Download What`s Up With Venus?

Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
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Resource ID#: 120541
What's Up With Venus?
In this POE-based lesson, students will explore the relationships between several variables for the inner-terrestrial planets in our solar system.
Subject(s): Mathematics, Science
Grade Level(s): 8
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Computers for Students
Instructional Time: 1 Hour(s)
Keywords: space, planets, atmosphere, planetary atmosphere, science, temperature
Resource Collection: FCR-STEMLearn Earth Systems
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Students will be able to compare and contrast the distance from the sun, temperature and atmospheric conditions of the four inner planets.
Students will be able to support the statement that Venus has a disproportionately higher average temperature than the other three terrestrial planets due to its
atmospheric composition.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Students should be familiar with the heliocentric model of the solar system. Students should understand that planets in our solar system are warmed by the sun's
energy.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
How are distance from the sun, temperature and atmospheric composition related for the inner, terrestrial planets?
While distance plays a major role, atmospheric composition and the greenhouse effect are the main determinants of planetary temperature for the four inner planets.
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
The teacher will introduce the lesson by asking simple questions about the planets in our solar system, especially the 4 inner planets. Examples:
What are the four inner planets? (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars)
How are they different; how are they similar? (they have different sizes, different atmospheres, different orbits and different distances from the sun. They are all
made of rock or metal, not gas)
The teacher will illicit prior knowledge by asking where the planets get their heat energy. (from the Sun)
The teacher will then introduce the POE. Students will be shown a diagram of the solar system with each of the four inner planets labeled and asked to predict which
planet will have the highest temperature and explain their reasoning. A POE template can be used, but is not necessary.
Once the students have made and recorded their prediction, the teacher will show a chart of planetary facts and ask students to find the temperatures of the four
inner planets and compare the results to their predictions.
page 1 of 3 Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
The teacher will then ask the students to find an explanation for what they have seen in the planetary fact sheet. "Why is Venus the hottest planet?" "Why it is so much
hotter than Mercury even though it is farther from the Sun?"
The teacher can allow research by any number of means including media center time, internet, magazines, journal articles or their textbook. The teacher should give
minimal guidance since the information they are trying to find should be readily available, but should still circulate around the room to ask questions and keep students
on topic when needed.
Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the
lesson?
After the students have finished the activity, the teacher will introduce the writing prompt (see summative assessment). This can be done either in class, time
permitting, or for homework. This writing prompt serves as the "explain" portion of the POE.
Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
After the students have had a chance to answer the writing prompt as the "explanation" for their POE, the teacher should distribute the prompts with feedback and
host a short classroom discussion about how the atmosphere of Venus largely determines its temperature. The teacher should ask guiding questions to lead the
students to more questions about how our own planet's atmosphere determines our average temperature and how that might change over the next decades.
For example:
What does Earth have in common with Venus? (size, relative distance from the Sun, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere)
How is the atmosphere of Earth changing currently? (more greenhouse gases are being added to the atmosphere)
How will these changes effect the average temperature of our planet? (it will go up)
Summative Assessment
Writing prompt:
Venus has a disproportionately higher average planetary temperature than the other four inner planets. Using what you have learned and the data you have collected
today, explain the reasons for this higher temperature. Be sure to discuss the various factors that determine planetary temperature as well as give evidence from your
research sources to support your explanation of the primary cause of Venus' high temperature.
Rubric:
Students should explain that Venus has an atmosphere composed largely of carbon dioxide. This factor, coupled with it's proximity to the sun, creates an environment
that allows for a much higher equilibrium temperature than the other three inner planets.
Formative Assessment
The students will complete a POE on the difference between the temperature of Venus and Earth, based on the distance from the sun. A good explanation of the POE
method is found here: http://arb.nzcer.org.nz/strategies/poe.php
Students should write down their answer as this encourages them to commit their thinking. The teacher can use a POE template
http://arb.nzcer.org.nz/strategies/poe.php#template or the students can just write their thoughts in their own science notebooks.
Feedback to Students
The teacher will circulate asking questions and giving feedback during the inquiry lab and POE. Some example questions might be:
1. Why did you make that prediction? (answers will vary)
2. What do you observe about the temperatures of the inner planets in relation to their distance from the sun? (their is not a direct correlation between the two
variables)
3. Tell me what you are thinking. (answers will vary)
The teacher will grade and give notes on the summative writing prompt (see summative assessment).
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
The POE can be modified to give varying levels of support. Lower-level students may need more instructions during the activity and higher-level students should be
given opportunity to make their own discoveries and ask their own questions. Lower level students can be given specific texts or websites for researching their
"explain" portion.
Extensions:
Students could explore the same relationships in the outer planets and draw comparisons with the inner planets.
Suggested Technology: Computers for Students
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Cheyenna Novotny
Name of Author/Source: Cheyenna Novotny
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Florida State University
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
page 2 of 3 Related Standards
Name
SC.8.E.5.7:
Description
Compare and contrast the properties of objects in the Solar System including the Sun, planets, and moons to those of
Earth, such as gravitational force, distance from the Sun, speed, movement, temperature, and atmospheric
conditions.
page 3 of 3