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SOLAR SYSTEM RESOURCE GUIDE TRUNK CONTENTS Upon receiving the map, please check the trunk for all contents on this list. If anything is missing or damaged, please call or email the National Geographic Society immediately at [email protected]. When you are done with the map, carefully check the trunk for all the contents on this list. Please report any missing or damaged items before the map is picked up. PROPS [ ] 11.43 cm (4.5 inch) diameter ball to represent Earth [ ] 15.24 meter (50 foot) long rope, marked at 12.5 meters (41 feet) [ ] 4-inch Styrofoam balls (8) [ ] 1-foot long dowel rods (8) [ ] 8-12 inch diameter balls (4) [ ] Beanbags (40 total; 10 of each color: red, blue, yellow and green) [ ] Bingo chips (500) [ ] Blocks (300) [ ] Calculators (20) [ ] Clothespins (10) [ ] Diving rings (15) [ ] Flashlight (1) [ ] Hourglass timer (1) [ ] Lanyards (40 total, 10 of each color: red, blue, yellow and green) [ ] Measuring tapes (8) [ ] Planetary model balls (9) CREDITS Writers Geoffrey Baker, Middle School Teacher, Washington Waldorf School, MD Mary C. Cahill, Academic Dean and Science Teacher, The Potomac School, McLean, VA Jennifer Flynn, Science Teacher, Academy of Science, Loudoun County Public Schools, VA Melissa MacPhee, National Geographic Society Rose Tardiff, National Geographic Society Samantha Zuhlke, National Geographic Society Editors Chandana Jasti, National Geographic Society Melissa MacPhee, National Geographic Society Samantha Zuhlke, National Geographic Society Designer Mara Shaughnessy, Little Monster Educational Resources & Design Copy Editor Jessica Shea Fact Checkers and Researchers Bob Connelly [ ] Stopwatches (9) [ ] Six-sided colored game die (1) CARDS AND LABELS [ ] Moon Cards (8) [ ] Moon Phase Cards (8) [ ] Objects in Space Cards (4) [ ] Planet Cards (32 total, 4 per group) [ ] Planet Feature Cards (40 total, 10 per group) [ ] Solar System Information Cards (36 total, 9 per group) [ ] Sun Cards (32 total) [ ] Timeline Cards (73 total) KEYS [ ] Giant protractor poster (9) [ ] Seasons Diagram (1) Borrowers will be financially responsible for replacement costs of any missing or damaged items. Researcher Dayne Weber, National Geographic Society Educator reviewer Anna Mika, M.S. Ed., NASA Network of Educator Astronaut Teachers (NEAT) Expert reviewer Brendan Mullan, Ph.D., Director of Science, The Wrinkled Brain Project Photo researcher Melissa MacPhee, National Geographic Society Photo Credits, front cover Winn Brewer, National Geographic Society Created by National Geographic Society Copyright © 2016 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved. For more information, please visit www.nationalgeographic.com or write to the following address: National Geographic Society 1145 17th Street N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036-4688 U.S.A. More for kids from National Geographic: kids.nationalgeographic.com Welcome to THE SOLAR SYSTEM THE SOLAR SYSTEM FACTS & FIGURES The solar system began to form 4.6 billion years ago from the gravitational collapse of interstellar gas and dust. It contains eight known planets: four inner, or terrestrial, planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) and four outer, or gas giant, planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune). It is located in one of the arms of the Milky Way galaxy and contains planets, comets, asteroids, meteors, dwarf planets, and much more! All the planets revolve around the sun. Mercury has the shortest orbital path, or shortest revolution, and Neptune has the longest. Jupiter is the largest known planet but has the shortest days. Venus has the most volcanoes and the longest days. Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is a massive hurricane-like storm with winds up to 270 miles per hour. It has lasted for at least 300 years. Ceres—the largest known asteroid—is now considered a dwarf planet. Scientists believe that about 500 meteorites reach Earth’s surface each year. The sun’s light travels at a speed of 299,792 km per second (186,287 miles per second). It takes about 8.3 minutes (499 seconds) for light to reach the Earth after it has been emitted from the sun’s surface. The first animals launched into space were fruit flies in 1947. A NOTE ABOUT THE SOLAR SYSTEM GIANT TRAVELING MAP The scale on this giant infographic is accurate, though it is measured differently in certain parts: • Images of all eight planets are nearly scaled to size relative to the size of Earth’s image • A portion of the sun, scaled to the size of Earth’s image • The orbital paths for all eight planets, scaled in astronomical units from the sun OTHER MAP FEATURES • • • Pluto is the only known dwarf planet featured on the map A timeline from 1600-2000 A calendar of Earth’s months, January – December NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 1 THE SOLAR SYSTEM ACTIVITIES OVERVIEW Use this overview to decide which activities to do with your students based on their grade/readiness level and the amount of time you have available. ACTIVITY 1: Revolve! Rotate! 4 Grades 1–8 • Time Needed: 30–40 minutes Students model the difference between revolution and rotation as they travel around the sun like planets, and play a game to check for understanding. ACTIVITY 2: Race to the Planets 6 Grades 4–12 • Time Needed: 40 minutes Students work in teams to investigate and describe the features of comets, asteroids, meteors, and galaxies. Then students complete a relay race to accurately match planet fact cards to each planet on the map. ACTIVITY 3: Simon Says … Explore! 11 Grades 4–12 • Time Needed: 15 minutes or more Students play this popular and fun game while exploring the solar system. (Can be used as a pre-assessment or post-assessment tool.) ACTIVITY 4: How Many Moons? 16 Grades 4–8 • Time Needed: 40 minutes Students identify the planets in the solar system that have known moons and will demonstrate the number of known moons found around each planet using blocks. Students describe the phases of the moon that may be observed from Earth. ACTIVITY 5: Gravity in Space Grades 4–12 • Time Needed: 40 minutes Students calculate their weight on each planet then use blocks to construct a three dimensional graph of their weight. Students also model how it would feel to move on the planets by using gravity values to measure the distance they jump. PAGE 2 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS 19 ACTIVITY 6: Space in Space 23 Grades 4–12 • Time Needed: 40 minutes Students use astronomical units to measure distances in the solar system and create a model solar system map along a 12.5 meter (41 foot) rope. ACTIVITY 7: The Sun 26 Grades 5–9 • Time Needed: 60 minutes Students work in groups to match facts and photographs about the sun by making trades with other groups. ACTIVITY 8: Space Exploration Timeline Challenge 32 Grades 6–12 • Time Needed: 30 minutes and up Students learn relative and absolute dates of important events in the history of space exploration by playing a game that challenges them to place events in chronological order. ACTIVITY 9: Rotation, Revolution, Days, and Years 35 Grades 6–12 • Time Needed: 45 minutes Students will understand the relationship between rotation and revolution and our time system on Earth via mathematical calculations and kinesthetic movements. ACTIVITY 10: Planet Features Revealed! 39 Grades 1–8 • Time Needed: 20 minutes Students compete in teams to identify features of the solar system playing a beanbag toss game. Additional Activities 41 Grades 4–12 There’s so much more you can do. We invite you to try some of these, or use information in found in the Appendix along with props and cards to create your own educationally rich activities. Vocabulary43 Many of the activities introduce new vocabulary. Find select words and definitions here. Appendix47 • • • • • • • Atmospheric Gases Table Distance between Sun and Earth Table Distance of Orbit Around Sun Table Equatorial Circumference Table Planet Density Table Planet Gravity Table Planet Volume Table NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 3 ACTIVITY 1 REVOLVE! ROTATE! RECOMMENDED GRADES: 1-8 TIME NEEDED: 30–40 MINUTES Description Students model the difference between revolution and rotation as they travel around the sun like planets, and play a game to check for understanding. Learning Objectives Trunk Materials Students will: • demonstrate rotation and revolution • model how various planets orbit around the sun • 8-12 inch diameter balls (4, more optional) • Diving rings (15) Preparation • None Shoes are not allowed on the map. Please have students remove shoes before walking on the map. Rules No writing utensils on the map. DIRECTIONS 1. Instruct students to walk around the map and to look at the paths of the planets drawn around the sun at the map’s center. Explain that students are going to learn about how planets move around the sun, and then play a fun game to demonstrate. 2. Explain that planets revolve around the sun. Remind students that the definition of revolution is the orbit, or complete journey of an object around a more massive object, and that the verb “revolve” means to orbit around something. Ask students: Which direction do the planets revolve around the Sun? Tell students that planets revolve counterclockwise, as seen when looking down on it from above the Solar System. PAGE 4 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS Revolve! Rotate! 3. Stand on the sun in the center of the orbital paths. Have students walk around you, the sun, counterclockwise. Make it clear that they are “revolving” by asking students to state what they are doing. 4. Divide students into four groups by asking them to count off until all students have a number. Ask each group to stand in a different corner of the map. Explain to students that they are going to demonstrate rotation. Rotation is defined as an object’s complete turn around its own axis. Ask: Which direction do planets rotate? (The planets rotate in a counterclockwise direction except Venus. Explain to students that Venus’ rotation is the opposite of other planets. Explain that Uranus’ axis is at 98 degrees, and revolves around the sun with the axis pointing in the same direction. The north pole gets half the Uranus year in full sun and then half the year in full darkness). Demonstrate rotation for students. Place a diving ring on the map in the middle so all groups can see and place a ball in the ring. Spin the ball counterclockwise looking from above. Explain to students that this models the rotation of a planet, spinning around its axis. Give each of the four groups a ball and a ring and ask them to practice so each person has a chance to try to spin the ball in the ring. 5. Once the students are comfortable spinning the ball counterclockwise in the ring, invite them to join you at the center of the map. Have each group pick an orbital path of an outer, or exo, planet. Ask them to spin the ball in the ring on their chosen path. As the ball is spinning, they should push the ring around the sun counterclockwise along the orbital path. Explain to students that they are now modeling both rotation and revolution. Have students take turns by switching group members each time the ball stops spinning, or use additional balls and rings from the trunk. 6. After completing the model, have students stand along a selected planet’s orbital path. Have them form a conga line and walk counterclockwise along the path. Then, ask them to spin and try to walk at the same time. Explain that when the students are spinning, they are rotating. But, when they spin and walk, they are revolving and rotating. 7. Play a Red-Light-Green-Light-type game to check for student understanding about the difference between revolution and rotation. Have students line up on the timeline side of the map, facing the map. Explain that you are going to play a game of “Revolve! Rotate!” Students will either “revolve” or “rotate” to travel to the other side of the map. The first student to the other side of the map is the winner. Remind students that there is no running on the map. This game has the similar rules to Red-LightGreen-Light. When you say “revolve,” students should walk slowly forward. When you say “rotate,” they should spin in place. When you say “both,” they should move forward and spin at the same time. When you say “stop,” students should freeze. Explain that students who do not do the correct movement will be out. Play as many games as you wish! NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 5 ACTIVITY 2 Race to the planets RECOMMENDED GRADES: 4-12 TIME NEEDED: 40 MINUTES Description Students work in teams to investigate and describe the features of comets, asteroids, meteors, and galaxies. Then students complete a relay race to accurately match planet fact cards to each planet on the map. Learning Objectives Trunk Materials Students will: • describe differences between comets, asteroids, meteors, and galaxies • identify major features of the eight planets in the solar system • describe main physical differences between inner and outer planets • Lanyards (40 total, 10 of each color: red, blue, yellow and green) • Objects in Space Cards (4) • Planet Feature Cards (40 total, 10 per group) Preparation Tips/Modifications 5 minutes • Part One: Place one Objects in Space Card in each correct corner of the map. • Part Two: Place lanyards that match the color of the Planet Feature Card sets in each of the four corners of the map. Tips • This game could be used as a preassessment activity or an assessment after studying the solar system and the map. • Students may play this game multiple times playing with a different set of cards; i.e. switch team mascots so that the asteroid teams plays with the comet team’s cards. • Students may want to use the Planet Cards for the “Space in Space” activity as reference. Shoes are not allowed on the map. Please have students remove shoes before walking on the map. Rules Modification • Reduce the number of cards in each set for younger students. No writing utensils on the map. PAGE 6 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS Race to the planets DIRECTIONS PART ONE: COMETS, ASTEROIDS, METEORS, AND GALAXIES 1. Divide the class into four teams and gather each group of students at one of the four corners of the map. 2. Ask each team to pick up the Objects in Space Card at their corner—comet, asteroid, meteor, or galaxy. This space object will be their team “mascot.” Give each team their lanyards, having each student of the team wear the same colored lanyard. 3. Give students time to read through the description of each feature and prepare how they would like to present the information to the rest of the class. Suggest that students could perform a skit, a cheer, or a song using the information on the card to introduce their “mascot.” 4. When students are ready, have each group present their team “mascot” to the entire class. 5. After all presentations are finished, have a quick discussion with the class about the differences between comets, galaxies, asteroids, and meteorites. Ask: • Which is the biggest? (Galaxy) • How does location help define them? (Various answers including: Asteroids are in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter) • Have you seen one in the sky? (Various answers) • Do you know which space object is closest to Earth? (Meteor) PART TWO: PLANET FACT RELAY RACE 1. Have students walk over the map noting different features and information that are included (especially if this is one of the first activities students do on the map). 2. Redirect students to stand in their team corner. If they are not already, have each student on a team wear the same colored lanyard. Explain that students are going to compete in a relay race to explore the different features of the map and space. The first student in line will pick a Planet Feature Card, read the description, deliver the card to the correct planet on the map, and return to their team corner. When the first student returns to the corner, that student tags who is next in line. That student repeats the actions of the first student with the next card in the team’s Planet Feature Card deck and so on until all the cards have been delivered. When the team has delivered all of their Planet Feature Cards, they should sit down in their corner to show they are done. As a class, determine if team members are allowed to help each other out and discuss a possible answer before leaving the corner. Establish the other rules of the game: • No running, • Only one team member may be out of the corner at a time, • When a team member returns to the corner they must tag the next student before another team member leaves the corner. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 7 Race to the planets 3. Stress to students the importance of accuracy and not just speed. Explain that you will use a point system to determine the winner. There are both speed and accuracy points. The team with the most points after delivering all of their cards is the winner. • Speed points AA 1st place = 3 points AA 2nd place = 2 points AA 3rd place = 1 point AA 4th place = 0 points • Accuracy points AA 1 point for every correct card placed AA 0 points for every incorrect card placed 4. To start the game, put a pile of ten Planet Feature Cards face down on the map in each team’s corner. Each team’s Planet Feature Cards are color coded to their lanyards. When all teams are in line and ready, begin! 5. When all four corners have delivered all the cards, have a team travel to a planet and report out the information that has been gathered for that planet. Use the answers provided in the Planet Feature Cards Answer Key, found at the end of this activity, to ensure that all cards were placed correctly on the map and have teams calculate their accuracy points. 6. Review the characteristics of each planet with students and discuss the major differences between the inner planets and the outer planets. Have students share what they discovered: What was the most amazing feature? Which planet is Earth’s sister planet? Which planet do you hope astronauts might travel to? PAGE 8 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS Race to the planets Planet Feature Cards Answer Key Use this answer key to calculate accuracy points at the end of the game. RED CARDS (METEOR) Clue Hint Answer Largest Volcano in Solar System (Olympus Mons) Red Planet Mars Smallest planet without a moon Closest to the Sun Mercury Planet with the largest number of rings Gas Giant Saturn Planet considered to be Earth’s sister planet Planet is nearly the same size as Earth Venus Terrestrial planet that rotates in 24 hours The only planet we know with life. Earth Planet that has the strongest gravity in solar system Largest planet Jupiter Planet farthest from the sun Deep blue color Neptune Planet with large dust storms Red planet Mars Planets moons have names after characters created by William Shakespeare Planet looks like it rotates on its side Uranus Rings made of ice and dust Second largest gas giant Saturn BLUE CARDS (COMET) Clue Hint Answer Largest Planet in Solar System Gas Giant Planet is considered the hottest in the solar system Earth’s sister planet The planet that has the largest canyon in the solar system Red planet Planet that is one AU from the sun Planet has a large amount of water Earth Coldest planet in solar system Blue-green color Uranus Seasons last for 40 years Deep blue planet Neptune Planet with iron core and a wrinkle-like surface Closest to the Sun Planet has a moon larger than Mercury Gas giant Jupiter Planet that takes 365.25 days to revolve around the sun Only planet with lots of liquid water on the surface Earth Planet that orbits 9.5 AU from the sun Known for its beautiful rings Saturn NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS Jupiter Venus Mars Mercury • PAGE 9 race to the planets YELLOW CARDS (ASTEROID) Clue Hint Answer Smallest terrestrial planet Closest to the Sun Mercury Planet that is known to have 67 moons Largest planet Jupiter Planet with two small moons Red planet Mars Consider to be the smallest gas giant Deep blue color Neptune Surface of planet is covered in craters Smallest planet Mercury Brightest object in night sky (other than our moon) Earth’s sister planet Venus “Third Rock” from the sun Has one moon Earth Most distant planet seen without a telescope Is known for its beautiful rings Saturn Planet’s north pole receives sunlight for 42 years; then is in darkness for 42 years Planets looks to rotate on its side Uranus Planet that is an average of 30 AU from the sun Planet has a beautiful blue color Neptune GREEN CARDS (GALAXY) Clue Hint Answer Planet contains a giant storm called “The Great Red Spot” Largest planet Jupiter First planet discovered using a telescope Planet is blue-green and can look almost featureless Uranus Planet that has two moons Red planet Mars Takes 88 days to revolve around the sun Closest to the Sun Mercury Planet that has 13 known rings; some dark and some brightly colored Planet looks to tilt on its side Uranus Atmosphere mostly made of carbon dioxide Earth’s sister planet Venus Cassini, the largest interplanetary spacecraft ever built, orbits this planet Planet has beautiful rings Saturn Only planet with one moon Astronauts have landed on this planet’s moon Earth The windiest planet—as stronger winds and storms than Jupiter Beautiful blue planet Neptune Sun rises in the west and sets in the east Planet has a beautiful blue color Venus PAGE 10 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS ACTIVITY 3 SIMON SAYS ... EXPLORE! RECOMMENDED GRADES: 4-12 TIME NEEDED: 15 MINUTES OR MORE Description Students play this popular and fun game while exploring the solar system. Learning Objectives Trunk Materials Students will: • explore the features of the solar system, including individual planets • identify the differences between a galaxy, a comet, a meteor, and an asteroid • engage with solar system vocabulary and terminology • Hourglass timer • Lanyards (40 total, 10 of each color: red, blue, yellow and green) Preparation Tips/Modifications 5 minutes • Review the Simon Says statements for your group size and familiarize yourself with the statements, including locating the solutions to any Simon Says commands that are unfamiliar. Tip • This activity can also be used as a preassessment or post-assessment tool. Rules Modification • This activity can be tailored to grade level, group size, and amount of time. “Simon Says” commands for large groups, small groups, and older students are provided. Shoes are not allowed on the map. Please have students remove shoes before walking on the map. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS No writing utensils on the map. • PAGE 11 SIMON SAYS ... EXPLORE! DIRECTIONS Simon says … explore! 1. Depending on experience and prior knowledge, students may need a general introduction or tour of the solar system map. This step can serve as an introduction to, or review of, some of the major features that students will visit during the game. Walk over the map and show (or have selected students locate and stand on) the following: Mercury Mars Uranus Pluto Venus Jupiter Neptune Asteroid Belt Earth Saturn the sun Orbital paths 2. Divide the class into four teams—comet, asteroid, Milky Way galaxy, and meteor—and give each team a different colored lanyard. Make the teams as even as possible. Instruct each team to gather behind their “Base Camp,” by locating their team “mascot” on one of the four corners of the map. Ask teams to work together to correctly identify the image of their namesake. Explain the differences between an asteroid, a meteor, the Milky Way galaxy, and a comet as students locate their basecamps. Definitions are in the back of the educator guide. (Correct locations: Milky Way galaxy (lower left corner), meteor (upper left corner), comet (upper right corner), asteroid (lower right corner)). 3. Review the rules of “Simon Says” with students. No running is allowed. Students who run, touch, or impede other students will be “out.” Remind students if they move toward a location that did not begin with the direction “Simon Says,” or they choose an incorrect place, they will be “out.” When a student is out, he or she will walk off the map and sit on the border of the map near his or her team’s corner until the start of a new game. The hourglass timer will signal the end of each game. The team with the most team members still on the map will be declared the winner of that game. Assure students that each game will have a time limit of 5 to 10 minutes to keep “out time” to a minimum. (This time is governed by the timer.) 4. Turn the hourglass timer to begin the game. Using the “Simon Says” statements provided, direct students to visit various locations in the solar system. Allow students a few seconds to get to each location that “Simon Says”. Make the game more difficult and control traffic with qualifiers, like these: • Simon Says everybody … • Simon Says comet team … • Simon Says all girls … • Simon Says all boys … Remember to mix in statements without saying “Simon Says” to catch students who are not paying close attention. Feel free to create your own “Simon Says” statements. 5. When the timer is up, the game is over. Have students gather at their “Base Camp” for the start of a new game. Repeat as many times as you’d like! PAGE 12 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS simon says … explore! “SIMON SAYS” STATEMENTS FOR LARGE GROUPS “Simon Says” statements for the start of the game or with larger numbers of students: ** Simon Says ... • Stand on any gas giant. (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) • Stand on any terrestrial planet. (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) • Sit on the planet with the largest volcano in the solar system. (Mars) • Swirl around like a storm on the planet with the massive storm known as the Great Red Spot. (Jupiter) • Stand on any planet with one or more moons. (Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) • Revolve around the planet with the greatest number of rings. (Saturn) • Walk a lap around the asteroid belt. • Stand next to the planet knows as Earth’s “sister planet.” (Venus) • Stand next to the smallest planet in the solar system. (Mercury) • Sit on the largest planet in the solar system. (Jupiter) • Spin around on the planet with the shortest length of day. (Jupiter) • Revolve around on the planet with the longest length of day. (Venus) • Walk around on the orbital path for one of the dwarf planets in our solar system. (Pluto) • Make one revolution around the sun using an orbital path of an outer planet. • Sit on the third brightest object in our sky, after the sun and moon. (Venus) • Stand on the orbital path of Neptune at aphelion. (The point on Neptune’s orbital path furthest from the sun.) • Place one toe on the timeline in the year that humans first landed on the moon. (1969) • Do a dance on a solar flare. • Stand perfectly upright near the planet with the least axial tilt. (Mercury) • Travel from one planet’s perihelion to another planet’s aphelion. • Blast off like a rocket to a member of the Kuiper Belt. (Pluto) • Stand between the two planets that are known to have water. (Earth and Mars) NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 13 simon says … explore! “SIMON SAYS” STATEMENTS FOR SMALL GROUPS Simon Says statements for the end of the game or with smaller numbers of students: ** Simon Says ... • Orbit around the planet with the moon Deimos. (Mars) • Orbit around the planet with the moon Io. (Jupiter) • Stand near the planet that has the most volcanoes. (Venus) • Travel from the coldest planet in our solar system to the hottest planet in our solar system. (Uranus to Venus) • Lie down on a space body that came from the Oort cloud. (Comet) • Stand on the planet whose gravity can force asteroids located in the asteroid belt out of orbit. (Jupiter) • Walk around the planet that has the densest atmosphere. (Venus) • Touch the planet home to the largest canyon in the Solar System, the Valles Marineris. (Mars) • Spin around on the fastest spinning planet in the solar system. (Jupiter) • Line up on the orbital path of the planet whose seasons last more than 40 years, which is longer than any other planet. (Neptune) • Stand on the edge of a planet with no solid surface to walk on. (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) PAGE 14 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS simon says … explore! “SIMON SAYS” STATEMENTS FOR OLDER STUDENTS Review and make connections to space history and exploration with older students. For example, use the following “Simon Says” statements: ** Simon Says ... • Stand on the timeline in the century that Galileo observed Jupiter’s moons. (1600s) • Put one finger on the month of the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. (March) • Put one finger on the month of the vernal equinox in the Southern Hemisphere. (September) • Put one finger on the month of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. (June) • Put one finger on the month of the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. (December) • Stand on the month when Earth is furthest from the sun. (July) • Place a hand on the decade in which Galileo discovered that the Milky Way is made up of thousands and thousands of stars. (1610s) • Place one foot on the timeline in any year Pluto is considered a dwarf planet. (2006-Present) • If the age of the solar system were condensed into a single year, stand on the month that Earth formed. (January) • If the age of the solar system were condensed into a single year, stand on the month during which life on Earth began. (March) • If the age of the solar system were condensed into a single year, put one hand on the month during which our human ancestors appeared. (December) ** You may think of other statements, based upon your curriculum or students´ interest. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 15 ACTIVITY 4 How many moons? RECOMMENDED GRADES: 4-8 TIME NEEDED: 40 MINUTES Description Students identify the planets in the solar system that have known moons and will demonstrate the number of known moons found around each planet using blocks. Students describe the phases of the moon that may be observed from Earth. Learning Objectives Trunk Materials Students will: • define a moon • observe that the giant gaseous outer planets have more moons than the inner terrestrial planets • use blocks to compare number of moons for all planets • model how the moon revolves around Earth and appears as different moon phases • • • • • • Preparation Tips/Modifications 5 minutes • Put blocks in a pile where students will have access to them. • Carefully attach Styrofoam balls to the ends of the dowels using a gentle twisting motion. • Try to darken the room for Part Two of the activity. Tip • The two parts of this activity can be done on the same day or different days, time on the map permitting. 4-inch Styrofoam balls (8) 1-foot long dowel rods (8) Blocks, any color (173) Flashlight Moon Cards (8) Moon Phase Cards (8) Shoes are not allowed on the map. Please have students remove shoes before walking on the map. Rules PAGE 16 • No writing utensils on the map. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS How many Moons? DIRECTIONS PART ONE: NUMBER OF MOONS 1. Gather students around edge of the map to have them observe the scale and size of the planet illustrations. Explain that some of the planets have moons, which are not pictured on the giant map. Ask students to describe what they know about Earth’s moon. Define the term moon using the definition found in the vocabulary section of the guide. 2. Divide the class into five planet groups. Assign one group to the inner planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars since these planets do not have many known moons. Assign the remaining groups to each of the outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) since each of these planets has many known moons. 3. Provide each group with a Moon Card that describes the number of moons found around each planet they are assigned. 4. Ask students to build a tower of blocks to represent the number of moons around their assigned planet. Each block represents one moon. For example, the planet Mars would have a two block tower; Jupiter would have a sixty-seven block tower. 5. After students have finished building, ask them to stand around the edge of the map. Have students observe the entire solar system of known moons; discuss the number of moons found around the inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) versus the number of moons found around the outer planets. Ask: Why do inner planets and outer planets have such different numbers of moons? (The outer planets have more mass and were able to draw in more as they were forming). Ask students to share some of the names of moons of the planets using information found on their Moon Cards. Do they recognize some of the names from any of their studies? Tip Have older students create a bar graph of the number of moons found around each planet. PART TWO: EARTH’S MOON PHASES 1. Explain to students that astronomers study the known moons of all the planets of the solar system. The moon most studied and the only place humans have been in our solar system other than Earth is, the Earth’s moon. 2. Have students describe their observations of Earth’s moon. Prompt students to share details about what times of day they see it, what it looks like, and if it always looks the same. Ask: How does the “shape” of its brightly-lit part (its phase) change over time? Have they seen the moon during the day? When have students seen a full moon? 3. Explain to students that the moon looks different because it goes through phases in which people on Earth see only the sunlit portion of the moon clearly. Explain to students that they will demonstrate the phases of Earth’s moon as it revolves around Earth. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 17 How many moons? 4. Ask for nine volunteers. Have one volunteer hold a bright light on the sun edge of the map and shine it across the map. It helps to dim all other lights in the room as much as possible. Tip If available, replace the student volunteer holding a flashlight in Part Two with a spare overhead projector as a light source for the “Sun.” 5. Have all non-volunteer students sit together in a circle on the center of the map, facing outward, to represent Earth. Provide these students with the eight Moon Phase cards and give them a chance to review them as you set up the other volunteers. 6. Have the eight remaining volunteers stand at equal distances around the outside of the circle of sitting students. Have each one hold a Styrofoam ball on a dowel. You will need to position the light source so that the students do not block the light. Have the student holding the flashlight and acting as the “sun” move closer if need be. 7. Once the eight volunteers are set and the students on “Earth” have reviewed the Moon Phase cards, explain that the eight standing students each represent a different phase of the moon. The students in the middle must work together to identify which student’s moon is in which phase by placing the correct card in front of the correct student. Have the students begin by describing what they see. (Starting from the moon closest to the “Sun,” and moving counterclockwise around the Earth should represent new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, and waning crescent.) 8. After the moon phases have been correctly identified, ask the students representing the moon phases to describe what they see. (They should observe that half of their moon is lit in lunar day and half of their moon is dark in lunar night.) 9. Have students switch positions so that the students sitting are now standing holding a moon and the students that were standing are now sitting on the “Earth” observing the moon phases. Elect a new “sun” volunteer. 10. Ask students to share their observations and compare their observations with the Moon Phase cards. Ask: What moon phase do you see most often in the sky? How can you tell a waxing moon from a waning moon? What moon phase is the moon in today? EXTENDING THE LEARNING ** This activity might lead some to believe the moon is only “above” the Earth as all the moon phasestudents are standing over the sitting students. Show students an image or animation of the moon orbiting the Earth to show that it dips both above and below the plane of our orbit around the Sun. ** Have students investigate cultural ties to the moon. Ask them to do research to determine the dates of the new moon phases and the full moon phases for the coming year and match it to the holidays of: Rosh Hashanah (new moon), Ramadan (new moon), Chinese New Year (second new moon after winter solstice), and Easter (first Sunday after first full moon after vernal equinox). Ask students to share their family’s traditions and how/if they relate to the moon. Have a discussion on why the moon has important cultural ties. PAGE 18 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS ACTIVITY 5 gravity in space RECOMMENDED GRADES: 4-12 TIME NEEDED: 40 MINUTES Description Students calculate their weight on each planet then use blocks to construct a three dimensional graph of their weight. Students also model how it would feel to move on the planets by using gravity values to measure the distance they jump. Learning Objectives Trunk Materials Students will: • calculate weight on each planet • use blocks to model weight on each planet • use each planet’s relative gravitational strength to determine how they would be able to move on each planet • Blocks (300) • Calculators (20) • Measuring tapes (8) Preparation Tips/Modifications 5 minutes • Place blocks on the center of the map so that they are accessible to students. • Place measuring tapes near edge of map where months are displayed. Tip • Remind students to record units, when necessary. Rules Shoes are not allowed on the map. Please have students remove shoes before walking on the map. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS No writing utensils on the map. • PAGE 19 Gravity in space DIRECTIONS PART ONE: WEIGHT IN SPACE 1. Have students gather along the edge of the map and ask them to observe the planet illustrations and describe their size. Ask students questions such as: Do you think you would weigh the same on every planet? What affects our weight on a planet? Do you think gravity is the same on every planet? 2. Using the definitions provided in the vocabulary section of the guide, review gravity, weight, and mass with students. Explain that people would weigh different amounts on different planets because the planets have different gravities. Tell students they are going to calculate their weight on each planet and see how it differs from planet to planet. 3. Ask students to leave the map and move to an activity space away from the map. The students will be using calculators and writing utensils that are not allowed on the map. 4. Design a data sheet with students (or make copies of the sample provided) to record their weight or other number to be used in their calculations. For younger students, a class average may be used; for older students, individual weights may be calculated. Ask students to note the relative gravitational strength of each planet provided in the data chart. Ask: Which planet has the highest relative gravity compared to Earth? (Jupiter) Which planet has the lowest relative gravity compared to Earth? (Mars) Modification Use a white board or easel to display the data sheet. Have students record their answers for the class. Using white board markers, the data could be filled in then wiped clean at the end of the activity. 5. Individually or in groups, have students calculate their weight on each planet in the solar system by multiplying the figure they are using to represent their weight on Earth by the planet’s relative gravitational strength given in the data chart. Have students record their newly calculated weights on their data charts. 6. Explain to students that they are going to represent their “new” weight on each planet using blocks, or bingo chips. Divide students into eight groups and assign each group to a planet. Determine how many pounds, newtons, or kilograms each block will represent, e.g. each block = 5 kilograms. Have students work in their groups to calculate how many blocks, or bingo chips, they need to represent their weight on each planet. 7. Invite students back on to the map, and have students display their weight with blocks on each planet based on their calculations. When all blocks have been displayed at each planet, have students observe the differences between the planets. Ask: Which planet would you weigh the most on? Why? Which planet would you weigh the least on? Why? Which planets would gravity feel nearly the same as Earth? Why? Ask students to predict which planet they think they could jump the highest on. PAGE 20 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS Gravity in space Modification Have older students make a graph using graph paper to represent their weight on each planet in addition to using blocks. PART TWO: HOW FAR COULD YOU JUMP? 1. Have students line up in pairs and have one student stand at one end of the map and jump as far as they can on the map. 2. Using a measuring tape, have their partner measure the distance the student jumped. Modification If time allows, have students complete three jumps and average their distance. 3. Have students switch places so that each student has a chance to jump and have their jump measured. 4. Have students leave the map and obtain a calculator, writing utensil, and the data chart from Part One. Students will be using calculators and writing utensils that are not allowed on the map. 5. Have the students calculate how far they would be able to jump on each planet by dividing the distance they jumped on Earth with the relative gravity value provided on the data chart. 6. When all calculations have been completed, ask for eight student pairs to volunteer. Assign each volunteer to a planet. Using a tape measure, have pairs measure the distance that students would be able to jump on each planet and have the remaining students observe the differences between the distances. Have a class discussion. Ask: Which planet could you jump the farthest on? Which planet would be difficult to walk on? Which planet would be a great place to go and compete in the high jump? Which planet would be most like Earth to jump on? EXTENDING THE LEARNING ** Have students include dwarf planets and moons in their gravity calculations. Have students research the gravity on dwarf planets and moons, and add these values to their data tables. Have students compare the relative gravitational strengths to planetary characteristics like mass and size. Ask: How does a planet’s gravity compare to its radius and mass? (Hint: it is proportional to mass, but inversely proportional to radius squared.) NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 21 Gravity in space DATA SHEET Use this data sheet in Part One and Part Two of the activity. Planet Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Gravity relative to Earth 0.378 0.907 1.0 0.377 2.36 0.916 0.889 1.12 Weight on Earth Weight on Planet Jump Distance PAGE 22 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS ACTIVITY 6 space in space RECOMMENDED GRADES: 4-12 TIME NEEDED: 40 MINUTES Description Students use astronomical units to measure distances in the solar system and create a model solar system map along a 12.5 meter (41 foot) rope. Learning Objectives Students will: • measure and communicate the relative distances between each planet in the solar system using astronomical units Trunk Materials • 15.24 meter (50 foot) long rope, marked at 12.5 meters • Calculators (20) • Clothespins (10) • Measuring tapes (8) • Planet Cards (32 total, 4 per group) Preparation 5 minutes • Place a tape measure and a clothespin at each planet along the edges of the map. • Place a 12.5 meter (41 foot) rope along the edge of the Giant Solar System map where the sun is partially displayed. • Establish a place away from the map where students may record their measurements; i.e. white board, paper on easel. Rules Shoes are not allowed on the map. Please have students remove shoes before walking on the map. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS No writing utensils on the map. • PAGE 23 Space in space DIRECTIONS 1. Gather students around the map to observe the scale size of the planets printed on the map edges. Call the students’ attention to planet features such as color, shape, and size. Ask: What do you notice about the sizes of the inner planets and the outer planets? How many Earths do you think would fit in Jupiter? 2. Divide the class into eight planet teams and have each team sit on the edge of the Giant Solar System map near their assigned planet. 3. Provide each team with their respective Planet Card (four copies of each Planet Card) which lists information on physical characteristics of their team’s planet (diameter, distance in miles, kilometers, and astronomical units from the sun). 4. Have students gather along the sun edge of the map. Encourage students to observe characteristics of the sun by asking: What can you tell me about the sun? Does the sun have features that are not found on planets? (Sample answers: Sunspots, solar wind, solar flares). Explain that the entire sun could not fit on this map; the sun’s diameter is 1.392 million km (864,938 mi). Using the Earth’s diameter 12,756 km (7,926 mi) scaled to 11.5 cm (4.5 in) on this map, the sun would be 1,254.9 cm or 12.5 m (494.1 in or 41.2 feet). 5. Lay out the 15.24 m (50 foot) rope, marked at 12.5 m (41 feet), to demonstrate the relative size of the sun. Have students stand along the rope and gaze back to their planet along the edges of the Solar System map. Ask: how does the relative size of the sun compare to the size of the planets? 6. Use the enclosed 11.5 cm (4.5 in) ball to further demonstrate the relative size of Earth to the size of the sun. Ask students to consider why the sun does not look so large in the sky. Encourage students to think about the distances that exist in space as they prepare for the next activity. 7. Have students return to their planet team and sit near their respective planets. 8. Explain to students that previous astronomers and mathematicians studying the solar system used astronomical units to describe distances in the solar system. Astronomers such as Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, and Giovanni Cassini all tried to perfect the measurement of an astronomical unit. In 2012, the International Astronomical Union defined the astronomical unit to be 149,597,870.7 km (round to 150 million km). Ask students if they know of other units used to measure distances in space, e.g. light years or parsecs. 9. Have students locate the measurements of 20 AU 30 AU, and 40 AU on the Solar System map. Let students walk around the orbits at those distances. Have students describe what they observed on their “travels” in the solar system. 10. Lay the 15.24 m (50 foot) rope, marked at 12.5 m (41 feet), from the sun end on the Solar System map to the opposite end. 11. Working in their planet teams, have students read the AU data on the their Planet Cards to see the number of AU each planet is from the sun. Using the scale of 1 AU = 30.5 cm (1 foot), have students calculate how many feet/meters their planet is from the sun. Check student work using the Relative Planet Distances Answer Key, found at the end of this activity. PAGE 24 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS Space in space 12. Have students measure their calculated distance from the sun end of the rope and place a clothespin on the rope at the location of each planet: • • • • • • • • • Mercury 5 cm - 4.6 inches Venus 11 cm - 8.76 inches Earth 30.5 cm - 12 inches = 1 foot Mars 46. 3 cm - 1.52 feet = 18.24 inches Jupiter 158.2 cm = 1.52 m - 5.19 feet = 62.3 inches Saturn 291.39 cm = 2.91 m - 9.56 feet = 114.72 inches Uranus 583.7 cm = 5.83 m - 19.15 feet = 229.8 inches Neptune 913.4 cm = 9.13 m - 29.97 feet = 359.6 inches Just to note: Pluto would be at 1215.16 cm = 12.1 m - 39.9 feet = 478.8 inches 13. Observing the clothespins on the rope, discuss with students the location of the inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) and the outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune). Have students describe what separates the inner planets from the outer planets (the asteroid belt). EXTENDING THE LEARNING ** Incorporate more math by having students calculate each planet’s distance from the sun in astronomical units and compare their answers to the values provided on the Planet Cards. To calculate the distance for each planet, divide the planet´s distance from the sun in kilometers by the Earth’s distance from the sun in kilometers (1.50 X 108 kilometers). ** Additionally, have older students calculate the light minutes to each planet from the sun using the scale of 1 AU = 30.5 cm (1 foot). The speed of light is 300,000 km/s or about 186,000 mi/s. Older students can also calculate the number of Earths that can fit into each planet by volume, not just by diameter. (Remember the volume of a sphere equals (4/3)πr3.) NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 25 ACTIVITY 7 The Sun RECOMMENDED GRADES: 5-9 TIME NEEDED: 60 MINUTES Description Students work in groups to match facts and photographs about the sun by making trades with other groups. Learning Objectives Students will: • apply investigative thinking to match facts with pictures • present about the magnitude, power, and effects of the sun Trunk Materials • Lanyards (40 total, 10 of each color: red, blue, yellow and green) • Sun Cards (32 total) Preparation • None Shoes are not allowed on the map. Please have students remove shoes before walking on the map. Rules No writing utensils on the map. DIRECTIONS 1. Explain to students that they will be learning about the sun. Have students line up and count off 1- 4 until all students have a number. Ask all the ones to go to the meteor corner, twos to the comet corner, threes to the galaxy corner, and fours to the asteroid corner. Give each group a set of lanyards, so that each team has its own color. Tip Use Part One of the Race to the Planets activity to assign students groups. PAGE 26 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS The Sun 2. Give each group their corresponding set of Sun Cards to match their lanyard colors. Each set will have 8 cards, four of them with photographs, and four of them with definitions. Explain that students are going to trade their photograph cards with other groups in order to have four photograph cards that match their definition cards. Students should not trade their definition cards. The goal is that each group will end up with four picture cards that have matching definitions. After they have successfully completed their trades, the group will need to work together to determine a place to put each card pair on the giant map in a location that makes sense. They will need to be prepared to explain their reasoning. 3. Start by explaining that each group has one correct picture-definition match in their eight-card set. Have each group figure out which one of their definitions matches up with their photograph. Once each group has figured out their own match, each group must place it on the map somewhere that makes sense. Ask each group to share their pair and its location with the class. Check student pairs using the Sun Answer Key, found at the end of this activity. Groups will need to work with other groups to create their other three matches. Have the ones meet with the twos and the threes meet with the fours. Have one group read a definition from their remaining three definitions and have the other group look at their pictures and see if one picture matches the description. If it does, the group with the definition puts the pair aside and the other group reads a definition. If it doesn’t, they read another definition until a match is made. The other side does the same. When both groups have made all possible matches, they should place their cards on the map in places that makes sense. 4. After this step, group 1 goes to group 3 and group 2 goes to group 4. Repeat step 5. 5. Group 1 meets with group 4 and group 2 goes to group 3. Repeat step 5. Tip If students are struggling to make their matches, narrow down options by letting students know which group has the photograph card they need. Use the Sun Answer Key provided to give them hints. 6. Once all groups are finished and all card pairs are placed on the map, have each group present their pairs and explain why they placed them where they did on the map. Explain that students will need to pay attention and recall this information in a game that they will play next. 7. Check for student understanding by playing a giant game of memory! Have students stay in their four teams and line up in their respective corners of the map. Layout all 64 cards, face down on the center of the map. Explain that one group member at a time will go out to the cards, turn two over, and try to make a match. If the student correctly makes a match, they should take the pair back to their corner with them. If they do not make a match, they need to turn the cards face down again. After the student has attempted a match, they should return to their corner, tag the next group member in line, and go to the back of the line. The tagged group member should then try to make their own match. Group members may help each other out by sharing what cards they turn over and past turners can share what they turned over. The team that makes the most matches in 10 minutes is the winner. Use the hourglass timer provided, and check student matches using the Sun Answer Key, found at the end of the activity. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 27 THE SUN Sun Answer Key RED GROUP (METEOR) Card Definition Card Image The solar system is made up of the sun and eight planets that orbit it. The solar system also consists of moons, comets, asteroids, minor planets, dust, and gas. NASA Sunspots are spots or patches on the sun’s surface that are cooler and appear darker than the surrounding photosphere. NASA/SDO A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth blocks light from the sun preventing it from reaching the moon, causing a shadow to fall on the moon. NASA Ames Research Center/Brian Day A photon is a particle representing a unit of light or electromagnetic radiation. Little Monster Educational Resources & Design PAGE 28 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS THE SUN GREEN GROUP (GALAXY) Card Definition The sun's light travels at a speed of 299,792 km per second (186,287 miles per second). It takes about 8.3 minutes (499 seconds) for light to reach the Earth after it has been emitted from the sun's surface. The time it takes for light to reach planets in our solar system varies from about 3.2 minutes (193 seconds) for Mercury, to about 4.1 hours (14998 seconds) for Neptune. Light from the sun will continue through space unless it is blocked or absorbed by something. Our sun is 4.5 billion years old. Some of the light from our sun has traveled 4.5 billion light years away from us. Card Image Light traveling from the Sun to Earth 8 minutes Little Monster Educational Resources & Design Solar wind is the continuous flow of charged particles from the sun that flow through the solar system at speeds as high as 900 km per second. SOHO (ESA & NASA) A solar eclipse occurs when the moon is directly between the Earth and the sun, causing a shadow to fall on the Earth, blocking the view of the sun from wherever the shadow falls on Earth. CNES/CNRS/NASA In the basic hydrogen fusion cycle, four hydrogen nuclei (protons) come together through nuclear fusion to make a helium nucleus. Hydrogen fusion generates energy in the sun. Deuterium + Fusion + + Hélium + + Energy + Tritium Neutron Little Monster Educational Resources & Design NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 29 THE SUN BLUE GROUP (COMET) Card Definition The sun is thought to be organized in layers, similar to Earth, with a core in the center, followed by a radiative layer, a convection layer, and then photosphere. The core is very dense and contains about 50% of the sun’s mass. It is incredibly hot and has a very large amount of pressure. The sun has an atmosphere that surrounds these layers. The layers of this atmosphere are the photosphere, the chromosphere, the transition region, and the corona. Card Image Convective Zone Radiative Zone Core Little Monster Educational Resources & Design A corona is an extended outer atmosphere of the sun. It has a temperature of over a million degrees and extends millions of kilometers into space. It is most easily seen during a total solar eclipse, but it is also observable with a coronagraph. Little Monster Educational Resources & Design A solar flare is the sudden release of intense high-energy radiation that occurs when built up magnetic energy in the solar atmosphere is suddenly released. Solar flares can affect radio communication, and power line transmission on Earth. NASA/SDO The Earth spins on an axis that is tilted at 23.5° with respect to the plane of its orbit around the Sun. This tilt gives Earth its seasons and prevents temperature extremes anywhere on the planet. NASA PAGE 30 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS THE SUN YELLOW GROUP (ASTEROID) Card Definition Card Image You would have to line up 109 planets the size of the Earth to match the diameter of the sun. 109 Earths across Sun’s diameter Little Monster Educational Resources & Design The sun affects weather on Earth by warming our planet’s atmosphere and surface. This warming produces our wind, rain, storms and other weather events. William Putman/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Halley's comet is a famous comet that returns to Earth's vicinity about every 75-76 years, making it possible for a human to see it twice in their lifetime. Halley’s comet has been seen since 240 BC. The last time people saw it was in 1986, and it is projected to return in 2061. The comet is named after English astronomer Edmond Halley, who concluded that the comets reported approaching Earth in 1531, 1607 and 1682 were actually the same comet, Halley’s comet. Eventually, as the Sun consumes all of its Hydrogen, it will expand, becoming so large that it will reach as far as Earth’s orbit, consuming the Earth and inner planets. Halley Multicolor Camera Team/Giotto Project/ESA Today Sun Earth Mars 7.5 billion years from now Mars Sun as red giant Little Monster Educational Resources & Design NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 31 ACTIVITY 8 Space Exploration Timeline Challenge RECOMMENDED GRADES: 6-12 TIME NEEDED: 30 MINUTES AND UP Description Students learn relative and absolute dates of important events in the history of space exploration by playing a game that challenges them to place events in chronological order. Learning Objectives Students will: • learn about the history of space exploration by placing important space events in chronological order • demonstrate the difference between absolute and relative • observe patterns in advances in space technology and discuss the roots of those patterns Trunk Materials • Bingo chips (100) • Lanyards (40 total, 10 of each color: red, blue, yellow and green) • Six-sided colored game die (1) • Timeline cards (73 cards) Preparation Tips/Modifications • Tips • The game gets progressively more difficult as the game goes on and the space between consecutive events gets smaller and smaller. Encourage students to lock their cards frequently as the game goes on. • Students can use the cards already on the timeline as hints for where to locate their new event. Encourage students to continually read the dates on the timeline for hints. For example, man could not have sent a probe to Pluto before Pluto was discovered. None Shoes are not allowed on the map. Please have students remove shoes before walking on the map. Rules No writing utensils on the map. Modifications • This game can be played with more, or smaller, teams depending on your group size. • If time is limited, the first group to 5 chips can be declared the winner. PAGE 32 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS SPACE EXPLORATION TIMELINE CHALLENGE DIRECTIONS 1. Divide students into four teams. Assign each team a mascot: comet, asteroid, Milky Way galaxy, or meteor, and have them sit in the corresponding map corner. Pass out lanyards to each student so that each team wears the same lanyard color. Modification See Part One in activity Race to the Planets to incorporate a fun way to break students into teams. 2. Ask students: Why do we explore our solar system? Explain that what we know about the solar system and how we come to acquire that knowledge has changed dramatically over the past 500 years. In this activity, students will be challenged to put in chronological order events from solar system exploration history, and explain how events have shaped how we understand our solar system. 3. Review the rules of the timeline game below by completing a practice round with the students before you begin, officially. Explain that the objective of this game is to earn chips by placing 10 important events in space history in the correct relative or absolute order. The game ends when one team has 10 chips. Discuss the idea of relative versus absolute time. Explain that relative means that you place it in the correct order. Absolute means that you acknowledge the exact date an event took place. This will matter when it comes to a team’s strategy to earn chips. 4. To begin, place one card from any deck on the proper year below the timeline on the bottom edge of the map. Explain again that you are going to do a practice round to help clarify the game rules before beginning. 5. When it is a group’s turn, one member from the group rolls the die. The colors on the die correspond to a different category of space history. If a color is rolled and there are no more cards in the deck matching that color, the rolling team simply rolls again. • • • • • • Red – Space Grab Bag Blue – Manned Space Exploration Green – Space Technology Yellow – Planetary Explorations White – Choose Your Own Category Black – Next team (clockwise) chooses your category 6. The team counterclockwise from the rolling team picks a card from the rolled-color deck and reads the description to the rolling team. Together, the team decides where, relative to the other cards already on the timeline the new event should go. The reading team confirms the accuracy of the card placement, as the actual date is printed on the card. 7. If the rolling team answers the first question correctly, they have a choice. They can either roll again to try to place another card in the correct position (and opt for double-or-nothing if they wish – see step 9), or they can “lock” their cards. Locking cards means that a team collects the same number of chips that correspond to correct card placements. So, if a team chooses to lock their cards after placing their first card, they will receive one chip. Play then moves to the next team counterclockwise. If a team opts to try for another card, they will have the opportunity to earn more chips and lock their cards after each successful attempt. But, if a team incorrectly places a card, they will lose all cards and chips they have not locked, and the turn moves to the next team. Students can earn more chips per turn but risk gaining no chips if they place the cards incorrectly. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 33 SPACE EXPLORATION TIMELINE CHALLENGE 8. Teams can also bet double-or-nothing by trying to identify the absolute date rather than the relative date upon their initial guess on placing a card. If a team correctly guesses an absolute date, they receive double the amount of chips that they would have earned on that turn. If a team incorrectly guesses an absolute date, they lose all chips from that turn and play moves on to the next team. If a team chooses not to identify an absolute date, the reading team identifies the correct date at the end of a team’s turn to ensure that the timeline is being created correctly. 9. At the end of the game, ask students to observe any patterns they notice about space history. Ask: Does the exploration of space tend to be evenly distributed, or does it occur in clumps? What may be a driving factor in that? Observe the colors of the cards that correspond to a different category of space exploration. Ask: What color cards are predominantly on the beginning of the timeline? What color cards occur later in the timeline? Why do you think this is? Ask students about the role of technology. Ask: How is technology related to space exploration? EXTENDING THE LEARNING ** Students can be tasked with creating their own set or an extension set of cards based on space history. PAGE 34 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS ACTIVITY 9 Rotation, Revolution, Days, and Years RECOMMENDED GRADES: 6-12 TIME NEEDED: 45 MINUTES + MATH MODIFICATIONS FOR GRADES 6-9 Description Students will understand the relationship between rotation and revolution and our time system on Earth via mathematical calculations and kinesthetic movements. Learning Objectives Students will: • investigate the relationship between rotation and days, and revolution and years • compare the lengths of days and years of different planets and Pluto Preparation • copies of each card) Tips/Modifications None Rules Trunk Materials • Calculators (optional) • Giant protractor poster (9) • Planetary Model balls (9) • Stopwatches (12) • Solar System Information cards (36, 4 Shoes are not allowed on the map. Please have students remove shoes before walking on the map. No writing utensils on the map. Tip • When modeling the revolution speed of the planets, the longest orbit will have a revolution time period of 11 minutes (Neptune) using the scale 4 seconds = 1 Earth year. If you feel that speed around Earth or Mercury is too fast, you can scale down the speed to a more manageable speed for your class. Modifications • Instead of using models to represent the tilt of the planet, students can use their bodies and align them to a relatively proper angle. Uranus will have to roll along the floor! • Have students complete Part Two: Seasons, for the Southern Hemisphere. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 35 Rotation, Revolution, Days, and Years DIRECTIONS PART ONE: REVOLUTION AND ROTATION 1. Ask students how we define a day on Earth. Have students stand anywhere on the map facing the giant sun on the edge of the map. Ask them to rotate, or spin, counterclockwise in a circle to represent a day. Call attention to the word rotate and share its definition from the vocabulary section at the back of the guide. Explain to students that one complete rotation of a planet on its axis is one day. 2. Divide the class into nine equal groups, and assign each group a planet or the dwarf planet Pluto. Give each group a Solar System Information Card. The outer planet groups should stand on their planets’ relative orbital path around the sun in the center of the map, and the inner planet groups should stand on the image of the planets on the edge of the map. Explain to students that they are going to practice rotating and revolving. Inform students that the relative size of the orbits of the inner planets are too small to have them revolve on the actual orbital path, so when the time comes, they will revolve around their planet image instead. 3. Have students read aloud from their Solar System Information Card their planet’s rotation time, and decide as a class which planet group should rotate/spin the fastest or slowest to represent a day on their planet. Have students take turns rotating as different “planets” so they can feel the relative speed of rotation of the planets. Lead a discussion as to how the length of our day is determined by how fast our planet rotates on its axis. Planets with slower rotational times will have longer days; planets with faster rotational times will have shorter days. 4. Ask students: Other than a day, what other measure of time do we derive from the movement of our planet in space? (A year.) Explain that a year is defined by how long it takes for a planet to make one complete revolution around the sun. 5. Ask: Which planet has the longest year compared to Earth? (Neptune) The shortest? (Mercury) Using the scale of 4 seconds = 1 Earth year and the information on the Solar System Information Cards (revolution time), have students calculate and convert the length of their planet’s orbit around the sun, or year, in terms of minutes and seconds. Have students do the calculation in their notebooks, away from the map. Have students share the results of their calculations with the group and record all speeds in their notebooks. Check student work using the Revolution and Rotation Answer Key, found at the end of the activity. Ask students to return to the map and stand on either their planet’s orbital path or image. Give each group a stopwatch and tell students they must complete their “revolution” in the time they calculated. Yell, “Go!” Some groups will not complete the revolution, but that’s OK. Ask: Which groups had more time? Which groups had less time? How do these times compare to one another? Was anything surprising? PART TWO: SEASONS 1. One Earth year, which is defined as how long it takes Earth to revolve around the sun, has four distinct seasons. Ask students: What factors about our planet in space cause us to have seasons? Have students walk along an outer planet’s orbital path to the location which they believe would be the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. Lead a discussion on the relationship between perihelion, aphelion, orbital tilt, and seasons. Ask: Is the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere necessarily at the closest point in the orbit? (No). PAGE 36 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS Rotation, Revolution, Days, and Years 2. Distribute an orbital planet ball to each group. Ask students to walk around the orbital pathway with planet axis tilt given on the Solar System Information Card after measuring their angle against the protractor poster. Discuss if there are similarities and differences between the orbital tilt, orbital velocity, and planet years between the inner and the outer planets. Ask: If orbital location is not the reason for the season, what other factor could contribute to the changing seasons on Earth and other planets? (planet tilt) Ask: Which has a greater impact on the seasons of all planets, their tilt or the eccentricity of their orbit? (Again, planet tilt is important) EXTENDING THE LEARNING ** Ask older students to calculate and discuss the following, in addition to the other calculations they do in the activity: • • Students can use Kepler’s 3rd Law of Planetary motion, which states that the square of the orbital period is equal to the cube of the semi-major axis (P2 = a3). Students can measure the semi-major axis of the planet on the solar system map and calculate the orbital period. Have students calculate what fraction of an orbital period each of their rotational periods are (e.g. Earth’s day is 1/365th its year). Do they notice anything unusual about some of the planets (e.g. Venus and Mercury)? ** Check student work using the Extending the Learning Answer Key, found at the end of the activity. ROTATION AND REVOLUTION ANSWER KEY Mercury: 87.969 days × Venus: 224.701 days × Mars: 686.98 days × 1 earth year 365.25 days 1 earth year 365.25 days 1 earth year 365.25 days ×4 seconds =0.963 seconds ×4 seconds =2.46 seconds ×4 seconds =7.523 seconds Jupiter: 11.862 years ×4 seconds =47.448 seconds Saturn: 29.457 years ×4 seconds =117.828 seconds (1.9638 minutes) Uranus: 84.011 years ×4 seconds =336.044 seconds (5.6 minutes) Neptune: 164.79 years ×4 seconds =659.16 seconds (10.986 minutes) Pluto: 247.68 years ×4 seconds =990.72 seconds (16.512 minutes) NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 37 Rotation, Revolution, Days, and Years EXTENDING THE LEARNING ANSWER KEY P2=a3 Orbital Period (Earth Years) Semi-major axis (AU) Mercury 0.3871 0.2408 Venus 0.7233 0.61562 Earth 1.00 1.00 Mars 1.5273 1.8809 Jupiter 5.2028 11.862 Saturn 9.5388 29.458 Uranus 19.1914 84.01 Neptune 30.0611 164.79 Pluto 39.5294 248.54 Mercury: Venus: 58.6467 days 87.969 days 243.02 days 224.701 days Earth: 1 day 365.256 days Mars: 1.03 days 686.98 days = 0.66667 = 1.0815 (day is longer than year) = 0.0027378 = 0.001499 days Jupiter: 9.925 hours 24 hours/day ÷ (11.862 years x 365.256 year ) = 0.00009544 Saturn: 10.543 hours 24 hours/day ÷ (29.457 years x 365.256 days year Uranus: 17.24 hours 24 hours/day ÷ (88.011 years x 365.256 days ) = 0.0000234 year Neptune: 16.1 hours 24 hours/day ÷ (164.79 years x 365.256 year PAGE 38 days • ) = 0.00004083 ) = 0.0000114 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS ACTIVITY 10 Planet features revealed! RECOMMENDED GRADES: 1-8 TIME NEEDED: 20 MINUTES Description Students compete in teams to identify features of the solar system playing a beanbag toss game. Learning Objectives Students will: • engage in an introduction to the planets and their features • work in teams to assess clues about planet features Trunk Materials • Beanbags (40 total; 10 of each color: red, blue, yellow and green) • Diving rings, various colors (8) • Planet Feature Cards (40 total; 10 of each color) • Lanyards (40 total; 10 of each) Preparation Tips/Modifications 5 minutes • Place a diving ring on each planet image. Place 10 lanyards and 10 beanbags, in matching colors, on each corner of the map. Tips • This game could be used as a preassessment activity or an assessment after studying the solar system and the map. • This activity uses the same cards as the activity, Race to the Planets. Modification • Reduce the number of cards used in the game for younger students. Rules Shoes are not allowed on the map. Please have students remove shoes before walking on the map. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS No writing utensils on the map. • PAGE 39 Planet features revealed! DIRECTIONS 1. Have students walk around the map and look at map features, such as the planets and orbital paths. Review the name of each planet with students. Explain to students that they are going to play a game in which they compete in teams to correctly identify features of planets in the solar system. 2. Divide students into four groups by asking them to count off, one to four repeatedly, until all students have a number. All “1s” are one group, all “2s” are another group, and so on. Ask each group to stand in a different corner of the map. Each student should wear one lanyard and hold one beanbag. 3. Explain the rules of the game to students. Tell students that you will read a clue from the provided Planet Feature cards. Students will have 10 seconds to discuss, as a team, and decide which planet the clue is referencing. At the end of 10 seconds, you will say: “Reveal!” One member from the team will throw his or her beanbag onto the matching planet, based on the team’s decision. Each student has the potential to win two points on their toss for their team: one point for correctly identifying which planet the clue is referencing, and one point for getting their beanbag inside the diving ring on that planet. Reveal the correct answer, and ask teams to keep track of their own score. The next clue will be for the next team. With each round, a new student from each team will throw a beanbag. 4. There are four sets of Planet Feature Cards (red, yellow, blue, green), each with 10 cards. Have students play up to four rounds of this game (as time allows) and use one set of cards per round. Each clue has a hint that can be shared with students, depending on their age and ability. Answers to all clues on the Planet Feature Cards can be found in the Race to the Planets activity. 5. Have students tally the score at the end of each round. Record team totals if a whiteboard or chalkboard is available. At the end, have a large group discussion about the planets. What did the students find most surprising? Least surprising? What planet features would students like to learn more about? EXTENDING THE LEARNING ** Play another round using the Timeline Cards, provided in the trunk. Have students line up on the side of the map, opposite the timeline. Still in teams, tell students that they will play using the same rules as before. However, this time they will be working to identify the years in which important moments of space exploration took place. Play as many games as you wish! PAGE 40 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY IDEAS Shoes are not allowed on the map. Please have students remove shoes before walking on the map. Rules No writing utensils on the map. DIRECTIONS There’s so much more you can do. Below are suggestions for additional activity ideas on this National Geographic Giant Traveling Map. We invite you to try some of these, or use props and cards, and information in the Appendix, to create your own educationally rich activities. Improvise as needed to make these appropriate for different grade levels. Trunk Resources Use the props and other resources found in the map trunk to supplement your Giant Traveling Map experience and classroom studies. Many of the resources in the trunk can enhance the activities and help you adapt them to various grade levels. Geo-gym! Collaborate with a physical education teacher to create fun games on the map that combine exercise with geography! Use Nerf balls, hoops, cones, and other equipment to invent games! Remember: No shoes on the map, and running on the map is not permitted. Atmospheric Composition Have students use the information in the Atmospheric Gases Table in the Appendix, along with blocks, or bingo chips, to compare the atmospheres on different planets. Tell students to assign each gas a different color block and have them place these on the individual planets. Distance from Earth and Orbit around Sun Have students use string and the information in the Distance from Earth and Orbit around Sun Table in the appendix to compare the comparative size of the planets orbits around the sun. Have older students determine the scale for this. Provide an appropriate scale for younger students, for example, 1 cm = 1 AU, or 1 cm = 1 x Earth. Equatorial Circumference Have students use the information in the Equatorial Circumference table along with ropes or string to compare the equatorial circumferences for the sun and planets. Older students can work in teams or individually to determine the best scale to use, given the length of their rope/string. Older students can also use the circumferences given in kilometers or miles to first determine the values for the comparisons to Earth. Have students lay out the ropes or string representing their calculations. For younger students, use the average height of your class to represent Earth’s circumference. Talk about how many students it would take to represent the diameter of each planet. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 41 Additional ActivitY IDEAS Mass Have students use the Sun and Planet Mass Table along with blocks or bingo chips to compare the masses of the planets and the sun. Have older students to determine an appropriate scale for this. Mass Comparison to Earth Have students use the information in the Sun and Planet Mass Table along with blocks or bingo chips to compare planet mass to Earth’s mass. Have students compare two planets, or all of them. Ask students whether it is possible to use one block to represent Earth. Students should note that this is not possible because some planets have a mass smaller than Earth’s. Provide a suitable scale for younger students, if necessary, based on the materials available to you. Planet Density Have students use the information in the Planet Density Table to compare the gravities of the inner and outer planets by placing available items on the planets. Tell students to use the data in the planet volume and planet mass tables to help them explain their results. Planet Gravity Have students use the information in the Planet Gravity Table to compare the gravities of the inner and outer planets by placing available items on the planets. Tell students to use the data in the planet volume and planet mass tables to help them explain their results. PAGE 42 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS VOCABULARY Use the definitions provided below when introducing new vocabulary words to students. aphelion (AP-hee-lee-un) noun. point at which an orbiting body (such as a planet or comet) is farthest from the sun. arc (ARK) noun. part of the outline of a circle. asteroid (AS-tur-oyd) noun. irregularly shaped planetary body, ranging from 6 meters (20 feet) to 933 kilometers (580 miles) in diameter, orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter. astronomical unit (as-truh-NAH-mihkul YOO-niht) noun. (AU) (150 million kilometers/93 million miles) unit of distance equal to the average distance between the Earth and the sun. comet (KAH-meht) noun. celestial object of matter surrounded by ice and dust that orbits the sun and leaves a tail of debris. coronal mass ejection (kuh-ROH-nul MAS ee-JEHK-shun) noun. huge burst of magnetic field and plasma from the sun. crescent (KREH-sehnt) noun. shape of a half-circle with thin ends. diameter (di-AM-ih-ter) noun. width of a circle. dwarf planet (DWARF PLA-neht) noun. celestial body orbiting a star that is nearly spherical but does not meet other definitions for a planet. eccentricity (kuh-ROH-nul MAS ee-JEHK-shun) amount an orbit's path differs from a perfect circle. European Space Agency (ehk-sehn-TRIH-sihtee) noun. multinational organization whose mission is "to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world." galaxy (ESA) (EE EHS AY) noun. collection of stars, planets, gases, and other celestial bodies bound together by gravity. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 43 vocabulary gas giant (GA-luk-see) noun. one of the four enormous outermost planets in the solar system (Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus), composed mostly of gases instead of rock. Also called a Jovian planet. gibbous moon (GAS JI-unt) noun. phase of the moon in which it is more than half but less than fully illuminated. gravity (GIH-bus MOON) noun. physical force by which objects attract, or pull toward, each other. hydrogen (GRA-vih-tee) noun. chemical element with the symbol H, whose most common isotope consists of a single electron and a single proton. International Space Station (ISS) (HI-droh-jun) noun. satellite in low Earth orbit that houses several astronauts for months at a time. Kepler's second law (IHN-tur-na-shuhnul SPAYS STAYshun) noun. law of planetary motion which states that a line between the sun and the planet sweeps equal areas in equal times, causing the speed of the planet to increase as it nears the sun and decrease as it recedes from the sun. lunar phase (KEHP-lurz sehkund lah) noun. any one of the eight aspects or appearances presented by the moon as seen from Earth. mass (LOO-nur FAYZ) noun. measure of the amount of matter in a physical object. meteorite (MAS) noun. type of rock that has crashed into Earth from outside the atmosphere. Milky Way (MEE-tee-or-it) noun. galaxy in which the Earth and sun are located. moon (MIHL-kee WAY) noun. natural satellite of a planet. moon (MOON) noun. Earth's only natural satellite. NASA (MOON) noun. (acronym for National Aeronautics and Space Administration) U.S. agency responsible for space research and systems. PAGE 44 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS vocabulary orbit (OR-biht) noun. path of one object around a more massive object. orbit (OR-biht) verb. to move in a circular pattern around a more massive object. Parsec (PAR-sehk) noun. a measure of distance, used in astronomy, equal to 3.26 light years. perihelion (pair-uh-HEElee-un) noun. point at which an orbiting body (such as a planet or comet) is closest to the sun. phase (FEiz) noun. stage in a process or transformation. photon (FOH-tahn) noun. particle representing a unit of light or electromagnetic radiation. planet (PLAN-eht) noun. large, spherical celestial body that regularly revolves around a star. plasma (PLAZ-muh) noun. state of matter with no fixed shape in which atoms are separated into ions and electrons. retrograde (REH-truh-grayd) adjective. moving in an orbit in the direction opposite of most bodies in a celestial system. revolve (ree-VAHLV) verb. to orbit around something. revolution (reh-voh-LOO-shun) noun. complete journey of an object around a more massive object. rotate (ROH-tayt) verb. to turn around a center point or axis. rotation (roh-TAY-shun) noun. object's complete turn around its own axis. satellite (SA-tih-lit) noun. object that orbits around something else. Satellites can be natural, like moons, or made by people. season (SEE-zun) noun. period of the year distinguished by special climatic conditions. sector (SEHK-tur) noun. section or a part of something. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 45 vocabulary solar (SOH-lur) adjective. having to do with the sun. solar system (SOH-lur SIHStehm) noun. the sun and the planets, asteroids, comets, and other bodies that orbit around it. solar wind (SOH-lur WIHND) noun. flow of charged particles, mainly protons and electrons, from the sun. Sputnik (SPUHT-nihk) noun. (1957) first artificial satellite, launched by the Soviet Union, from Earth. sun (SUN) noun. star at the center of our solar system. technology (tehk-NAHL-uh-jee) noun. use of science to create tools and complex machines that make human life easier or more profitable. telescope (TEHL-ih-skohp) noun. scientific instrument that uses mirrors to view distant objects. terrestrial (tuh-REHS-tree-ul) adjective. having to do with the Earth or dry land. terrestrial planet (tuh-REHS-tree-ul PLA-neht) noun. one of the four planets closest to the sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, or Mars. waning moon (WAY-hihng moon) noun. any period after the full moon, when its illuminated area is decreasing. Also called an old moon. waxing moon (WAK-sihng moon) adjective. any period after the new moon and before the full moon, when its illuminated area is increasing. PAGE 46 • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS APPENDIX Photocopy these tables and distribute them to students for use during the Additional Activity Ideas. Use any of the data tables to create your own activities, warm-ups, or exit activities! Atmospheric Gases by Planet (%) Mercury Venus Carbon Dioxide 96 Nitrogen 4 Oxygen 42 Earth Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune 2.3 1 95 78 2.7 21 1 Argon Mars 1.6 Methane Sodium 22 Hydrogen 22 89.8 96.3 82.5 80 Helium 6 10.2 3.2 15.2 19 Other 8 <1 <0.7 0.5 Distance between Sun and Earth Distance (km) Mean 149.6 x106 Minimum 147.1 x106 Maximum 152.1 x106 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 47 PAGE 48 • (AU) Units Astronomical Scientific Notation (km) English (miles) Metric (km) 7.2333566 x 10-1 x 108 0.38709927 1.0820948 x 107 67,238,251 108,209,475 Venus 5.7909227 35,983,125 57,909,227 Mercury Distance of Orbit Around Sun 1.000 x 108 1.4959826 92,956,050 149,598,262 Earth 1.523662 x 108 2.2794382 41,637,725 227,943,824 Mars 5.2028870 x 107 7.7834082 483,638,564 778,340,821 Jupiter 9.53667594 x 109 1.4266664 886,489,415 1,426,666,422 Saturn 1.9189165 x 101 x 109 2.8706582 1,783,744,300 2,870,658,186 Uranus 3.0069923 x 101 x 109 4.4983964 2,795,173,960 4,498,396,441 Neptune APPENDIX NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS APPENDIX Equatorial Circumference Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Metric (km) 15,329.1 38,024.6 40,030.2 21,296.9 439,263.8 365,882.4 159,354.1 154,704.6 English (miles) 9,525.1 23,627.4 24,873.6 13,233.3 272,945.9 227,348.8 99,018.1 96,129.0 1.53291 x 104 3.80246 x 104 4.00302 x 104 2.12969 x 104 4.39264 x 105 3.65882 x 105 1.59354 x 105 1.54705 x 105 0.383 x Earth 0.9499 x Earth 1 0.532 x Earth 10.9733 x Earth 9.1402 x Earth 3.9809 x Earth 3.8647 x Earth Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune 5.427 5.243 5.513 3.934 1.326 0.687 1.270 1.638 0.984 x Earth Comparable to the average density of the Earth. 1 0.714 x Earth 0.241 x Earth 0.125 x Earth 0.230 x Earth 0.297 x Earth Scientific Notation (km) Compared to Earth Planet Density Density (metric) (g/cm3) Density compared to Earth NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 49 PAGE 50 By comparison Gravity (metric) (m/s2) Planet Gravity If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 38 pounds on Mercury. 3.70 Mercury If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 91 pounds on Venus. 8.87 Venus 1 9.80665 Earth If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 38 pounds on Mars. 3.71 Mars If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 253 pounds on Jupiter. 24.79 Jupiter • on Earth, you would weigh about 107 pounds on Saturn (at the equator). *Derived from a 1 bar radius of 60,268 km. If you weigh 100 pounds 10.4* Saturn If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 91 pounds on Uranus. 8.87 Uranus If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 114 pounds on Neptune. 11.15 Neptune APPENDIX NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS Scientific Notation (km3) English (miles3) Metric (km3) 6.08272 x 1010 14,593,223,446 60,827,208,742 Mercury Planet Volume 9.28415 x 1011 222,738,686,740 928,415,345,893 Venus 1.08321 x 1012 259,875,159,532 1,083,206,916,846 Earth 1.63116 X 1011 39,133,515,914 163,115,609,799 Mars 1.43128 x 1015 343,382,767,518,322 1,431,281,810,739,360 Jupiter 8.2713 x 1014 198,439,019,647,006 827,129,915,150,897 Saturn 6.83344 x 1013 16,394,283,780, 641 68,334,355,695,584 Uranus 6.25257 x 1013 15,000,714,125,712 62,525,703,987,421 Neptune APPENDIX NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS GIANT TRAVELING MAPS • PAGE 51 DISCOVER WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC GIANT TRAVELING MAPS! “ “Wow” and “awesome” are the two most heard adjectives from students and teachers. Best curriculum and resource kit yet! —Illinois Teacher ” —North Carolina Teacher What an excellent “hands- and feet-on” learning opportunity. The map really brought geography alive and “ The numerous activities that one can do with the map make it enjoyable and fun for the students and the teacher. The most valuable thing about the map is that it has made it fun for everyone! everything you need— lesson plans, materials, and the map itself. ” [The map] was the best social studies activity I have seen in my 33 years of teaching. —Wisconsin Teacher Geography comes to life when kids walk on —New Jersey Teacher “ This fun, hands-on experience enhanced and allowed them to reinforce and apply geographic skills learned in the classroom to the giant map. —Virginia Teacher one of these maps. They never look at a map the same way again. —North Carolina Teacher “ learning is bigger than a book, bigger than a whole library!” students’ learning —Kentucky Teacher —Minnesota Teacher As our principal said at the assembly, “Some Allowing students to explore North America on foot was a ” Kids have big imaginations. They learn so much from the Giant Traveling Maps. —Pennsylvania Teacher highlight of our year! Thank you for providing such a useful means of learning geography! ” —California Teacher Share your Giant Traveling Map story with us! We can’t wait to hear about it. Use #GiantTravelingMaps and find us on Twitter @NatGeoEducation, on Facebook at /NatGeoEducation, or online at NatGeoEd.org. THE POSSIBILITIES FOR LEARNING ARE ENDLESS! • The brightly colored, smooth vinyl surfaces of the maps accurately illustrate and identify geographical features, including countries, cities, bodies of water, mountains, and other prominent physical features. • Using game props, stunning photos, and data cards, students go on safaris and scavenger hunts and play other collaborative and competitive games. • Grades K-8 students gain knowledge of country locations, capital cities, population centers, and physical features, and learn about wildlife, economics, and human cultures. • Accompanying each map is a set of laminated, ready-to-use activities, decks of photo and data cards, props, and other educational materials. • Maps of North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, the Solar System and the Pacific Ocean are available for rent. GiantTravelingMaps.org