Planetary Landscapes
Icy Bodies6WDWLRQ
Thin shavings of dry ice are injected onto the surface of a
shallow pool of water where they careen around like
comets. Tiny jets of gas shoot out from the individual ice
fragments causing them to spin and tumble as they drift
about. Side-lighting brings out the detailed structure of the
out-gassing jets.
Planetary Landscapes
Aeolean Landscape
Aeolian Landscape is an art exhibit in which a miniature
wind-swept desert landscape is recreated by an electric
fan and finely ground sand. The motion mimics the
process of wind picking up and depositing small particles.
Geologists use the term “aeolian” to refer to land
formations that are caused by wind. Sand dunes and
snow drifts are two common examples. The visitor can
change the direction of the fan and notice how the shape
of the miniature dunes influences the pattern of the wind,
which in turn influences the shape of the dunes.
Planetary Landscapes
Convection Cells
A shallow circular tray, covered with glass and filled with
a pearlescent fluid, is heated from within its base. Instead
of becoming more disorderly, as most things do when you
heat them, the fluid organizes itself into an intricate
pattern of lozenges not unlike the whorls of a fingerprint.
Visitors may interrupt the pattern by spinning the disc,
and observe the process as it reforms.
Planetary Landscapes
Cyclone
A spinning pump turbine at the bottom of the tank swirls
the floating bubbles into a spiral vortex. A glass plate on
the top contains the fluid and creates a window to view
the vortex as it gobbles up the tiny bubbles in the same
way that a massive weather system draws in surrounding
air.
Planetary Landscapes
Dust Devil
A vortex forming in a 12 inch diameter cylinder filled with
fluid sweeps fine particles of sand into a swirling dust
devil. Visitors turn a knob to activate the vortex and watch
it travel across the landscape.
Planetary Landscapes
Jovian Cloud Top
Jovian Cloud Tops is a clear tank, full of special, colored,
flow-visualization fluid. The tank is mounted on top of a
pedestal and can be spun in either direction and at
different speeds. The fluid in the tank shows swirls and
waves of internal fluid motions produced by the actions of
the visitors. The turbulence of the fluid in the tank is
reminiscent of the turbulent flows that occur in planetary
atmospheres. This exhibit shows the complexities of fluid
motion that can be produced by very simple
circumstances.
Planetary Landscapes
Intrusion
Air bubbling up through sand between two sheets of glass
creates the impression of a cross-section through a
volcanic landscape. Pools of air and sand, like
underground magma chambers, rise up through the
denser substrate and erupt on the surface. Calderas form
and collapse as viewers change the rate of air flowing
through the sand. At high flow rates the entire mass of
sand becomes a water-like fluid even though no water is
present.
Planetary Landscapes
Rift Zone
Rift Zone uses air bubbling up through fine sand to
suggest a small-scale geothermal landscape. By turning a
knob, viewers can change the pressure of the air rising up
through the sand and alter the shapes and patterns of the
landscape. The aerators that activate the sand are
arranged in a composition of three elements: a circle, a
line and a dot, corresponding to the three kinds of rift
zones that occur on earth: solitary volcanoes, fracture
zones such as the one spreading on the island of Hawaii,
and the ring dike that forms in the crater of a volcano as
the central plug cools and then a new eruption occurs
around the perimeter in a circle.
Planetary Landscapes
Sea of Clouds
A large pool of slowly undulating fog is evocative of the
cloud tops of Jupiter and Venus as well as of fog forming
in the valleys of Mars. Generated by an ultrasonic fog
machine, the cool, dense water mist flows like dry ice fog.
The top surface is alive with waves and complex
convection currents. Side lighting accentuates the
patterns. Viewers will be able to run their hands through
the fog and alter the currents. When left undisturbed, the
fog will slowly churn, constantly changing due to its own
internal dynamics.
Planetary Landscapes
Static Landscape
Charged Particles provides a visualization of static
electrical fields. Tilting the glass covered dish full of steel
shot generates a charge which organize the steel into
patterns along static electrical field lines. The process is
analogous to the way the solar wind charges the soil of
the moon, Mars, and other bodies which are not protected
by a magnetic field.
Planetary Landscapes
Tectonic Basin
In an artistic and tactile manner, Tectonic Basin helps
demonstrate principles of geology, erosion, chaos and
more. Fine grained sand covering a low-frequency
vibrating base plate causes the sand to move and settle
in unpredictable ways that resemble the shifting sands of
a desert. Visitors can spread the sand with their hands
and watch the pattern reform within a few seconds.
Planetary Landscapes
Tornado
Tornado uses a large mist generator, fans and a care
fully-shaped structure to produce a large tornado. Since
the Exploratorium first produced this crowd-pleasing
exhibit, it has been duplicated in many museums. Our
fourth generation version is intentionally de-tuned so that
random air currents can cause both the creation of a
tornado and its temporary cessation. This latest Tornado
is chaotic and unpredictable much of the time; it wanders
off the source of the mist, slips out of the grasp of the
shearing winds and presents a delightful and everchanging image.
Planetary Landscapes
Oscillons
Oscillons is a shallow dish filled with vibrating glass
beads. Because the beads are constrained by the glass
top, intricate wave patterns are created by the air that is
trapped in the dish.
Planetary Landscapes
Turbulent Orb
The Turbulent Orb is a large polycarbonate sphere full of
special, colored, flow-visualization fluid. The sphere is
mounted on top of a pedestal and can be spun in either
direction and at different speeds. The fluid in the sphere
shows swirls and waves of internal fluid motions
produced by the actions of the visitors. The turbulence of
the fluid in the sphere is reminiscent of the turbulent flows
that occur in planetary atmospheres. This exhibit shows
the complexities of fluid motion that can be produced by
very simple circumstances.
Planetary Landscapes
Cratering
Dropping clumps of powder onto a deep powder layer
creates a cratered landscape. One of the interesting
features of the exhibit is that it creates a field of random
sized craters superimposed on each other, much like the
moon and other heavily cratered celestial bodies. Side
lighting brings out the details of the craters.
Chabot Classes – Supplemental Teacher Information
Dance of the Planets, Grades 2-3
Program Description:
Students learn planet features, planet lore and orbital motions, and make Solar System bodies
out of craft materials. In a narrated musical performance, students dramatize the origins and
orbits of the sun, planets, asteroids and comets.
Vocabulary:
asteroid
asteroid belt
circle
comet
Kuiper belt
earth
ellipse
force
gas
galaxy
gravity
Jupiter
Mercury
Mars
mission
Moon
mythology
Neptune
Oort cloud
orbit
poles
planet
Pluto
radiation
rotate
Saturn
Solar System
space
star
sun
supernova
Uranus
Venus
Possible Class Activities
•
•
•
•
•
Students learn appearance and relative sizes of planets, asteroids and comets and make
these bodies out of craft materials
Students measure and draw accurately spaced orbits on the ground
Students learn direction and speed of planets’ revolution and rotations and practice
walking in their orbits
Students dramatize the formation of the solar system out of rotating and collapsing gas
clouds
Students demonstrate and dramatize the orbit of each planet and several asteroids and
comets
Pre-Visit Activities (in your classroom):
•
•
Review vocabulary (above).
Discuss differences among planets (size, temperature, surface features, distances)
Post-Visit Activities:
At CSSC:
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Chabot Classes – Supplemental Teacher Information
•
•
•
Visit exhibit: “Our Place in the Universe”
Visit Exhibit: “Planet Trek”
Visit exhibit: “Planetary Landscapes: Sculpting the Solar System”
In your classroom:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Have students write about new things they learned about the Solar System
Hang planet models in your classroom at the appropriate distance scale (For example use
the following measurements in feet for planet distances from the sun 0.4, 0.7, 1, 1.5, 5,
9.5, 19,
30, 39)
For planet orders from the sun, teach students a memory aid as “My Very Educated
Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas”
If space allows, arrange planet models around the sun (in their correct order from the
sun) using Solar System Live to determine their current orbital positions. Update
positions every week or month.
Simulate impact cratering in the classroom (see cratering activities in Solar System
Classroom Activities list)
Make a comet with dry ice in the classroom (see comet activities in Solar System
Classroom Activities list.)
Have students look for and find planets in the night sky. Saturn and Jupiter will be
visible in the evening sky during Winter and Spring 2003; Mars, from late Summer 200,
when it will be very bright, through Winter 2004. Venus is bright in the morning sky
during Winter and Spring 2003. Discuss what these planets would be like, if you could
travel to them.
Related Websites:
The Nine Planets http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/billa/tnp/
An overview of the history, mythology, and current scientific knowledge of each of the planets
and moons in our solar system. Each page has text and images, some have sounds and movies,
and most provide references to additional related information.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) – all about planets, missions, earth, space, and Solar System
education:
•
•
•
Home Page: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
Top Images http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/ and
Exploration home page: http://sse.jpl.nasa.gov/index.html
Complete Lists of Online Resources:
Solar System Images, Animations and Guides
2|Page
Chabot Classes – Supplemental Teacher Information
MoonStruck, Grades 3-4
Program Description:
Using hands-on activities and modeling, students examine why the Moon changes shape every
night and how it orbits the Earth. They will study the Moon’s features on a "trip" with the
Apollo astronauts, create a scale model of the Earth and Moon, and make a Moon activity book
to take home.
Vocabulary:
asteroid
eclipse
Moon Phases
scale model
atmosphere
explore
phase
solar eclipse
Comet
full
planet
Solar System
comparison
gibbous
predict
star
Crater
lunar eclipse
quarter
Sun
Crescent
model
revolve
wane
Earth
Moon
rotate
wax
Possible Class Activities
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Draw a picture of the Moon.
Enact a model (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/educators/moonphase.html) of the
Sun, Earth, and Moon to help understand phases.
Examine and identify visible Moon features.
Investigate Moon lore and stories such as
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/Quemoonresource.html#myths and "faces" you may see on the
Moon.
Explore surface features while on an astronaut trip to the Moon with these NASA
images: http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/iams/html/pao/apollo.htm
Compare the Earth and Moon sizes; work in groups to evaluate the distance from the
Earth to the Moon and create a scale model.
Make a Moonbook of activities to take home.
Pre-Visit Activities (in your classroom):
•
•
Review vocabulary (above). Have students model rotation and revolution.
Examine Moon images and maps such as:
o Labeled Moonmap: http://www.skypub.com/sights/images/moonmap.jpg
o Large unlabeled Moonmap: http://www.seds.org/billa/pics/Luna2.jpg
o or other Moon images (see page 5)
1|Page
Chabot Classes – Supplemental Teacher Information
Discuss (without providing answers) students' ideas for what the features are,
how they were formed, and whether similar features may exist on Earth.
Record and draw the Moon as it appears each day for one month. Post pictures in order
in the classroom, each day adding a new picture. (Leave blank pages for days that the
Moon was not seen.) Predict what the Moon will look like next.
o
•
Post-Visit Activities:
At CSSC:
Visit exhibit: "Planetary Landscapes: Sculpting the Solar System."
In your classroom:
•
•
•
Create impact craters in the classroom. Use Teachers' Guides from
(1) p.6 of "Think SMALL in a big WAY": http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/classroom/guides.html
(2) http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/class_acts/CrateringDoc.html
(3) http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/EPO/explore/craters.pdf
Record and draw the Moon each day for one month. Use Moonbooks provided in CSSC
class for record sheets.
Make Earth and Moon icosahedrons: http://solarviews.com/cap/ico/index.htm
For accurately scaled models: enlarge Earth page to 127% size, copying onto 8.5” x 14”
paper; reduce Moon page to 32% size.
State of California Science Standards:
Grade 3:
Physical Sciences
1. Energy and matter have multiple forms and can be changed from one form to another. As a
basis for understanding this concept, students know:
d. energy can be carried from one place to another by waves, such as water waves and sound, by
electric current, and by moving objects.
e. matter has three forms: solid, liquid and gas.
2. Light has a source and travels in a direction. As a basis for understanding this concept,
students know:
d. we see objects when light traveling from an object enters our eyes.
Life Sciences
3. Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism’s chance for survival.
2|Page
Chabot Classes – Supplemental Teacher Information
As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
d. when the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce, and others
die or move to new locations.
Earth Sciences
4. Objects in the sky move in regular and predictable patterns. As a basis for understanding this
concept, students know:
d. the Earth is one of several planets that orbit the sun, and the moon orbits the Earth.
Investigation and Experimentation
5. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful
investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content the other
three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students
will:
c. use numerical data in describing and comparing objects, events and measurements.
d. predict the outcome of a simple investigation, and compare the result to the prediction.
e. collect data in an investigation and analyze them to develop a logical conclusion.
Grade 4:
Life Sciences
3. Living organisms depend on one another and on their environment for survival. As a basis for
understanding this concept, students know:
b. for any particular environment, some kinds of plants and animals survive well, some survive
less well, and some cannot survive at all.
Earth Sciences
5. Waves, wind, water, and ice shape and reshape the Earth's land surface. As a basis for
understanding this concept, students know:
a. some changes in the Earth are due to slow processes, such as erosion, and some changes are
due to rapid processes, such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes.
c. moving water erodes landforms, reshaping the land by taking it away from some places and
depositing it as pebbles, sand, silt, and mud in other places (weathering, transport, and
3|Page
Chabot Classes – Supplemental Teacher Information
deposition).
Investigation and Experimentation.
6. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful
investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content the other
three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students
will:
b. measure and estimate weight, length, or volume of objects.
c. formulate predictions and justify predictions based on cause and effect relationships.
4|Page
Chabot Classes – Supplemental Teacher Information
Moon Images, Animations and Slide Sets Online
Labeled Moonmap:
http://www.oarval.org/MoonMapen.htm
Moonphase animation:
http://www.solarviews.com/cap/moon/vmoon2.htm
Rotating Moon and other moon animations and animated slide presentations:
http://www.solarviews.com/eng/moon.htm#movie
Moon Slide Presentation Online – Geologic History and Future
http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov/erc/moonSlides/index.htm
Explore the Moon Slide Set:
http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/NASA.Educational.Products/
Exploring.the.Moon.Slide.Set/.index.html
Apollo missions images and animations:
http://www.solarviews.com/cap/apo/index.htm
Apollo missions images and text:
http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/iams/html/pao/apollo.htm
Apollo Landing sites and other images & information:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/apollo_landings.html
Clementine Mission Slides:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/slidesets/clem2nd.html
Impact Craters Slide Set:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/slidesets/craters.html
Moon and Planet icosahedron set:
http://solarviews.com/cap/ico/index.htm
Moon at Perigee and Apogee:
http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/moon_ap_per.html
Online Moonphase “Quiz”:
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/shadow/solar_system_level2/moonlight.html
Phases of the Moon Monthly Calendar:
http://www.googol.com/moon/
3D Lunar Image Collections:
5|Page
Chabot Classes – Supplemental Teacher Information
http://www.anomalous-images.com/3-d/3-d.html excellent lunar geology images
http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/research/stereo_atlas/HTDOCS/PLANETS_TOUR.HTM#moo
(montes haemus, king crater, and alan beam on apollo 12)
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/research/stereo/moonstereo.html landing sites and a farside crater
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/slidesets/3Dsolarsystem.html Solar System in 3D
http://www.nasm.edu/apollo30th/moontheater/p01.html - includes whole moon
http://www.rainbowsymphony.com/mars/mars3dgallery.html alan beam image
6|Page
Chabot Classes – Supplemental Teacher Information
Shooting Stars and Space Rocks, Grades 3-8
Program Description:
Grades 3-4
Using hands-on activities and dramatic media, students learn where meteors come from and why
(and when) we have meteor showers. They examine comets inside and outside, learn about some
famous and infamous comets, make a comet in the classroom, and simulate comet orbits.
Examining collections of earth and space rocks, students analyze and categorize their collections,
learn to tell meteorites from meteor "wrongs" (Earth rocks) and learn about the effects of recent
meteoroid impacts on earth.
Grades 5-8
Using hands-on activities and dramatic media, students learn where meteors come from and why
(and when) we have meteor showers. They examine comets inside and outside, learn about some
famous and infamous comets, make a comet in the classroom, and simulate comet orbits.
Students examine and classify rocks from earth and space and study meteorite characteristics.
They explore the process of impact cratering on earth and throughout the Solar System and learn
how life on earth has been affected by rocks from space.
Vocabulary:
analyze
gas
Meteor
model
asteroid
liquid
Meteorite
orbit
categorize
impact
meteoroid
shooting star
meteor shower
Solar System
comet
crater
solid
Possible Class Activities:
•
•
•
•
•
Make a comet with dry ice and other comet ingredient
Make a flipbook to demonstrate orbits of comets
Work in teams to examine, organize, and categorize rock collections
Analyze how other groups have categorized their rocks
Meteorite hunting – with clues and tools, students find the 4.5 billion year old meteorites
in their rock collections.
Pre-Visit Activities (in your classroom):
•
Review vocabulary with students (above).
1|Page
Chabot Classes – Supplemental Teacher Information
At CSSC:
•
•
Visit the “Meteorite Wall” exhibit.
Visit the exhibit “Planetary Landscapes: Sculpting the Solar System.”
Post-Visit Activities:
•
•
•
Creating Craters Classroom Activity (http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/classroom/activities/1stardst-ch01.pdf)
Scale model and other classroom comet activities
(http://lyra.colorado.edu/sbo/mary/comet/demos.html)
Middle School comet study and hands-on activity (http://amazingspace.stsci.edu/comets/teacher/lessonplan.html#follow)
Related Websites:
Exploring Meteorite Mysteries Teacher Guide with numerous Classroom Activities:
(http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/NASA.Educational.Products/Exploring.Meteor
ite.Mysteries/)
Comets and Meteor Showers (http://comets.amsmeteors.org/) Sponsored by the American
Meteor Society
Sky & Telescope’s Meteor Page (http://www.skypub.com/sights/meteors/meteors.shtml)
More asteroids and comets images and information from
Solarviews (http://www.solarviews.com/cap/index.htm)
and SEDS (http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets)
Terrestrial Craters slideset (http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/slidesets/craters.html)
Terrestrial Impacts Complete List (http://gdcinfo.agg.nrcan.gc.ca/crater/world_craters_e.html)
Tungusta Impact (http://www.galisteo.com/scripts/tngscript/default.prl)
Chicxulub (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960604.html) (65 Million Years Ago) crater
NASA Near Earth Object Program (http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/)
Peekskill Meteorite animation (http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/gallery/index.html)
Astronomy Activities on the Web
(http://www.astrosociety.org/education/activities/astroacts.html) list organized by topic and
grade level
Correlation to State of California Science Standards:
Grade 3:
Physical Sciences
1. Energy and matter have multiple forms and can be changed from one form to another. As a
2|Page
Chabot Classes – Supplemental Teacher Information
basis for understanding this concept, students know:
d. energy can be carried from one place to another by waves, such as water waves and sound, by
electric current, and by moving objects.
e. matter has three forms: solid, liquid and gas.
2. Light has a source and travels in a direction. As a basis for understanding this concept,
students know:
d. we see objects when light traveling from an object enters our eyes.
Life Sciences
3. Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism’s chance for survival.
As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
d. when the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce, and others
die or move to new locations.
e. some kinds of organisms that once lived on Earth have completely disappeared; some of these
resembled others that are alive today.
Earth Sciences
4. Objects in the sky move in regular and predictable patterns. As a basis for understanding this
concept, students know:
a. the patterns of stars stay the same, although they appear to move across the sky nightly, and
different stars can be seen in different seasons.
d. the Earth is one of several planets that orbit the sun, and the moon orbits the Earth.
Investigation and Experimentation
5. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful
investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content the other
three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students
will:
c. use numerical data in describing and comparing objects, events and measurements.
d. predict the outcome of a simple investigation, and compare the result to the prediction.
3|Page
Chabot Classes – Supplemental Teacher Information
e. collect data in an investigation and analyze them to develop a logical conclusion.
Grade 4:
Life Sciences
3. Living organisms depend on one another and on their environment for survival. As a basis for
understanding this concept, students know:
b. for any particular environment, some kinds of plants and animals survive well, some survive
less well, and some cannot survive at all.
Earth Sciences
5. Waves, wind, water, and ice shape and reshape the Earth's land surface. As a basis for
understanding this concept, students know:
a. some changes in the Earth are due to slow processes, such as erosion, and some changes are
due to rapid processes, such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes.
b. natural processes, including freezing/thawing and growth of roots, cause rocks to break down
into smaller pieces.
c. moving water erodes landforms, reshaping the land by taking it away from some places and
depositing it as pebbles, sand, silt, and mud in other places (weathering, transport, and
deposition).
Investigation and Experimentation
6. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful
investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content the other
three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students
will:
b. measure and estimate weight, length, or volume of objects.
c. formulate predictions and justify predictions based on cause and effect relationships.
4|Page
Chabot Classes – Supplemental Teacher Information
Planet Trek, Grades 4-12
Program Description:
Grades 4-7
Students use astronomy skills to find planets in the night sky. With hands-on activities and
media, students model the planets to scale, explore cratering and other planet processes, travel to
Mars with Pathfinder, record and study Jupiter’s moons, examine Saturn’s rings and “discover”
a new planet.
Grades 8-12
Using scientific inquiry skills and hands-on activities, students identify planets in the night sky,
model the planets to scale, and explore planet processes and landforms.
Students simulate radar mapping of Venus’ surface, travel to Mars with NASA missions, record
and study Jupiter’s moons, “discover” new planets, and examine the possibilities of life beyond
earth.
Vocabulary:
analyze
asteroid
atmosphere
blink comparator
canyon
categorize
characteristic
comet
comparison
contour map
crater
Earth
ellipse
explore
gas
gravity
impact
Jupiter
Liquid
Mars
Moon
Mercury
mission
moon
NASA
Neptune
orbit
planet
Pluto
pole
radar
radiation
rings
robotic
rotate
rover
satellite
sand dune
Saturn
Possible Activities:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Locate planets in the night or morning sky
Build a simple scale model of the planets with clay
Simulate radar mapping techniques for Venus or Earth
Examine and identify Martian landforms
Experience the Pathfinder mission to Mars in 3D
Examine a life-sized Mars rover
1|Page
scale model
Solar System
solid
star
stream beds
Sun
star
three dimensional (3D)
tide
tidal forces
Uranus
Venus
volcano
Chabot Classes – Supplemental Teacher Information
•
•
Track and record the motions of Jupiter’s moons
Discover a new planet with a “blink comparator”
Pre-Visit Activities (in your classroom):
•
•
•
Review vocabulary (above).
Review related websites (below).
Discuss planet differences: how much would you weigh
(http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/class_acts/Weight.html),
how high could you jump, how old would you be
(http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/class_acts/HowOld.html ), where would you go, how
long would it take.
Post-Visit Activities:
At CSSC:
•
•
•
Visit exhibit: “Planetary Landscapes: Sculpting the Solar System”
Visit exhibit: “Our Place in the Universe”
Visit Exhibit: “Planet Trek”
In your classroom:
•
Making Craters in the Classroom: http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/classroom/activities/1stardst-ch01.pdf and http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com/10feb00/teach10.html
•
Make a Comet in the Classroom:
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/segwayed/lessons/cometstale/Make_ins.pdf or
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/segwayed/lessons/cometstale/make_script.html
•
Mars Landforms Activities:
http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/SPACEGRANT/class_acts/MarsQuizTe.html and
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/education/modules/webpages/activity5.htm
•
Scale Modeling Activities:
Solar System: http://stardate.org/resources/tguide/activity4.html and
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/education/modules/webpages/activitypage.htm and
http://lyra.colorado.edu/sbo/mary/Scale/
Saturn scale model: http://cosmos.colorado.edu/~urquhart/Cassini/scale_saturn.html
Comet scale model: http://cosmos.colorado.edu/~urquhart/comet/scale_comet.html
•
Complete list of Solar System Classroom Activities (see page 7)
Related Websites:
The Nine Planets http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/billa/tnp/
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Chabot Classes – Supplemental Teacher Information
An overview of the history, mythology, and current scientific knowledge of each of the planets
and moons in our solar system. Each page has text and images, some have sounds and movies,
and most provide references to additional related information.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) – all about planets, missions, earth, space, and Solar System
education:
Home Page: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
Top Images http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/ and
Exploration home page: http://sse.jpl.nasa.gov/index.html and
State of California Science Standards:
Grade 4:
Life Sciences
3. Living organisms depend on one another and on their environment for survival. As a basis for
understanding this concept, students know:
b. for any particular environment, some kinds of plants and animals survive well, some survive
less well, and some cannot survive at all.
Earth Sciences
5. Waves, wind, water, and ice shape and reshape the Earth's land surface. As a basis for
understanding this concept, students know:
a. some changes in the Earth are due to slow processes, such as erosion, and some changes are
due to rapid processes, such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes.
b. natural processes, including freezing/thawing and growth of roots, cause rocks to break down
into smaller pieces.
c. moving water erodes landforms, reshaping the land by taking it away from some places and
depositing it as pebbles, sand, silt, and mud in other places (weathering, transport, and
deposition).
Investigation and Experimentation
6. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful
investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content the other
three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students
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will:
b. measure and estimate weight, length, or volume of objects.
c. formulate predictions and justify predictions based on cause and effect relationships.
Grade 5:
Physical Sciences
1. Elements and their combinations account for all the varied types of matter in the world. As a
basis for understanding this concept, students know:
b. all matter is made of atoms, which may combine to form molecules.
g. properties of solid, liquid, and gaseous substances, such as sugar (C6H12O6), water (H2O),
helium (He), oxygen (O2), nitrogen (N2),and carbon dioxide (CO2).
Earth Sciences:
5. The solar system consists of planets and other bodies that orbit the sun in predictable paths.
As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
a. the sun, an average star, is the central and largest body in the solar system and is composed
primarily of hydrogen and helium.
b. the solar system includes the Earth, moon, sun, eight other planets and their satellites, and
smaller objects such as asteroids and comets.
c. the path of a planet around the sun is due to the gravitational attraction between the sun and
the planet.
Investigation and Experimentation
Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful
investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content of the other
three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students
will:
b. develop a testable question.
f. select appropriate tools (e.g., thermometers, meter sticks, balances, and graduated cylinders)
and make quantitative observations.
g. record data using appropriate graphic representation (including charts, graphs, and labeled
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Chabot Classes – Supplemental Teacher Information
diagrams), and make inferences based on those data.
Grade 6:
Heat (Thermal Energy) (Physical Science)
2. Heat moves in a predictable flow from warmer objects to cooler objects until all objects are at
the same temperature. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
a. energy can be carried from one place to another by heat flow, or by waves including water,
light, and sound waves, or by moving objects.
c. heat flows in solids by conduction (which involves no flow of matter) and in fluids by
conduction and also by convection (which involves flow of matter).
d. heat energy is also transferred between objects by radiation; radiation can travel through
space.
Energy in the Earth System
4. Many phenomena on the Earth’s surface are affected by the transfer of energy through
radiation and convection currents. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
a. the sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on the Earth’s surface, powering winds,
ocean currents, and the water cycle.
b. solar energy reaches Earth through radiation, mostly in the form of visible light.
c. heat from Earth's interior reaches the surface primarily through convection.
d. convection currents distribute heat in the atmosphere and oceans.
e. differences in pressure, heat, air movement, and humidity result in changes of weather.
Ecology (Life Science)
5. Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and with the
environment. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
e. the number and types of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources
available and abiotic factors, such as quantity of light and water, range of temperatures, and soil
composition.
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Investigation and Experimentation
7. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful
investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content the other
three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students
will:
a. develop a hypothesis.
b. select and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculators, computers, balances,
spring scales, microscopes, and binoculars) to perform tests, collect data, and display data.
c. construct appropriate graphs from data and develop qualitative statements about the
relationships between variables.
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Chabot Classes – Supplemental Teacher Information
Solar System Classroom Activities
Online Games:
1. Space Puzzles Online: http://www.crpuzzles.com/space/index.html
2. Solar System Trading Cards Online Game:
http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/trading-top-level.html
3. Solar System & Space Wordsearch Online:
http://observe.arc.nasa.gov/nasa/fun/wordsearch/Wordsearch.html
4. Amazing Space games and activities: http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/
5. Solar System Online Coloring Book: http://www.windows.ucar.edu/cgibin/tour_def/coloring_book/index.html
6. Solar System Printable Coloring Book:
http://windows.arc.nasa.gov/coloring_book/SS_Beg_new2.pdf
7. Solar System Puzzle Kit:
http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/Curriculum.Support/Space.Science/Our.
Solar.System/Solar.System.Puzzle.Kit/.index.html
Layout of the Solar System:
1. Planet Paths middle school lesson – includes ellipses, conic sections, and Kepler’s laws:
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/58orbits.html
2. Kepler’s Laws Labs for older students:
http://lyra.colorado.edu/sbo/manuals/apsmanuals/cleajupiter.pdf and
http://lyra.colorado.edu/sbo/manuals/apsmanuals/kepler.pdf
Scale Models:
1. Calculate and build scale model with clay:
http://stardate.org/resources/tguide/activity4.html
and “Worlds in Comparison” activity from Family Astro
(http://www.astrosociety.org/education/family.html)
2. Solar System Scale Modeling Activities:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/education/modules/webpages/activitypage.htm and
http://lyra.colorado.edu/sbo/mary/Scale/
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3. Peppercorn and toilet paper scale models from Universe at your Fingertips
(http://www.astrosociety.org/education/astro/astropubs/universe.html)
Earth as a Planet:
1. Exploring the earth from space:
http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/Curriculum.Support/Earth.Science/Educator.G
uides.and.Activities/Exploring.Earth.From.Space/.index.html
2. NASA’s earth cam: http://www.earthkam.ucsd.edu/
3. Solar System Analysis through Images: http://www.nasm.edu/ceps/SIIMAGES/
Venus:
1.
Venus topography box activity: http://eis.jpl.nasa.gov/eao/venus_t.html
Mars:
1.
Mars Landforms identification activity and photo set:
http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/SPACEGRANT/class_acts/MarsQuizTe.html
2. Flowng water shapes planet surface activity
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/education/modules/webpages/activity5.htm
3. Mars Exploration Classroom Activities:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/education/modules/webpages/activitypage.htm
4. Mission Planning Activity: http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmars/activities/geography.html
5. More Mars activities: http://lyra.colorado.edu/sbo/mary/mars/
Jupiter:
1. Plot the orbit of a moon of Jupiter http://stardate.utexas.edu/resources/tguide/activity6.html
2. Jupiter’s Moons Lab (for older students):
http://lyra.colorado.edu/sbo/manuals/apsmanuals/galileanmoons.pdf
3. Convection Currents: http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/convection_currents.html
4. Vortex Activity: http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/vortex.html
5. Jupiter and Galilean Moons scale model, from Moons of Jupiter
(http://store.yahoo.com/lawrencehallofscience/moonsofjupiter.html) activity book
6. Tracking Jupiter’s Moons activity, from Moons of Jupiter
Saturn:
1. Saturn Educator Guide with classroom activities and materials:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/educatorguide/
2. Saturn Puzzles:
http://www.spacescience.org/Education/ResourcesForEducators/CurriculumMaterials/Cassini/C
hapters/saturn_puzzles_lr.pdf
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3. Scale Model Saturn: http://cosmos.colorado.edu/~urquhart/Cassini/scale_saturn.html
4. Other Saturn Activities: http://lyra.colorado.edu/sbo/mary/Cassini/
5. Cassini Mission: build a scale model
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/kids/simplemod.shtml simple 1:40 model
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/kids/challen.shtml detailed scale model, over 5 hrs
assembly time
6. NASA Cassini Activity list: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/teachers/activities.shtml
Cratering:
1. Making craters in the classroom:
Stardust Mission Educators Guide “Think SMALL in a BIG way” activity:
http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/classroom/activities/1-stardst-ch01.pdf
also http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com/10feb00/teach10.html
2. Impact Craters middle school lesson plan:
http://observe.arc.nasa.gov/nasa/education/teach_guide/craters.html
3. Impact Crater Wordsearch:
http://observe.arc.nasa.gov/nasa/fun/wordsearch/craters_search/craters_search.html
4. See also varied activities in Exploring Meteorite Mysteries Teacher Guide:
http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/NASA.Educational.Products/Exploring.Met
eorite.Mysteries/
Comets:
1. Comet Orbit Flip Books from Universe at your Fingertips
(http://www.astrosociety.org/education/astro/astropubs/universe.html)
2. Make a comet in the classroom activity: http://www.solarviews.com/eng/edu/comets.htm and
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/segwayed/lessons/cometstale/Make_ins.pdf or
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/segwayed/lessons/cometstale/make_script.html
3. Middle School comet study and hands-on activity:
http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/comets/teacher/lessonplan.html#follow
4. Scale Model Comet: http://cosmos.colorado.edu/~urquhart/comet/scale_comet.html
Meteor Showers
1. Observing Meteor showers: http://stardate.org/resources/tguide/activity3.html
Additional Resources:
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Good Solar System Online Lessons: http://www.nasm.edu/ceps/etp/etp.htm
Thursday’s Classroom, astronomy classroom activities with reading and math included:
http://thursdaysclassroom.com/archive.html
NASA Ames Educators Resource Center: http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov/erc/erchome.html
NASA Educational Products:
http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/NASA.Educational.Products/.index.html
Planetary Geology (223 page Educators’ Activity Guide):
http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/NASA.Educational.Products/Planetary.Geology/Planet
ary.Geology.pdf
Cool NASA Websites, including educational: http://www.nasa.gov/cool.html
More Solar System Activities by topic: http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/class_acts/
Astronomy Activities on the Web, organized by topic and grade level:
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/astroacts.html
Astronomical Society of the Pacific Education, including Project Astro and Family Astro:
http://www.astrosociety.org/education.html
“Universe at Your Fingertips” from Astronomical Society of the Pacific:
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/astro/astropubs/universe.html
“More Universe at Your Fingertips” from Astronomical Society of the Pacific:
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/astro/astropubs/moreuniverse.html
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