Learning Exercise
Charting the Planets
Create a classroom chart of planetary information gathered from the internet.
Course: Astronomy
- Material:
- Northern Stars Planetarium "Sun and Planet Facts"
- Date last modified:
- June 28, 2006
- Created by:
- Irene Newman
- License:
-
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With the use of the above website, the students will be able to chart the various characterists and information about... see more
Exercise
* Introduce/review vocabulary and metric measurements for understanding. *
Review with the students the nine (9) planets of the solar system. * Divide the
class into nine (9) groups. * Have the students use cards/post-it notes and
marker pens to write down information. * Have the students find the suggested
website or print out the information for them. * Have the students write down
the information on cards or post-it notes you want record/collected for each
planet; (ex. distance from the sun, how many moons, planet density, etc.). *
Label a board/whiteboard/butcher paper across the top with the planets' name,
earth in the first space. * Label the first column with the facts the students
are collecting. * Have each group come forward and place their information on
the board in the apporpriate squares. * Have teacher generate critial thinking,
tought provoking questions for the students from the information collected and
presented.
Review with the students the nine (9) planets of the solar system. * Divide the
class into nine (9) groups. * Have the students use cards/post-it notes and
marker pens to write down information. * Have the students find the suggested
website or print out the information for them. * Have the students write down
the information on cards or post-it notes you want record/collected for each
planet; (ex. distance from the sun, how many moons, planet density, etc.). *
Label a board/whiteboard/butcher paper across the top with the planets' name,
earth in the first space. * Label the first column with the facts the students
are collecting. * Have each group come forward and place their information on
the board in the apporpriate squares. * Have teacher generate critial thinking,
tought provoking questions for the students from the information collected and
presented.
Disciplines
Technical Notes
* Student know how to search the internet for websites for information.
Requirements
* Students need to know how many kilometers is in a mile for comparison and to be able to visualize the relationship between kilometers and miles. * Student need to know basic metric measurements: kilometer (km), cubic centimeter (cc). * Students need some knowledge of basic graphing (similar to the game Battleship)
Topics
* Califronia Content Standards: Earth Sciences ESIE1.d - Formulates expanations by using logic and evidence.
* California Content Standards: Earth Sciences ESIE1.k - Reconize the cumulative nature of scientific evidence.
* California Content Standards: Earth Sciences ES1.a - Students know how the difference and similarities among the sun, the terrestrial planets, and the gas planets may have been estabilished during the formation of the solar system.
Learning Objectives
* Students will participate in a cooperative learning enviroment.
* Students will collect, sort, and arrange information onto a chart.
* Students will learn additional facts about the planets of our solar system.
* Students will see and compare the similarities and the contrasts of the planets to each other and to earth.
* Students will have exposure to technology (internet).