Learning Exercise

Ask students to list 4 items in our solar system and rank them in order of size.
After 3-5 minutes have them compare list with their seat partners. Have the
class share; then ask if all of the items mentioned are (1) the same shape; (2)
move the same, (30 are made of the same materials. Tell them this is the basis
for our investigation.

Show various images of items to be named on their chart from www.solarviews.com
to help peak interest.

Distribute chart with these 8 items from our solar system: Mercury, earth, our
moon, Jupiter, Pluto, meteoroids, asteroids, and comets down the y axis.Criteria
to be filled in will be: appearance, composition, position relative to the
sun, size ranking, and type of orbit across the x acress. If you feel your
students need it,include the criteria vocabulary words at the bottom. Students
will then use their computers to complete the chart. They can use the
www.jpl/nasa/gov. site as well as the solarview.com site.

Give about 20 minutes then check progress. Give 10 more minutes as needed.

Students then break into small groups of 3 or 4 and share the information they
have gathered. They may write down any new information shared by their team
mates.

Students present their findings to the class and compare their new information
with facts previously learned from other sources.

Option A: Students will use their chart to create a poster as visual
representation of their information.

Option B: Students will work with their small groups to create a 3-D project to
demonstrate the information on their charts.