Introduction
The solar system is our neighbourhood in the galaxy. It consists of eight planets that orbit around the sun. Man has never walked on any of these planets, but we are exploring and learning more about them all the time.
The four planets closest to the sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are known as rocky, terrestrial planets. The four planets farthest from the sun, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are known as gas giants.
In this lesson we will choose a planet and answer some questions to learn more about this planet.
What is the core of the planet made up of?
How far is it from the sun?
What is the temperature on this planet?
Does the planet have any moons?
How long is a day on this planet?
Task
With a partner choose one planet to study.
Write a report answering the questions from the introduction in detail.
Include a styrofoam model of your planet using paint, paper, glitter or other materials.
This model will be used in the classroom to be a part of our solar system display.
Process
Once you and your partner have chosen your planet, head to the library and find some books about the subject.
Here is a website that is full of information about the planets in our solar system: http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm
Your report must answer these questions:
1. What is the core of the planet made up of?
2. How far is it from the sun?
3. What is the temperature on this planet?
4. Does the planet have any moons?
5. How long is a day on this planet?
Create a model of your planet using a styrofoam ball. Be creative and use a variety of materials.
Here is a helpful video that shows some detail to help you create your model:
Evaluation
Evaluation
| Content |
10 Answered all the questions |
5 Missed some information |
0 Did not answer most questions |
| Spelling |
10 Virtually no spelling errors |
5 Just a few minor spelling errors |
0 A large number of spelling errors |
| Model |
10 Used a variety of materials, close attention to detail |
5 Used a couple of different materials, some detail |
0 Used one material, little to no detail |
Conclusion
Hopefully you have a better understanding of the planet you chose to study! The solar system is a big place so it helps our understanding of this system to get to know our neighbours. You never know, maybe one day in your future, you could travel to another planet!
Credits
Image courtesy of Idea Go/Freedigitalphotos.net
Image courtesy of Idea Go/Freedigitalphotos.net