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Linda Hallinan
WeExcel
Earth, Moon, Sun Systems
May 2008
Planetary
Orbits
(shape
of orbits, order of planets, and
distance between planets)
Lesson Overview
Grade Level: 7-8
Critical Concepts: Planetary Orbits ,Order,
Characteristics, and Distances
Science/ Math Skills: Equipment usage,
observation,
measurement, data interpretation, record
keeping, and scientific notation review.
State Standards:
6-8 Earth and Space Science/Benchmark A
1. Describe how objects in the solar system are
in regular and predictable motions that
explain such phenomena as days, years,
seasons, eclipses, tides and moon cycles.
6-8 Earth and Space Science/Benchmark A
2. Explain that gravitational force is the
dominant force determining motions in the
Solar System and in particular keeps the
planets in orbit around the Sun.
Instructional Sequence:
1. Pre-test
2. Drawing Activity – String and
Pins Ellipses
3. Clue Cards on planetary
characteristics
4. How do you remember the order
of the planets?
5. Distance in terms of toilet
paper
6. Re-drawing Activity with orbit
shape and planet order
7. Post-Test
Assessments:
Formative Assessments
Pre-Test
Planetary Orbits1st attempt
Group Questioning
Summative AssessmentPlanetary Orbits2nd attempt
Post-Test
Required Materials:
1. Pre-Test
2. Foam-cardboard Squares
3. String
4. Pins
5. Planet Characteristic Cards
6. Drawing paper
7. Ruler
8. Rolls of Toilet Paper
9. Set of Planet Printouts
10.
Pair of scissors
11.
Calculator
12.
Long hallway or outdoor
space of at least 110 ft (30.5
meters)
13.
Table with measures of
planet radius and distance to
the Sun relative to scale
14.
If the sun were a golf
ball exercise
15. Post-Test
Planetary distances, paths, and order
Lesson Plan
Time: 2-3 45 minute class
Chronological list of activities:
1. Administer Pre-test
2. Instruct students to draw a picture of how they
believe the planets travel around the sun and in
what order. Have them draw any distinctive
characteristics of each planet that they might
remember.
3. Discuss the pictures and what each one feels is
the important factor to know about the paths and
order of the planets.
4. Pass out the foam, cardboard squares, string,
pins, and ellipse drawing instructions. Have the
students comment on their observations of moving
the foci points. What happens to the “squashed”
circle?
5. Pass out the clue cards and have the students
work with a partner and quiz each other on the
special characteristics of the planets.
6. As a class, have the students share how they
remember the order of the planets. Refresh
their memories of the most common way (My very
educated mother just served us nachos.) Then
have a moment of silence for Pluto.
7. Present the attached power point and share with
the class that the orbits are elliptical, but
only slightly and are closer to a circle except
Pluto (the dwarf planet).
8. Poll your students to guess measurements. Remind
them that in Science we always use SI units.
Have them guess the following distances.
1. Distance to the principal’s office.
2. Distance to your house.
3. Distance to grandma’s house.
4. Distance to Hollywood.
5. Distance to China.
6. Distance to the Space Station.
7. Distance to the moon.
8. Distance to Mars.
9. Distance to the Sun.
9. Investigate the concept of relative size and
distance by creating a basic model of our solar
system. Using planet cutouts and toilet paper,
have the students work in groups to build a
model in hallway using a table of planet
measurements.
10. Assign for homework, “If the sun were a golf
ball.” Do a quick review of scientific notation
and how to work with proportions and cross
multiply.
11. The next day in class, have a group discussion
of what they discovered. Review the homework and
have one cutout of the sun ( which would be 76.7
inches in diameter relative to the cutouts that
they used in their activity).
12. Wrap up the assignment with a discussion of the
night sky. Emphasize that even though the stars
look like they are all so far away, they are at
really different distances away just like we are
far away from China.
12. Activity for the next day’s class would be to
redraw the picture of how the planets travel
around the sun and the paths and characteristics
of each planet.
13. Administer the Pre-test as a Post-test.
Extensions/Adaptations:
Initial adaptations are imbedded in class
assignments and grouping strategies. An
extension would be to follow up this activity
with a night sky projection activity. Have the
students poke holes in a piece of black
construction paper and then have them project a
light through the paper and hang Styrofoam
balls from the ceiling at the locations that
the light hits them. Make sure that the
students place the balls at different depth
locations relative to the light source. Due to
safety of getting up and down the ladder, it is
also possible to do this as a classroom
demonstration. This would represent what we
see in the night sky and reinforce the idea
that the locations of the planets are at
different distances. For an inclusion class, I
would have a matching of the distance number
for the homework page instead of the math
component.
Assessment Plan:
Formative Assessments
Pre-Test, (attached)
Planet Orbit Drawing- 1st attempt
Group Questioning
Summative Assessment-
Planet Orbit Drawing- 2nd attempt, (rubric
attached)
Post-Test
Reflection:
Due to my long term sub position in 8th grade
Science ending just as the class was starting the
Solar System, I was unable to perform my lesson for
an actual classroom.
Pre/Post Test Planetary Orbits, Order, Characteristics, and Distances.
1. List the planets in the order, starting with the closest one to the sun.
2. What is the largest planet in diameter?
3. Which planet is referred to as the “Red” planet?
4. Which planet has rings?
5. About how many Earth’s would fit into the Sun?
6. How far away is the Sun from the Earth?
7. What shape would best describe the path of the orbit of the earth
around the Sun?
Planet Orbit, Order, and Characteristics Drawing Rubric
3
2
Planet Order and
Labels
All planets are
represented in the
correct location with
the correct
characteristics.
Most (7) planets are
represented in the
correct location with
the correct
characteristics.
Orbit Paths
All paths are close to
circular in nature and
not equidistant from
each other.
Most (7) paths are
close to circular in
nature and not
equidistant from each
other.
Neatness
All information is
legible. No stray
marks.
Most information is
legible. No stray
marks.
1
Few (4 or less)
planets are
represented in the
correct location with
the correct
characteristics.
Few (4 or less) paths
are close to circular in
nature and not
equidistant from each
other.
Little information is
legible. Stray marks
not interfering with
picture clarity.
0
No planets are
represented in the
correct location
with the correct
characteristics.
No paths are close
to circular in
nature and all are
equidistant from
each other.
Information
illegible. Stray
marks interfering
with picture
clarity.
Home work Assignment
If the Sun were a golf ball…………
It is true that if the Sun were represented by golf ball in New York City,
the nearest star would be another golf ball in Chicago. We are going to
extend this concept using the following table of data.
Astronomical Distances
Object
Diameter of a golf ball
Distance in meters
4.3 x 10-2 m
Diameter of Pluto
2.2 x 106 m
Diameter of the moon
3.5 x 106 m
Diameter of the Earth
1.3 x 107 m
Diameter of Jupiter
1.4 x 108 m
Diameter of the Moon’s orbit
7.7 x 108 m
Diameter of the Sun
1.4 x 109 m
Radius of the Earth’s orbit
1.5 x 1011 m
Radius of Jupiter’s orbit
7.8 x 1011 m
Radius of Pluto’s orbit
5.9 x 1012 m
Sun to the nearest star
4.0 x 1016 m
Sun to the center of the
galaxy
7.7 x 10
20
m
If the sun were the size of a golf ball, then find the size of these
objects:
EXAMPLE:
Earth
Diameter of the Earth
=
Dia of a golf ball =
4.3 x 10-2 m
=
Dia of the Sun
1.4 x 109 m
1.3 x 107 m
(a) Diameter of Jupiter
(b) Diameter of the Moon’s orbit around the Earth
(c) Radius of the Earth’s orbit
(d) Radius of Jupiter’s orbit
(e) Radius of Pluto’s orbit
(f) Sun to the nearest Star
(g) Sun to the center of the Galaxy
References:
For clue cards: http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/AtHomeAstronomy/act09_cluecards.html
For Size and Distance of the planets (cutouts):
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/AtHomeAstronomy/act09_imagecards.html
For Data table:
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/AtHomeAstronomy/act10_datasheet.html
Blow away your elementary
school mis-conceptions !
Eccentricity: (How much an ellipse is squashed)
circle = 0
Sun to Venus = 0.0067
Sun to Earth = 0.0167
Sun to Mars = 0.0934
Directions for building an ellipse activity
For this activity you will need a piece of string, two thumbtacks or pins, a piece of cardboard, and a piece of
paper.
1. Place a piece of paper over the cardboard and use a marker to draw two points, F1 and F2, approximately
6 cm apart in approximately the center of the page. Stick thumbtacks into the cardboard at the indicated
points and attach a piece of string approximately 9 cm long to the tacks. Using the sharpened end of the
pencil, pull the string taut. Keep the string taut and construct a line by moving the pencil around F1 and
F2.
2. Repeat the construction keeping the length of the string the same but moving F1 and F2 closer to each
other.
3. Repeat the construction keeping the length of the string the same but moving F1 and F2 farther apart
from each other.
Describe the three drawings. Now put the two pins right next to each other with the same string length, describe
Eccentricity
e=0
Construction of an Ellipse
http://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/EMT668/EMAT6680.F99/Erbas/emat6690/Insunit/ellipse/ellipse. mov