®
Lesson 1
What makes up the
Solar System?
Teacher Preparation Guide
I. Lesson Description:
This lesson begins with a pre-assessment by asking the students what they
know about the Solar System. Activities address the concepts of orbit, rotation
and revolution and include:
• Solar System awareness
• Mnemonic exercise for the correct order of the planets from the Sun
• Planetary Orbit
The post assessment includes both written and performance based activities.
II. Essential Question:
What makes up the Solar System?
III. Time Required:
2 Class periods
IV. Materials Checklist:
For Activity 1: Class Discussion
„ Newsprint (to be used throughout this lesson to record the students’
answers to the essential question)
„ Markers
For Activity 2: Book Reading
„ Book: The Solar System by Seymour Simon
„ Book: The Planets in our Solar System by Franklyn M. Branley
„ Book: Postcards from Pluto by Loreen Leedy
For Activity 3: Class Discussion: Planets
„ One copy of Student Work Page 1 for each student
For Activity 4: Mnemonic Exercise
„ One copy of Student Work Page 2 for each student
For Activity 5: Planetary Orbits Demonstration
„ 1 Playground Ball/Beach Ball
„ Chair
„ One copy of Student Work Page 3 for each student
For Activity 6: Planetary Orbit Activity
„ 3 Playground Balls
For Activity 7: Assessment and Review
„ One copy of Student Work Page 4 for each student
„ Beach ball
„ Ping-Pong ball
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V.
Pre-class Checklist:
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Gather the necessary materials.
Review the Teacher Activity Guide.
Review Student Work Page 1.
Review Student Work Page 2.
Review Student Work Page 3.
Review Student Work Page 4.
VI. Resources:
For Internet resources visit the Space Explorers, Inc. K-3Space® web site at
http://www.k-3space.com.
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Teacher Activity Guide
Activity 1: Class Discussion: Solar System Awareness
Materials:
• Newsprint
Directions:
• Ask the students these questions:
“Has anyone heard the word ‘solar’ before? Solar energy? Solar panels?”
Solar means anything that has to do with the Sun.
“What do you think the Solar System is? What does it have to do with the
Sun?”
• Explain to the class:
The Solar System is the name given to the Sun and all the objects in space
that travel around it.
• Ask the Essential Question:
“What do we know about the Solar System?”
• Gather the combined knowledge of the class on newsprint. Use the gained
knowledge as a pre-assessment and refer to it throughout this unit.
Activity 2: Book Reading
•
Read to the class and discuss one or more of the following:
The Solar System by Seymour Simon
The Planets in our Solar System by Franklyn M. Branley
Postcards from Pluto by Loreen Leedy
Activity 3: Class Discussion: The Planets
Materials:
• One copy of Student Work Page 1 for each student
Directions:
• Pass out to each student 1 copy of The Student Work Page 1.
• Ask these questions:
How many planets are there? [9]
What are their names?
• Explain to the students:
The Earth is a planet.
A planet is a big, round ball of gas or rock that travels around the Sun or
another star.
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•
Ask the students:
What are the names of the planets in order from those closest to the Sun to
those furthest away?
Can anyone think of an easy way we can memorize the planets in order?
(For example: In music there are little sayings for the names of the lines
and spaces such as “Every Good Boy Does Fine.”)
Activity 4: Mnemonic Exercise
Materials:
• One copy of Student Work Page 2 for each student
Directions:
• Pass out to each student, Student Work Page 2.
• Taking the first letters from the names of each of the planets, see if the
students can come up with a Mnemonic for the next class period. (A common
Mnemonic sentence is: My Very Extraordinary Mother Just Served Us
Nine Pizzas.)
• Challenge the students to memorize the planets in correct order from the
Sun.
Activity 5: Planetary Orbits Demonstration
Materials:
• One copy of Student Work Page 3 for each student
• Ball/Beach Ball
• Chair
Teacher Background:
• Rotation is the spinning motion of a body.
• Revolution is the movement of a body around a central body, like the
movement of a planet around the Sun.
Directions:
• Pass out to each student, Student Work Page 3 for Activity 3: Planetary
Orbit
• Tell the students that when talking about planets, we are going to be using
some new words.
• Ask the class:
Does anyone know what an orbit is?
Does anyone know what it means when we say a planet rotates or
completes a revolution around the Sun?
• Explain to the Students:
A planet spinning on its axis rotates.
A single time around or rotation equals one day.
One trip around the Sun is called a revolution and equals one planetary year.
The path that a planet takes around the Sun is called the orbit.
Some planets spin or rotate faster than others.
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The planets closest to the Sun move around their paths or orbits faster than
the planets that are further away.
Use a ball to demonstrate the movements of the Earth.
Spin the ball in place, counterclockwise.
Ask the students to explain which movement it is and how it effects the
Earth.
Try to lead them to the answer that this is the rotation of the Earth and it
gives us day and night.
Hold the ball and walk in a circle around a chair that represents the Sun.
Ask the students to explain which movement it is and how it effects the
Earth.
Try to lead them to the answer that this is the Earth revolving around the
Sun and this gives us the year.
Once again, hold the ball and walk in a circle around the chair representing
the Sun.
Ask the students what we call the path that the Earth is taking around the
Sun.
Try to lead them to the answer that the curved path an object takes as it
travels in space around a larger object is called an orbit.
Activity 6: Planetary Orbit Activity
Materials:
• 3 playground balls
Directions:
• In the classroom or outside have 5 students sit in a small circle with one
student in the center as the Sun.
• Pass a ball around the circle, spinning it as it rolls from person to person. Tell
the students that 1 full spin or rotation is equal to one day.
• Have 7 to 9 students make a second circle around the first circle and repeat
the rotation and revolution making a second orbit.
• Make a third and larger circle around the second circle with the remaining
students and repeat the orbit activity. Complete the activity by telling the
students that 1 full revolution is equal to one year.
• Now, start the three balls at the same time from approximately the same
place in each circle. Spin and roll the balls around the circles. What
observations did the students make?
Activity 7: Reflection and Review
Materials:
• One copy of Student Work Page 4 for each student
• Beach ball
• Ping-Pong ball
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Directions:
• Pass out to each student, Student Work Page 4
• Ask the students these questions for review and assessment:
What is the Solar System?
How many planets are there?
Can you name them?
Name one movement of a planet. What term do we use for this movement?
Name another movement of a planet. What term do we use for this
movement?
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Student Work Page 1
Solar System Awareness
Name ____________________________________
Date______________
1. What does the word Solar mean?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
2. How many planets are there?_______________
3. What makes up the Solar System?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
4. What is a planet?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
5. Name the planets in order from the Sun:
1. ________________________
6._______________________
2. ________________________
7._______________________
3. ________________________
8._______________________
4. ________________________
9._______________________
5. ________________________
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Student Work Page 2
A Memory Game
Name ____________________________________
Date______________
MVEMJSUNP
A Memory Game!
Use the first letters from the names of each of the planets
and create your own sentence:
M __________ V __________ E ____________
M __________ J __________ S ____________
U __________ N __________ P ____________ .
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Student Work Page 3
Planetary Orbit
Name ____________________________________
Date______________
Draw a line from the words to the correct definitions:
circle-like shape
travel around an object
orbit
path or footprints
rotation
spin like a top
revolution
day and night
planetary year
1. Based on your role, use the words orbit, rotation and revolution
to record your observations of the Planetary Orbit Activity:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
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Student Work Page 4
Reflection and Review
Name ____________________________________
Date______________
Based on your observations from this lesson, answer the following
questions:
1. What is at the center of the Solar System?
____________________
2. How many planets are there in our Solar System?
__________
3. Name the planets in our Solar System:
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
4. What is an orbit?
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Performance Assessment:
A. Using a beach ball for the Sun and a Ping-Pong ball for the
Earth, explain the two movements of the Earth.
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
B. In what ways do these two movements affect our lives?
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