Download Benchmark Number:

Big Idea 5: Earth in Space and Time
Benchmark Number:
SC.5.E.5.3
Benchmark Description:
Distinguish among the following objects of the Solar
System -- Sun, planets, moons, asteroids, comets -and identify Earth's position in it.
Subject Area:
Science
Grade Level:
5
BODY OF KNOWLEDGE:
Earth and Space Science
Big Idea:
Earth in Space and Time - Humans continue to explore
Earth's place in space. Gravity and energy influence the
formation of galaxies, including our own Milky Way
Galaxy, stars, the Solar System , and Earth.
Humankind's need to explore continues to lead to the
development of knowledge and understanding of our
Solar System .
Related Instructional Resources »
Date Adopted or Revised:
02/08
Cognitive Complexity:
High
Status:
State Board Approved
More Information »
Test Item Specifications
Item Type(s):
This benchmark will be assessed using: MC items.
Also Assesses
SC.5.E.5.2 Recognize the major common characteristics of
all planets and compare/contrast the properties of inner and
outer planets.
Clarification:
Students will distinguish among objects in our solar system
based on their relative positions and/or their characteristics.
Students will identify common characteristics of all planets.
Big Idea 5: Earth in Space and Time
Students will compare and/or contrast the common
characteristics of inner and outer planet groups.
Content Limits:
Items will address a conceptual understanding of our solar
system and the characteristics of objects in our solar system.
Items will not assess characteristics of the Sun.
Items assessing inner and outer planet groups are limited to:
surface composition (whether they are mostly solid or gas),
presence of an atmosphere, size, relative position to the Sun,
presence of moons or rings, relative temperature, and
relative length of a year.
Items will not require specific knowledge of quantitative
astronomical data.
Items will not assess interactions of objects in our solar
system.
Items will not assess the force of gravity.
Stimulus Attributes:
Response Attributes:
None specified
None specified
Example Test Item
Related
Benchmark:
SC.5.E.5.3
Type:
MC:Multiple Choice
Question:
Jacob started creating a diagram to show
some of the common characteristics of the
planets in our solar system.
Which characteristic should Jacob write in
the empty circle of the diagram?
Big Idea 5: Earth in Space and Time
Answer
Options:
A. made mostly of gas
B. has a rocky surface
C. revolves around a star
D. is a satellite of another planet
Answer Key:
C
Related Vocabulary
Asteroid:
Any of numerous small, often irregularly shaped rocky bodies that orbit the
Sun primarily in the asteroid belt, a region between the orbits of Mars and
Jupiter.
Comet:
A celestial body that appears as a fuzzy head usually surrounding a bright
nucleus, that has a usually highly eccentric orbit, that consists primarily of ice
and dust, and that often develops one or more long tails when near the sun.
Energy:
The capacity to do work.
Galaxy:
A large collection of stars, gases, and dust that are part of the universe (e.g.,
the Milky Way galaxy) bound together by gravitational forces.
Gravity:
The force of attraction between any two objects.
Moon:
A natural satellite that revolves around a planet.
Planet:
A large body in space that orbits a star and does not produce light of its own.
Solar
system:
A star and all the planets and other bodies that orbit it; the region in space
where these bodies move.