Solar System Field Trip
Image downloaded from Arnett’s website (1994-2008).
Introduction | Task | Sources | Process | Guidance
| Conclusion
Introduction: Most third grade students know the names of
the planets in the solar system. Students can visit websites to see pictures of
the planets, compare facts about the planets, and explore models that will help
them visualize the relative distance of the planets from the sun. Several
websites offer help in creating models of the solar system.
Task: State of
GLE
0307.6.1 Identify and compare the major components of the solar system.
307.6.1
Create a model of
the solar system depicting the major components and their relative positions
and sizes.
307.6.2
Use a table to
compare and contrast the major solar system components.
SPI
0307.6.1 Identify the major components of the solar system, i.e., sun, planets
and moons.
State of
Identify
the major components of the solar system, compare and contrast the planets, and
construct a model of the solar system.
Sources:
A & E Television Network. (1996-2007). Interactive tour of the universe. Retrieved
March 23, from http://www.history.com/genericContent.do?id=54499
A & E Television Network. (1996-2007). Backyard astronomer: Viewing the planets. Retrieved
March 23, from http://www.history.com/video.do?name=The_Universe
Arnett, B. (1994-2008). The nine planets, a multimedia
tour of the solar system: One star, eight planets, and more. Retrieved March
23, 2008, from http://www.nineplanets.org/
Dejoie, J., & Truelove, E. (n.d.). The
solar system. Retrieved March 23, 2008, from http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/solar_system.html
Hipschman, R. (1997). Build
a solar system. Retrieved March 23, 2008, from http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/
Ottewell, G. (1989). The
thousand-yard model or the Earth as a peppercorn. Retrieved March 23, 2008,
from http://www.noao.edu/education/peppercorn/pcmain.html
Sheppard, S. (n.d.). The
Jupiter satellite page. Retrieved April 1, 2008, from http://www.dtm.ciw.edu/sheppard/satellites/
Shetline, K. (2000-2007). Sky
view café. Retrieved March 23, 2008, from http://www.skyviewcafe.com/
State of
Process:
Take an Interactive Tour of the Universe. Go to History.com at http://www.history.com/genericContent.do?id=54499.
Go to http://www.nineplanets.org/sol.html
to find information about the planets. Fill in the charts available at the link
below. Use the astronomical unit (AU) for the distance from the sun. Go to http://www.dtm.ciw.edu/sheppard/satellites/
for a summary of the planets’ satellites. Use all the websites to find
interesting facts about each planet to include on fact cards for your solar
system model.
Click for the information charts.
Click on a square below to go directly to a planet or
the sun.
After you have gathered information
about the planets, explore the websites listed below to look at different
models of the solar system. Consider your resources and space limitations. Then
construct a model that shows the relative sizes of the planets and their
distances from the sun. Make a fact card for each planet using information you
have gathered from your solar system field trip. Put a picture of the planet on
each fact card. Include at least three interesting facts about the planet.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/
Build a Solar System
http://www.njaa.org/sswalk/sswalk.html#null
Solar System Walk
http://www.noao.edu/education/peppercorn/pcmain.html
Thousand Yard Model
Guidance: Reflection
The purpose of this WebQuest
is to give students an opportunity to compare and contrast the planets by looking
at NASA photographs and by collecting details about each planet. They should
get a better idea of how the planets relate to each other in terms of relative
size and distance from the sun. They can create a solar system model to share
with other members of the school community.
Preceding the WebQuest, the
teacher may divide the students into groups, with each group choosing a planet
to research. If students don’t have much background knowledge about the
planets, they might preview the websites to make a decision about which planet
to research. Then, the information chart can be used by all the groups to
gather information for the whole class. Each group will be responsible for
making a planet information card for the class solar system model. The class
can research types of solar system models and make decisions about which model
would work best for the classroom or school. This might lead to the students
creating a more permanent solar system model on the school grounds or in a
school hallway.
The Backyard Astronomer: Viewing the
Planets video at http://www.history.com/video.do?name=The_Universe
is difficult to access, at times, so I removed it from the process area to cut
down on student frustration. The video shows artists’ impressions of various
gods and a goddess from which planet names were taken. It is a good
introduction to a unit on the planets, but might be easier for the teacher to
show to the whole class rather that having students try to access it. However,
the video may not expand to full screen, so that could make it more difficult
to show to a large group. The other websites are easy to access from the links.
The Nine Planets website
seems challenging, in terms of the amount of text for third graders, but
students love the photographs of the planets, and the basic information is easy
to locate. I added links to the planets to make it easier for third graders to
go straight to each planet. I included Pluto as a dwarf planet on the
information chart because I don’t think students are ready to forget about it.
Arnett gives a good explanation about why nine planets have become eight. Refer
to the copyright information concerning student use of his text and NASA’s
images at http://www.nineplanets.org/copyright.html.
The Nine Planets website includes excerpts of music from Gustav Holst’s The Planets
op. 32. Students might enjoy listening to the entire movement matching each
planet to see if they agree with Holst’s musical view
of the planets.
Students can use the StarChild website for additional activities related to the
planets. Interested students can use Sky View Café, an interactive planetarium,
to locate objects in the night sky.
This WebQuest should improve
learning because it links students with NASA resources, such as photographs,
that give students visual images to connect to facts about each planet. The solar system models are designed to give
students a better understanding of the size of the solar system. Students may start out by designing a simple
model of the solar system, or they may decide to make a more permanent model
that can be enjoyed by the school community.
Click
for the information answer charts.
Conclusion:
Students have a natural
fascination with the planets, and these websites give students an opportunity
to see the same images that scientists at NASA see as space exploration
provides views of the solar system. Students gather information and create a
model to expand their understanding of the universe.
This WebQuest was created by Mary Swingle.
It was last updated on April 17, 2008.