Download KS2 Primary Teacher Document The Solar System Experience 18

KS2 Primary Teacher Document
The Solar System Experience 18-20 October 2016
STRICTLY KS2- spaces are restricted.
The aim of this experience is to increase student’s understanding of the solar system, our planet and
the International Space Station in a fun and engaging way. By using the planetarium as part of the
experience, the stars and planets come alive and students will feel like they could reach out and
touch them. It can be used not only as a teaching aid about the Space Station, but also to inspire
students’ imaginations, give them a love of science and to stimulate their curiosity to want to find
out more about our Solar System.
Session: ‘Space and Planets’
The aim of this session is to provide an exciting introduction to the solar system.
In this session students will learn about the following:
 The names of the eight planets in our solar system and the order they are in relative to the
sun (and the new planet that has been found!).
 The relative sizes of the planets and their distance from the sun.
 The sun is a star at the centre of our solar system.
 The sun, earth and moon are approximately spherical bodies.
 That some of the planets have moons and the number of moons for each planet varies.
 A moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet.
 That the planets take different amounts of time to orbit the sun.
The students are divided into eight teams - one for each planet.
 They will be given a template which has the size of the planets on it relative to the earth,
some string and modelling clay.
 For each team one of the students will create their planet out of modelling clay to the
correct size using the template. The other will cut the string to the correct length which is
the relative distance of their planet to the sun.
 The students will pin a label with the length of time it takes their planet to orbit the sun on
it.
 There will be a box containing ping pong balls. The students will use the ping pong balls to
count out the number of moons on their planet into a bag.
 The students will then line up in the order of the planets from the sun. We will use the string
to determine the distances the students need to stand to demonstrate how far their planet
is from the sun.
EXTENTION ACTIVITY: Use the information the students have understood about the name of their
planet, how big their planet is, the number of moons their planet has, the amount of time it takes
for a planet to orbit to compile a table.
EXTENTION ACTIVITY: The session leader will be the sun and hold onto the string of each child with
their planet. They will then orbit around ‘the sun’ as they would in the solar system. By seeing how
the planets rotate around the sun, teaching students about the concepts of why we get day and
night.
Session: The Planetarium
The aim of this session is to provide an exciting and very different introduction to the solar system to
the students. The inflatable planetarium is an amazing experience for young people. Once inside the
planetarium a 3D video is played. The video will give the students lots of interesting details about
our solar system. The second part of the video shows amazing footage of a rocket blasting off from
earth and heading to the International Space Station. The students will see the rocket docking with
the space station. They then have a trip around the space station and see what happens in the
different sections like the kitchen, bedrooms and the laboratory. This is a great way for them to
visualise what it is like to be an astronaut and how different life in space is to life on earth.
EXTENTION ACTIVITY: Build Your Own Planetarium!
https://middleschoolscienceblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/constellationshoeboxplanetariumwit
hcards.pdf
Session: International Space Station
The aim of this session is for the students to really imagine what living on the International Space
Station is like. They will gain an understanding of how difficult it is to complete simple everyday tasks
on the International Space Station compared to completing them on earth.
The students will learn about weightlessness and how this makes it difficult to do simple tasks. The
students will try to pick up small objects with large gloves and catch food in mid-air. They will create
a cardboard version of the International Space Station and, if there is time, complete a quiz to test
what they have learnt.
EXTENTION ACTIVITY: Visit the International Space Station Kids Club
https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/index.html
To BOOK for The Norwich Science Festival or for any queries
Contact: Sarah Power
The Forum Learning and Event Manager
[email protected]
This event is presented by
Kinetic Science
Kinetic Adventure Centre
Pump Court, Church Street, New Buckenham, NR16 2BA
Phone: 01953 860080 | Mobile: 07776396963
Email: [email protected]/[email protected]
http://www.facebook.com/TheLittleStoryTellingCompany
http://www.facebook.com/Kinetic-Adventure-Centre