The Solar System
I. The Solar System
- Science, The Universe and Solar System, 6th Grade
- This unit will involve an indepth study of the Solar System and
the
Universe.
We will be studying this by using PowerPoint and the Internet.
II. Unit Objectives
Competency Goal 5: The
learner will build understanding of the
Solar System.
I. Analyze the components
and cycles of the Solar System.
II. Describe the setting
of the Solar System in the universe.
III.Recognize and explain the
advantages and disadvantages of using
multimedia to develop content area projects/products.
IV. The learner will demonstrate knowledge and skills in the
use of computer and other technologies.
V. The learner will use a variety of technologies to access,
analyze, interpret, synthesize, apply, and communicate information.
III. Enabling Objectives
- Students will look more closely at the Sun and it's location
and
characteristics
and how they affect the planets.
- Students will also learn about the charateristics of the
planets and
the
moon and about their locations.
- Technologies used to explore space.
- Apollo mission to the moon.
- International Space Station.
Galaxy.
Size.
The uniqueness of Earth.
1. Students will understand more about the galaxy and the size of
the universe.
2. Students will understand how different and unique Earth is
from
the other eight planets.
IV. Introduction
- Lesson
Plan Number One:
Introduction
to the Solar System
- This first full
lesson plan includes:
- Introductory
parent/child newsletter (info):
This is a newletter for parents and students that will introduce our
new
unit on the Solar System. It was created in publisher on the
Windows
operating system. To view, click
here.
- Introductory electronic
slideshow (info):
Click
here to watch the PowerPoint on the Solar System.
- Web cover page (info):Unit View .
To expand on the introductory video, keep a camcorder with this
videoclip close at hand during the teaching of this unit plan. Add
additional
short segments of the learning of class in action during its teaching.
Digital video editors such as iMovie could then later be used to refine
this into a final and more finished video composition.
- Higher Order Thinking
Skills Example Starter Questions:
- Recall:
Who can recall what some of the planets are in our Solar System?
What do you know about them?
- Analysis:
Where did you first learn about the Solar System?
- Comparison:
How are the planets different from each other? How are they
similiar?
- Inference:
What do you think might happen if we stopped doing research in our
Solar System right now?
- Evaluation:
Why do you think that doing research in our Solar System is so
important to us?
V. Development
- Lesson 2 - The uniqueness of
Earth. For this lesson, the students will
research on the Internet information about the Earth and use their
information
to make a PowerPoint presentation. This lesson will probably take
3 days; 2 days to do the research and make a PowerPoint and we will
reserve 1 whole day to do the Presentations for the class.
- Lesson 3 - Comparing the
Earth to the other eight planets. In
this
lesson, the students will research on the Internet to find out
information
on each planet and make trading cards for each of the planets,
excluding Earth. This will take approx. 2 days.
- Lesson 4 - How the sun
effects the planets. We will be watching a
video on how the sun effects all of the planets. This will take 1
full class period.
VI. Conclusion
Last full
lesson plan
VII. Materials/Resources Available/Needed
These information resources include references to people, items on
shelves and items in computer storage (diskettes, hard drives, and
networks).
- Expert from the United States:
Dr R. Todd Clancy
Space Science Institute
Email: [email protected]
Tel/Fax: +1 910 457 6362
Dr Brad Sandor
Space Science Institute
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +1 720 974 5829
Fax: +1 720 974 5837
Dr Gerald Moriarty-Schieven
National Research Council of Canada, Joint Astronomy Centre, Hawaii
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +1 808 969 6531
Fax: +1 808 961 6516
Dr Douglas Pierce-Price
Joint Astronomy Centre, Hawaii
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +1 808 969 6524
Fax: +1 808 961 6516
- Email Conferences
- LISTSERVs (info):
Space-Guy - The Entertaining Astronomy E-mail Newsletter
- Newsgroups (info):
sci.space.history, sci.astro, alt.astronomy,
alt.sci.planetary,
AllThings Space
- Set of Books for BK-12 students: -A set of
age-appropriate
books and/or instructional materials for this unit plan.
- Curriculum Library Resources (info):
A list selected relevant curriculum library resources.
- Video Resources (info)
(TV/Cable, videotape, videodisc, online digital video): A list selected
relevant video resources. A variety of resources for finding video are
found at the "info" link. (Extra Credit)
- Web sites
This is a list of useful web site addresses for this unit plan found
using the web search engines from each of these headings. Using
each kind expands your knowledge of the types of search systems
available.
- Expert database (info):
(Encylopedia Britannica Online).
- http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/resources/explorations/trading/
- http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/space/solarsystem/solarsystemjava.html
- http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/overview.html
- General Catalog database (info):
(e.g., Yahoo.com).
- http://www.solarviews.com/eng/homepage.htm
- http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/en/kids/index.shtml
- http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html
- Web site Robot database (info):
- (e.g., hotbot.com)
- http://www.the-solar-system.net/
- http://www.nineplanets.org/
- http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/
- http://www.windows.ucar.edu
- http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/solar_system.html
- http://www.kidsastronomy.com/
- Web sites from Child Safe search engines (info):
- Web sites from Yahooligans:
- Instructional Software (info)
- Unit Plan Topic Database:
This database
file will not display on a web page. To see and use the database, you
must
download it to your computer and open it running the same application
as
was used to create it. This was created by Microsoft Excel.
- Comparison Spreadsheet: -
- Solar
System Spreadsheet-This spreadsheet
file will not display on a web page. To see and use the spreadsheet,
you
must download it to your computer and open it running the same
application
as was used to create it.
- This spreadsheet was produced using Microsoft Excel using
Windows.
- Web page view.
Click
this file name to see a web view of this spreadsheet.
VIII. Equipment Needed
- Classroom layout for the teaching of this unit.
- See
two and three dimensional view of teaching setting.
- I would like to have more room to walk around the room.
Right
now, the room is pretty cramped and I feel like I have only a small
amount of room that I can walk around it. I will probably place
the desks more closely together so that I can walk around more. I
will also want to have an easy access to the computer and Internet
hook-up so that I can easily get to it when I want to use it in class.
- Wish-list Shopping Spreadsheet
- Unit
resource needs, Excel spreadsheet. Every unit is just a piece that
fits into the longer stream of the academic year, that builds on prior
activities and resources. This spreadsheets shows the full set of
digital
and other resources preferred for this classroom that this unit plan
could
draw on.
- It is easy for Technology Shopping Lists to go beyond your
classroom or
even your school budget. To find that additional funding, one can
consult the
Grant Development Process site.
IX. Evaluation
Give this
some serious thinking. Write commentary
on the following tasks:
<>
At the end of the unit, I will assess the students
on how much they know from this unit. If they seem to have
learned a lot then I will plan to use the unit again. If I can
tell that they know the concepts but do not do very well on the
assessment, I will still consider using the unit again. The
students will be tested at the end of the unit to see if they have
mastered the objectives for the unit.
- Remember to provide notes here on how to improve
the unit's lesson plans after it has been taught.
- To assist in this evaluation,
one can also use the video composition
begun
and continued from section IV. above. Use an easy to use video editor
such
as iMovie which uses your added footage from this experience to create
a video composition that tells the story of the teaching of this unit.
From time to time in your editing add your own narration to the
videotape
reflecting on things that went well and deserve repeating and those
things
that need modification or deletion from the plan. Keep this video on
file
for the following year to review before you teach the unit again or
"burn"
the digital video version of the file to a CD or DVD disc. Keep the
disc
in your teaching and technology portfolios and reuse the videotape.
- Further technology integration:
- Grading Spreadsheet:
- Grading Spreadsheet.
This
spreadsheet
file will not display on a web page. To see and use the spreadsheet,
you
must download it to your computer and open it running the same
application
as was used to create it.
- This was created in Microsoft Excel using Windows.
- Web page view. Click
this
file name
to see a web view of this spreadsheet.
- Student information Database:
(used
for grades, comments on assignments and general student information
such
as emergency phone numbers and health issues) This database file
will not display on a web page. To see and use the database, you must
download
it to your computer and open it running the same application as was
used
to create it.
X. Time Period
- This unit will last approx. 8 days. The time for this
unit alone
will definitely allow time for the other topics in the class.
Unit Plan Author: - Amber Starrett, Computers
in Education