The Solar System and Beyond
Learning Sequence 4
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Introduction With Gavin
This week, we’ll explore the inner planets of our solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. We’ll discuss their unique features and the possibility of life on Mars and Venus. After watching a video with Gavin and Dr. Karl, students will choose an inner planet and create an informative poster, building research skills. Through this project, students will develop critical thinking, analysis, and presentation skills. Let’s embark on an exciting journey to deepen our understanding of the inner planets and ignite our curiosity about the universe.
This week, we have an exciting opportunity to dive into the wonders of our solar system’s inner planets. Get ready to explore the fascinating worlds of Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, each with its own unique features and intriguing qualities. We will also discuss the possibility of life on Mars and Venus, igniting our imaginations about extraterrestrial existence.
After listening to the video with Gavin and Dr Karl, we want you to choose an inner planet of your own and design a persuasive poster about it.
Your research will be detailed and include some of the most amazing facts ever read about your planet. It will include diagrams, paragraphs and even bullet points and tables but eventually you will use your creative skills to create a fictional tourism poster enticing people to travel to your planet for their next holiday.
This week is all about creativity and imagination!
Quote of the Week - Neil Armstrong
As part of the course, we will revisit a series of inspiring quotes from the 12 astronauts who have had the privilege of walking on the moon. Each week, students will be asked to critically analyze and interpret one of these quotes to gain a deeper understanding of the message conveyed by the astronaut.
Students may also choose to conduct independent research on the astronaut or the particular space mission they were a part of, and record their findings in a notebook. To further enhance their engagement with the quote, students are encouraged to create an artistic representation, such as a drawing or visual art piece, that captures the essence of the message being conveyed.
Throughout this course, we’ll be exploring some inspirational quotes from the 12 astronauts who walked on the moon. Every week, you’ll get to read one of these quotes and try to figure out what the astronaut meant by saying it.
You can do some research to learn more about the astronaut or the space mission they were a part of, and write down your findings in your notebook. To make things even more fun, you can also create a drawing or artwork that shows what you think the quote is all about. This will help you engage with the quote and understand it better.
Weekly Keywords
Introduce the spelling word list and choose from this list of tasks that can be repeated and expanded upon if necessary.
Copy the words into a spelling list/vocabulary book for later reference.
Put each of the new words into a sentence and underline the new vocabulary in red pencil
Place the words in alphabetical order in a list.
Use a dictionary to define each of the words and place them into a vocabulary book.
Try to represent each of the words using a picture or a symbol and play the guessing game. (which image is matched to which word)
Write a paragraph containing all of the new vocabulary.
Make a vocabulary wall containing all of the new words.
Use a thesaurus to find synonyms for the words and create a synonym list.
These words will help you during this week’s lesson. You may already know some of these words however practice makes perfect!
First, read the words and then try to define them as simply as possible.
An example has been completed for you. You can write these into your books, and draw a picture to match or simply complete the task card.
Weekly Comprehension Activity -The Inner Planets
Each week, we will provide you and your class with a reading comprehension activity. This can be done independently or tackled as a guided reading activity with your students.
Once the children have read the relevant information, they can then work through the comprehension questions until they become too hard.
The four levels of questions allow for your students to push themselves until they become too difficult. They may wish to use classroom resources to solve the questions they find too hard or they can be used as extension activities to be completed in free time or at home.
Read the information opposite on the introduction to the moon and use the information gained from the video above and attempt to answer as many of the comprehension questions as possible.
You may talk to the people in the classroom and use any resources available in the classroom to get the answers. You may even wish to continue your research at home on the questions that you could not solve.
We have made the questions range in difficulty, see how far you can get! Remember to answer the questions in full sentences and make notes of any diagrams or amazing facts that may help you remember the information later.
Information Report - An Inner Planet
This week, students will have the opportunity to showcase their creative and research skills. The focus will be on exploring the inner planets of our solar system and creating informative presentations.
Students will choose an inner planet, conduct research, and present their findings. They will demonstrate their research skills by gathering information and analyzing it critically. Additionally, their creative abilities will shine as they design visually engaging presentations to captivate their peers.
This lesson fosters critical thinking, exploration of interests, and effective communication. It empowers students to develop as well-rounded learners who can apply these skills in various academic and real-life situations.
It is now time for you to become an astronomer! Not many people know that the moon has an internal structure similar to the Earth’s. Your task this week is to conduct some exciting research about the Earth’s moon.
Use the task card provided and fill in the empty spaces with your research as you try to inspire others to take an interest in the Earth’s only natural satellite!
Be careful with your facts, as you will be using them this week when we get creative with Jordan at the end of this lesson.
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Move to Mars - Persuasive Poster
In this lesson, we place a strong emphasis on fostering creativity among students. They will step into the role of salespeople, tasked with creating persuasive flyers to entice families to relocate to Mars. Through this activity, students will unleash their creativity by designing visually captivating posters, complete with attention-grabbing logos, catchy titles, persuasive paragraphs filled with vivid descriptions, enticing photos, and clear pricing and contact details.
This immersive and engaging task allows students to explore their imaginative abilities, while also developing their persuasive communication skills. The resulting discussions about the most attractive and effective posters will further enhance their critical thinking and creativity.
In many aspects of our lives, we have the opportunity to persuade others to follow our advice or guidance. Whether it’s helping a friend with a life decision or convincing someone to work on a project, persuasive writing, speaking, and art can guide people towards making the right choices.
This week, let’s imagine ourselves as salespeople selling relocation trips from Earth to Mars. Your task is to create a captivating flyer, inspired by the example provided, to convince families to choose Mars as their new home.
Your flyer should include:
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A company logo and website.
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A catchy title.
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A tagline.
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A persuasive paragraph filled with descriptive words.
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Three enticing photos.
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Pricing and contact details.
Once you’ve completed your flyer, discuss as a class which posters seem the most attractive and what makes them successful. These skills will come in handy when you want to engage your community in something amazing in the future!
Remember, persuasive language and visuals can make a powerful impact on people’s decisions. Get creative, and let your imagination soar as you encourage others to embark on the extraordinary journey to Mars!
Let’s Create with Jordan - Inner Solar System Model
Activity: Inner Solar System Model
Core Curriculum Connection: Science/Mathematics
Elemental Foci: Color, Shape, Space
Principle Foci: Unity, Contrast, Movement
Goal: Students will be able to create a model of the inner solar system’s terrestrial planets.
Criteria:
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Create circles of different sizes to represent The Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Paint each planet accordingly with different colors.
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Create a large piece of cardboard backing to mount your planets and represent space.
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Cut out your planets and trace a pathway for each of their orbits, with the sun in the center of your backing.
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Show the Orbital Patterns with differing color coded pathways around the sun.
Relevance:Through this project, students will understand the relative size, orbital pattern, and order of the inner terrestrial planets.
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Every week, we’ll provide you with an art activity related to what we’ve been learning about in class. It’s an opportunity for you to enhance your artistic abilities and learn more about the Solar System and Space!
Jordan will be joining us every week to brainstorm creative ways to showcase what we’ve learned about Space while also doing some good for the world.
We may challenge you to use recycled materials for your artwork, encourage you to teach someone else using what you create, or simply give it away as a gift to brighten someone’s day.
Take a look at the video on the other side and then do your best to follow Jordan’s guidance to make the world a better place with your creative skills.
To fully understand what we will be creating this week, you may wish to watch the full video below before starting.
Let’s get creative!
Let's Create With Jordan - Full Video
Watch the video with your class and support them as they use the skills demonstrated in the video in their own work tasks.
Watch Jordan’s full video here before starting your creative art project and remember that your work does not need to match Jordan’s exactly. Use it as a guide and try to make your work unique and be as creative as you like!
Let's Design - Inner Planet Bookmarks
Allow your students to put their mathematical research to good use by creating these engaging learning tools will help fellow students explore and appreciate the wonders of the inner planets. The finished bookmarks can be cut out and laminated for future use by other classes, encouraging ongoing learning about our captivating solar system.
Once the table is complete, it’s time to share your knowledge with others! Create a set of informative bookmarks about the terrestrial planets and the Sun. These bookmarks can be given away to friends or younger children, and will serve as valuable learning tools for other children who want to discover the wonders of the inner planets. Remember to make them engaging and easy to understand.
Take a look at the example of the Earth bookmark opposite and use this as an example for you to create your very own inner planet bookmarks.
Bringing Mathematics To Life - Inner Planet Statistics
This week your students will engage in research and utilize their skills with decimals and big numbers. They will complete a table by filling in the missing statistics about each planet, providing them with an opportunity to apply their numerical abilities.
Working in pairs or small groups, they will gather information from various sources, honing their research skills and fostering a well-rounded understanding of the inner planets. Once the table is complete, the students will create informative bookmarks to share their knowledge with others.
This week’s mathematical space mission is to complete the table by filling in the missing statistics about each planet. This will involve working with some big numbers, but don’t worry, you’ll soon discover how astonishingly unique each inner planet truly is.
To make the research even more enjoyable, you can team up with a partner or work in small groups. Explore various sources to gather the information you need, ensuring a well-rounded understanding. Don’t worry if you’re finding it hard to find all of the facts. Your dedication and hard work will be worth it when we get to the next part of the lesson.
