The Solar System | Create WebQuest

Introduction

Welcome Earthlings!

Your mission, if you choose to accept it - is to travel to one of the 8 planets in our solar system and the sun! (No worries we have protective suits - so you won't burn on the sun!) You will explore the planet you choose and present your information to the rest of NASA so we can update our files. Finally, you will create your planet using art supplies and we will construct the solar system in our space station.

Task

Students will research the planet of their choosing. They will then complete a presentation about their planet using a form of digital media (google slides, prezi). They will then construct their planet using styrofoam and paint with a small summary about their planet to go along with their creation. Our finished product will hang from the ceiling in the classroom.

Process

Step One:

You will be in a group of at least 5 people. You will use the resources provided to research your planet - you must agree on the planet as a group. Each member of your group will research one of the following topics:

1. The order of the planet (how many spots away from the sun), how big the planet is, and what is the average temperature on the planet (F)?

2. How long does it take your planet to rotate (how long is a day), how about one year? How old would the members of your group be if you lived on this planet?

3. What is the atmosphere made up of on your planet, would you weigh more or less on your planet based on your weight on Earth (due to gravity)? Would your planet be able to support life - why or why not?

4. How many moons or rings does your planet have? What is your planet best known for (nicknames, spots, color?)

5. List at least three to four interesting characteristics about your planet.

Here are resources for your research. I will also assign books on MyOn for your research once your groups are established. You may also use the planet books we have in the classroom.

http://planetfacts.org/

http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/planets/

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/

http://kids.nineplanets.org/

http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm

Image result for Solar System Images

Step Two:

You will compile your information in a format for presenting to the rest of NASA on your findings. You may choose any of the following formats for presenting:

Google Slides

Prezi

Glogster

You will also creat a small card with highlights about your planet that we will attach to the planet when it is hanging.

Step Three:

Creation of your planet. You will gather supplies from the NASA supply closet to construct your planet. You will need:

Styrofoam ball (relative size for your planet - example Jupiter should be the biggest - right?)

Paint

Paint brushes

Fishing wire

Ring (if needed)

Evaluation

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Qualified 3	Exemplary 4
Research - Planet (Questions answered, accurate information, good organization)	Few questions were answered, 3-5 pieces of information was inaccurate, information unorganized. Planet not done accurately.	Some questions answered, 2-3 pieces of information was inaccurate,information somewhat organized. Planet somewhat accurate.	Most questions were answered, 1 piece of information was inaccurate, information organized, planet accurate.	All questions were answered, information was accurate and the information was neatly organized, planet was accurate and neatly done.
Presentation (Information included, details, effort put in)	Very little information given, no details, no effort given.	Some information included, little detail given, little effort given.	Most information was included, some detail given, some effort given.	All information was included, very detailed, maximum effort given.
Group Participation (Research and presentation)	Team did not work well together, giving a poor presentation.	Only one person did the research and only one person spoke in the presentation.	Two or three team members did most the research and two or three team members spoke in the presentation.	All members of the team did research and everyone spoke in the presentation.

Beginning
1

Developing
2

Qualified
3

Exemplary
4

Score

Research - Planet

(Questions answered, accurate information, good organization)

Few questions were answered, 3-5 pieces of information was inaccurate, information unorganized. Planet not done accurately.

Some questions answered, 2-3 pieces of information was inaccurate,information somewhat organized. Planet somewhat accurate.

Most questions were answered, 1 piece of information was inaccurate, information organized, planet accurate.

All questions were answered, information was accurate and the information was neatly organized, planet was accurate and neatly done.

Presentation

(Information included, details, effort put in)

Very little information given, no details, no effort given.

Some information included, little detail given, little effort given.

Most information was included, some detail given, some effort given.

All information was included, very detailed, maximum effort given.

Group Participation

(Research and presentation)

Team did not work well together, giving a poor presentation.

Only one person did the research and only one person spoke in the presentation.

Two or three team members did most the research and two or three team members spoke in the presentation.

All members of the team did research and everyone spoke in the presentation.

Conclusion

Congratulations explorers! You did a fantastic job bringing information back to NASA. Now that we have more information on each planet, we can beginning searching for new life or expansion of life onto another planet. Thank you! I award you honorary astronauts!

Image result for Nasa

Credits

Author Biography:

Kelli Hunsicker is a 5th grade teacher.

Permissions:

We all benefit by being generous with our work. Permission is granted for others to use and modify this WebQuest for educational, non-commercial purposes as long as the original authorship is credited. The modified WebQuest may be shared only under the same conditions. See the Creative Commons Attribution • Non-Commercial• Share-Alike license for details.