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Mercury
Venus
Mercury is the smallest planet in
our solar system, almost as
small as the Earth’s moon. It
would be very difficult to live on
Mercury, because the
temperatures are very extreme.
It can get as hot as 800°F during
the day and -290°F at night.
Venus is a rocky, hot planet. The
atmosphere on Venus is very
thick, trapping heat so that
temperatures can get as high as
900°F. Venus spins backwards
from most of the other planets,
so that the sun rises in the west
instead of the east.
How long is a day on Mercury?
Approximately 1400 hours
How long is a day on Venus?
Approximately 5800 hours
Making the Cards
Number of Moons:
0
Inner or Outer Planet:
Inner
Inner or Outer Planet:
Inner
Position from the Sun:
1st Planet
Position from the Sun:
2nd Planet
4.  Use the cards to
complete the
activities!
Number of Moons:
0
3.  Glue the backs of the
cards together so that
the trading card has
information on the
front and the back.
Rings:
No
2.  Fold the card on the
solid line.
Rings:
No
1.  Cut on the straight
dotted lines. Do NOT
cut the solid line.
© 2015 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Earth is an important planet, as
it is the only planet in our solar
system that has life. We are
able to survive on Earth because
of its unique characteristics – an
atmosphere that is breathable,
liquid water, and temperatures
that are not too hot or too cold.
Mars is also known as the Red
Planet because of its red
appearance. There is evidence
that water has existed on Mars,
and many scientists are studying
the planet closely to see if it is
possible for life to survive long
term on Mars.
Jupiter is the largest planet in
our solar system. Jupiter is a
gas giant and does not have a
solid surface. One of Jupiter’s
most well known features is the
Great Red Spot, a huge storm
that has been raging for at least
300 years.
Position from the Sun:
4th Planet
Position from the Sun:
5th Planet
Rings:
No
Inner or Outer Planet:
Inner
Inner or Outer Planet:
Outer
Number of Moons:
1
Number of Moons:
2
Inner or Outer Planet:
Inner
Rings:
No
Rings:
Yes
How long is a day on Mars?
Approximately 24.5 hours
How long is a day on Jupiter?
Approximately 10 hours
Number of Moons:
67 known moons
© 2015 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.
How long is a day on Earth?
Approximately 24 hours
Position from the Sun:
3rd Planet
Saturn
Uranus
Saturn is most well known for its
stunning ring system. Although
other planets have rings,
Saturn’s rings are the largest
and most spectacular. The rings
are made of billions of particles,
some as small as a speck of
dust, while other particles are
larger than a mountain.
Uranus is unique in many ways.
Uranus is tilted more than any
other planet, making it appear to
spin on its side. It also rotates
backwards from the other
planets. Uranus was the first
planet that was discovered with
the help of a telescope.
Neptune
Neptune is the farthest planet
from the sun – about 4.5 billion
kilometers away. It orbits the
sun once every 165 Earth years.
You must have a telescope in
order to see it. Neptune is a
bright blue color because of the
methane in its atmosphere.
Position from the Sun:
7th Planet
Position from the Sun:
8th Planet
Inner or Outer Planet:
Outer
Inner or Outer Planet:
Outer
Inner or Outer Planet:
Outer
Number of Moons:
62 known moons
Number of Moons:
27 known moons
Rings:
Yes
Rings:
Yes
Rings:
Yes
How long is a day on Uranus?
17 hours
How long is a day on Neptune?
16 hours
Number of Moons:
14 known moons
© 2015 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.
Position from the Sun:
6th Planet
How long is a day on Saturn?
Approximately 10.7 hours
Activities for Students to
Use with the Cards
These activities require students to refer back to
the cards in order to be successful at answering
the questions. Answer keys for three of the
activities are included. Some activities do not have
answer keys because the answers will vary
depending on the student.
© 2015 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.
Planets
Use the information from the trading cards to answer the questions below.
Put the planets in order
from closest to the sun to
farthest from the sun.
Sort the planets based on whether they are inner or outer planets.
Inner Planets
Outer Planets
Planet Name
Sort the planets based on whether they have rings.
No Rings
Rings
What patterns do you notice? _____________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
© 2015 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.
Planets
Use the information from the trading cards to answer the questions below.
Create a chart, putting the planets in order from
least number of moons to greatest number of
moons.
Planet Name
Number of Moons
Create a chart, putting the planets in order
from shortest day to longest day.
Planet Name
How Long a Day is on
this Planet
© 2015 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.
Planets
Use the information from the trading cards to answer the questions!
Which planets spin backwards? List them below.
Which planet is the smallest?
___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ Which planet has the Great Red Spot?
___________________________ Which planet is known as the Red Planet?
___________________________ Which planet has life? Which planet is the largest planet in the solar system? ___________________________ ___________________________ Which planet has the largest rings?
What causes the bright blue color on Neptune?
___________________________ ___________________________ Which planet was the first to be discovered with a
telescope?
Which planet can get as hot as 900°F?
___________________________ Which planet is farthest from the sun?
___________________________ ___________________________ Which planet is the most tilted?
___________________________ © 2015 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.
Planets
Rank the planets in order from easiest to survive on to most difficult to survive on. Defend your thinking.
Easiest to Survive on
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Justify your rankings for at least 4 of the planets.
_____________________________________
________________________ ________________________ _____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
________________________ _____________________________________
________________________ _____________________________________
_____________________________________
________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ Most Difficult to Survive on
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
© 2015 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.
Planets
Of all of the planets, which one do you believe is most important? Justify your thinking. Be sure
to include details from the trading cards in your answer.
______________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________ © 2015 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.
Planets
Use the information from the trading cards to answer the questions below.
Put the planets in order
from closest to the sun to
farthest from the sun.
Planet Name
Mercury
Venus
Sort the planets based on whether they are inner or outer planets.
Inner Planets
Outer Planets
Mercury
Jupiter
Venus
Saturn
Earth
Uranus
Mars
Neptune
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Sort the planets based on whether they have rings.
No Rings
Rings
Mercury
Jupiter
Venus
Saturn
Earth
Uranus
Mars
Neptune
Answers will vary. Hopefully, students will notice that the inner
What patterns do you notice? _____________________________________________________________________ planets are the first four planets and do not have rings. Also
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
the outer planets are the last 4 planets and do have rings.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
© 2015 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.
Planets
Use the information from the trading cards to answer the questions below.
Create a chart, putting the planets in order from
least amount of moons to greatest amount of
moons.
Create a chart, putting the planets in order
from shortest day to longest day.
Planet Name
How Long a Day is on
this Planet
Jupiter
10 hours
Saturn
10.7 hours
Neptune
16 hours
2
Uranus
17 hours
Neptune
14
Earth
24 hours
Uranus
27
Mars
24.5 hours
Saturn
62
Mercury
1400 hours
Jupiter
67
Venus
5800 hours
Planet Name
Number of Moons
Mercury
0
Venus
0
Earth
1
Mars
© 2015 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.
Planets
Use the information from the trading cards to answer the questions!
Which planets spin backwards? List them below.
Which planet is the smallest?
___________________________
Venus
Mercury
___________________________
Uranus
___________________________ Which planet has the Great Red Spot?
Jupiter
___________________________
Which planet is known as the Red Planet?
___________________________
Mars
Which planet has life? Which planet is the largest planet in the solar system? Jupiter
___________________________
Earth
___________________________
What planet has the largest rings?
What causes the bright blue color on Neptune?
methane
___________________________
Saturn
___________________________
What planet was the first to discovered with a
telescope?
What planet can get as hot as 900°F?
Venus
___________________________
What planet is farthest from the sun?
Neptune
___________________________
Uranus
___________________________
Which planet is the most tilted?
Uranus
___________________________
© 2015 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.
Reusable Activities to Use
With the Cards
These activities have students choose a few of
the trading cards in order to answer the
questions. By having students choose different
cards, the activities can be repeated several
times. This is a good opportunity for teacher
modeling. Answer keys are not included because
answers will vary depending on the cards chosen.
© 2015 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.
Planets
Choose 2 planets, and then compare and contrast them using the Venn Diagram. Then, write a short paragraph
explaining the most important similarities and differences between the 2 planets.
Planet:_______________________________ Planet:_______________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ © 2015 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.
Planets
Choose a trading card, and read it carefully. Then, write 2 facts and 1 fib about that planet, in any order you want.
See if a partner can find the fib!
Planet:
____________________________ Planet:
____________________________ 1. _______________________________
1. _______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
2. _______________________________
2. _______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
3. _______________________________
3. _______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
© 2015 Kalena Baker: Teaching Made Practical. All rights reserved.