how things move in the solar system?