The Solar System
A Web Quest for 4th, 5th and 6 Graders
Designed by: Irene Laphen and Marsha Bencker
Introduction:
The Solar System has captivated mankind's
imagination for centuries. The order of the planets and how they stay in their own orbit around
the sun is a scientific phenomenon. Over the centuries there have been many myths concerning the Solar System. Some civilizations
worshiped the sun and moon. This activity will help you to find information about the sun, planets, moon and the universe.
The Task:
You will pretend that you are a member of an
international scientific team in
charge of establishing the first planetary colony on our solar system.
Your team must analyze the different planets and decide on which planet to
colonize. Your
team must give reasons both for why you chose a particular planet and why
you did not choose one of the other planets. At the completion
of this assignment each team will also need to:
1. Identify all the planets from their pictures.
2. Give general physical characteristics of the planets they researched.
3. Know what the distance is of each planet from the sun.
4. Know how long it takes for each planet to revolve around the sun.
5. Know how many moons each planet may have.
6. Know what planet is the closest in similarities to the Earth.
7. Know if there are any interesting myths or legends from ancient times
about any of the planets or sun.
8. Know what are the "outer" and "inner" planets.
9. In an original way present your paper on your planet. Example: poster
charts and pictures.
Resources:
http://www.planetscapes.com/solar/eng/moon.htm
http://www.frontiernet.net/~kidpower/astronomy.htmI
http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/sol.htmI
http:www.whitemtns.com/~astro/htmI/pluto.htmI
http://cfpa.berkeley.edu/BHfaq.htmI#q11
http://school.discovery.com/schooladventures/universe/stargazers/index.htmI
http://school.discovery.com/schooladventures/universe/galaxytour/milkyway.htmI
http://library.thinkquest.org/18188/english/index.htm
The Process:
Part1: Gathering Information
Your team will consist of four
members. With your team members,
brainstorm any information you may know about the planets in our solar
system.
This will help your team members understand their strengths within their
group
and see how much information your team may already know. Next,
decide what
group of planets of our solar system your team would like to learn about.
Make
sure each team member knows what planets you are all working on.
Part 2: Responsibilities
Each team member will accept a role from the list
provided below. Each of the different team members will be responsible for
gathering different information.
The Roles:
a. Mission Commander
b. Environmental Specialist
c. Planetary Historian
d. Engineer
Remember you are to visit three planets and collect information about them from
the sites listed under "resources". Your team will also be asked
to make a presentation of their work when the project is
completed.
Part 3: Exploration
Mission Commander:
You are responsible for discovering the location of the planets in our solar
system.
Know the planets' location from the sun. Know if there are any planets
that are together and if they will facilitate a planetary colony? You must
be able to tell the planets apart from each other. You must be able to tell how
you can tell each planet apart.
Environmental Specialist:
What are the conditions of the planets? What is
the terrain like on the planets? What are the atmospheric conditions of
the planets? Can you find any planets that may have the same
conditions similar to Earth's? Could the planets be able to supply water
and nourishment to survive?
Planetary Historian:
You must be able to tell the particular history about each
planet, it's origin, any space exploration etc..
Engineer:
What might be necessary to establish a colony on any given
planet? What sort of structure would be necessary to meet the conditions
on any given planet? Would your structure have a heating or a cooling system to meet the temperature of
the
planet?
Evaluation:
Work will be graded individually on the following
areas:
a. Students will be graded on how thorough and in
depth their answers to
the questions are.
b. Organizational skills.
c. Each students participation.
d. Originality of their papers.
e. Final presentation given by the students.
Grading Scale
1. Improvement
Needed - Paper shows very limited
information and organization
No originality in the
presentation.
2. Good
- Paper shows good information, with good
organization and
originality, but could expand
on the information.
3. Excellent -
Paper shows excellent information with well thought out
answers to the questions ,
organization and originality.
