Download Solar System WebQuest - Alpine Public School

GRADE 3
Introduction:
There are eight planets that exist in the solar system. You are junior astronauts
traveling to the planet of your choice. You and your partner need to gather
information before you leave. Once you complete your research, your team will
make a flight plan and create a Power Point Slide-Show that will be presented to
your fellow junior astronauts. Good luck with your mission!
Task:
You and your team will need to complete the following tasks before you leave on
your mission.
* Your team will search the Internet to find information on your planet.
* Use the Planet Worksheet to collect data on your planet.
* Make a plan for your flight to your planet, including flight times, supplies, etc.
* Create a Power Power Point Slide-Show on your planet that includes information
as well as images .
* Present your slide-show.
Process:
Step 1: Choose a planet.
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Pick a partner and then a planet (Mercury, Venus,
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and
Earth).
Create a name for your mission.
Let Mission Headquarters (Ms. Ibelli and Mrs.
Metz) know the name of your mission and the
planet your team has chosen.
Step 2: Research your planet.
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Print out the Planet Worksheet and read over
with your team.
Begin researching your planet by going to the
resources section.
Look at the first website link and read carefully.
Write down the information your team finds.
Do the same for the other website links until you
have found all the information you need.
Step 4: Make a flight plan.
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Look at your Planet Worksheet and re-read the
information you have written, including how long it
would take to get to your planet.
Complete A Trip Through the Solar System.
Discuss with your partner the following:
1. How long will the trip be?
2. What supplies will you need? (such as
food, clothing, medicine, etc.)
3. Will you make any stops on your flight?
4. What will you do for entertainment?
5. What will you do when you reach your
planet?
6. What would you need on your spaceship
(rooms, equipment, etc.)?
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Write out your flight plan. It can be a paragraph,
a list, a chart, or whatever your team decides.
Make a model of what your spaceship will look on
the outside and on the inside. Make sure to label
your ship and its parts.
Download or scan the images and insert them into
your Power Point Slide-Show.
Step 6: Create a Slide-Show.
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Now that you have all your information, create a
Power Point Slide-Show with at least 6 slides.
Click Here to view a sample Power-Point.
First slide should have the name of your planet
and your names. The last slide should list all of
the resources that were used.
Remember to bullet information/facts and include
related images.
Check your spelling and grammar.
Click here for presentation tips.
Step 7: Completing your project.
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Print the Checklist to make sure you've completed
every part of this project.
Resources:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/index.shtml
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/mercury.htm
http://www.dustbunny.com/afk/planets/
http://astrogeology.usgs.gov/Kids/
http://www.kidskonnect.com/Planets/PlanetsHome.html
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html
http://www.space.com/
http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/resources/explorations/trading/
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Evaluation:
Your teams will be graded on:
1. Team effort
2. Power Point Slide-Show
3. Flight Plans and Diagram/Model
4. Oral Presentation
Conclusion:
Congratulations! You have just completed a research project on planets. You are an
expert on your planet and you have learned about the other planets. You are now
senior astronauts ---- experts on our solar system! Good job!
Here are some other websites you can visit on the planets and our solar system:
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Arty The Part-Time Astronaut
Explore the Planets
Astronomy for Kids Puzzles
Interactive Solar System
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Views of the Solar System
Your Weight On Other Worlds
A Trip through the Solar System
Here's a way to understand the differences between planets without trying to
comprehend millions and millions of miles. Suppose you were ten years old and you
decided to travel the whole solar system. You jump into a very fine, fast
spaceship, and you start your journey, leaving from the sun.
Time for Blast Off!!!
Calculate the years
as you travel from
planet to planet:
From the sun to
Mercury-- Getting from the sun to Mercury takes
Mercury:
only 3 months. When you reach Mercury, you'd be 10
years and 3 months old.
3 months
Venus-- When you reach Venus, you'd be 10 years From Mercury to
Venus:
and 8 months old.
Earth-- You'd reach Earth at age 11 years 6 months.
Mars-- You'd be over 12 years and 4 months old
when you got to Mars.
From Venus to Earth:
From Earth to Mars:
From Mars to
Jupiter-- By the time you reach Jupiter, you'd be 18
Jupiter:
years old.
Saturn-- When you reach Saturn, you would be 25 From Jupiter to
Saturn:
years old.
From Saturn to
Uranus-- Go all the way to Uranus and you'll be 40
Uranus:
years old!!
Neptune-- At Neptune, you'd be celebrating your
56th birthday.
From Uranus to
Neptune:
Pluto-- And when you reached Pluto, you'd be 70......a From Neptune to
Pluto:
senior citizen!
Now that you have calculated the years it would take to get from one planet to the
next, your team can now figure out how long it would take to get from Earth to
your planet.