1. Topic-
Earth and Space Science
 
2. Content-
The Solar System
 
3. Goals: Aims/Outcomes-
1.Students will understand and know the eight planets in the solar system
2.Students will build a model arranging the planets from smallest to greatest
3.Students will understand that the sun is the center of the Solar System
4.Students will understand the sun and moon and their relationship to the position of earth
 
4. Objectives-
1. Students will make a model of the Solar System arranging the planets in order of size.
2. Students understand that the planets revolve around the sun.
 
5. Materials and Aids-
Balls in different sizes (beach ball, basketball, playground ball, baseball, tennis ball, rubber ball, ping-pong ball)
Glass marble
Inflated balloon
Small stone
Paper strips with solar system facts written on them
Smartboard
Computer lab
Index cards
Shoe boxes
Yarn
Styrofoam balls in different sizes
Modeling clay
 
6. Procedures/Methods-

A. Introduction-

1. Before the lesson, gather a ping-pong ball, tennis ball, inflated balloon, glass marble, small stone, etc. You should have around 10 items, with a large range between the smallest to largest. Use any round or spherical item you have on hand, keeping in mind the student's safety.
2. Pass the round objects around. When they are all collected, place them on a table in the front of the room and have students tell you how to sort them from largest to smallest. What about heaviest to lightest?
3. Ask questions like: Which object is the heaviest? Is that object also the biggest? How many times bigger is the largest object than the smallest object? How do you know?
 

B. Development-

1. Tell the class that the sorting they just did is similar to how a scientist would classify the planets. Sort the eight planets from biggest to smallest, from nearest to farthest from the sun, and by how much they weigh. Write the names of the eight planets on the Smartboard, telling students they are in order from smallest to largest (write: Mercury, Mars, Venus, Earth, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, Jupiter).
2. Have students remain in their groups and work together to choose an object to represent each planet and the sun. What could you use to represent Mercury? How about Jupiter? Students can find another round object in the classroom (a globe, an eraser from a pencil, etc.)
3. Tell the students that if earth, which is not the smallest planet, was as big as this dot ( . ) then the sun would be about the size of a tennis ball. Give advice if needed, but let students work out the puzzle for themselves as much as possible. When finished, each group should have nine objects that represent the solar system, lined up in whatever order they choose (for example largest to smallest).
 

C. Practice-

1. Fold the paper strips in half, and then put them in a hat, jar, or other container. Hold the jar above students' eye level and have them grab a strip. Have students go up one at a time to the Smartboard and write facts about the solar system.
2. Once all the facts have been written, break students into pairs. Tell them to discuss with their partner whether the objects they chose with their group are a good representation of the planets or not. What did they get wrong? How would they fix it?
3. Come back as a class and have a volunteer from each pair share what they found out. Write the observations on the Smartboard. Remember that the planets are actually huge"�in this lesson we are just trying to compare how big they are relative to each other and the sun.
 

D. Independent Practice-

1. Now that students know something about how the planets compare to each other, have them research more about our solar system. Have students break into pairs or work with the same partner they did before.
2. Each pair must choose to research one thing from this list: 1) How far apart are each of the planets from the sun? 2) How far is Mars from Earth? 3) How big is the sun? 4) How big is the sun compared to other stars in our solar system? 5) Why is a planet's mass different than its weight?
3. You can allow several pairs to pick the same question, as long as each of the five questions are being researched. Tell students to write down interesting facts they find on index cards, so they can share them with the class during the next section of the lesson. At the bottom of the card have them write the website's name, in case they want to go back later and forget where they found it.
 

E. Accommodations (Differentiated Instruction)-

1. Use small group instruction if needed for ESL and students with disabilities. Small group activity is assessed by teacher and peer observation.
2. Allow students more time if needed outside the allotted period of time.
 

F. Checking for understanding-

1. Back in the classroom, have students work with their partner to design a model about the solar system.
2. They can use their index cards to help them remember the interesting facts they learned. What is the name of their poster going to be? What is it about? Help students choose to focus on one aspect of the solar system like comparing two planets, such as Mars and Earth, or comparing Jupiter to the sun.
3. Students could also focus on one aspect of all eight planets, such as their size or distance from the sun. When students have finished their models, have them present to the class.
 

G. Closure-

After presenting, place each model around the classroom to remind the students about what they learned about the Solar System.
 
7. Evaluation-
1. Have students fill out a self-evaluation sheet on their own performance
2. Grade them on teamwork skills, participation, and understanding of the concepts, based on the model they made.
 
8. Teacher Reflection-
1.Did this lesson support students' use of comparison to apply their knowledge of planets and their size and distance in relation to the sun
2.Did the study of planets within the Solar System create an engaging study of planets

I felt the students enjoyed the lesson and seem engaged the whole time. They loved making the models and presented them in front of the class.
 

This Lesson Plan is available at (www.teacherjet.com)