Planets around the Sun - The Center for Mathematics and Science ...

Intended for Grade: 2Planets around the SunSubject: Science and MathDescription: This activity includes an introductory presentation on the SolarSystem, and three activities: clay planet modeling; graphical interpretationworksheets; and, an electro-board planet questionnaire.Objective: The students will be able to identify and describe thecharacteristics and position of each of the nine planets, identify the sun as a starand the center of the solar system, model the structure of the solar system andthe individual planets, and create and interpret bar and pictorial graphs.Mississippi Frameworks addressed:• Science Framework 3a: List and describe the nine planets in order.• Science Framework 3b: Identify the sun as a star.• Math Framework 1e: Recognize, describe, and present models of threedimensionalfigures (e.g., sphere, cube, rectangular prism, cylinder, and cone)• Math Framework 3b: Using collected data from students and otherresources, create line, bar, and pictorial graphs.• Math Framework 3c: Interpret graphical data in terms of “more,” “less,”“same,” “most,” and “least.”National Standards addressed:• Content Standard D: Earth and Space Science• Math Standard: Data Analysis and Probability• Math Standard: GeometryMaterials:• Pictures and descriptions of the nine planets• Activity 1: Clay Planetso self-hardening modeling clayo paper clipsNSF North Mississippi GK-8 1

o stringo markers or tempera paint• Activity 2: Graphing Worksheetso Crayons or markerso Scissorso Glue sticko Moon cutoutso Provided graphing worksheets (2)• Activity 3: Electro-boardo Electro-board (instructions included – see pages 29-33)o Continuity tester (the “light up” pen)****NOTE: Continuity testers are often very sharp! Please file them down ifpossible and instruct the students to exercise caution when using them.Background: The scientists that study the solar system are calledastronomers. They study the universe, including the sun, moon, planets, stars, andgalaxies. They also apply their knowledge to solve problems in navigation, spaceflight, and satellite communications, and to develop the instrumentation andtechniques used to observe and collect astronomical data. Astronauts are thescientists that actually fly into outer space. During their space missions, they usethe instruments and techniques designed by the astronomers to collect informationabout our solar system.Our SOLAR SYSTEM is made up of one star (the Sun), nine planets, more than 130moons, and a bunch of comets, asteroids and other space rocks. In order from thesun, the nine planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,Neptune and Pluto. Mercury is closest to our Sun. Pluto is the farthest. The orderof the planets can be remembered like this: My Very Educated Mother JustServed Us Nine Pizzas.Planets, asteroids and comets revolve around the Sun. They travel around our Sunin a flattened circle called an ellipse. It takes the Earth one year to go completelyaround the Sun, or one year to complete a revolution. Mercury goes around the Sunin only 88 days. It takes Pluto 248 years to make one trip around the Sun.As the earth revolves around the sun, it also rotates around its own axis. Theearth completes one rotation per day. This rotation is why we experience day andnight- during part of the rotation, our portion of the earth is facing away from thesun, so it is dark outside! The earth completes 365 rotations over the course ofone revolution.NSF North Mississippi GK-8 2

Moons orbit planets. Right now, Jupiter has the most moons—58. Mercury andVenus don't have any moons. Earth has one. It is the brightest object in our nightsky. The Sun, of course, is the brightest object in our daytime sky. It lights up themoon, planets, comets and asteroids, too. Without our Sun, there would be no lifeon Earth.The SUN is the biggest, brightest and hottest object in our solar system. It is ourclosest star, and the only star in our solar system. The Sun is way too hot to visit.A person or spacecraft couldn't even get near it. Even if you could get close, thesun’s powerful gravity would make one of your arms weigh as much as your wholebody. It would be impossible to move!Our Sun is a ball of hot, glowing gases. The part we can see is about 11,000°F(6,100°C) and it gets even hotter as you go deeper. The oven in your kitchen onlygets as high as 500°F (260°C). The surface of the Sun boils like a pot of soup! Italso shoots flares of hot gas thousands of miles into space. All of the heat andlight from the sun provides us with plenty of energy!MERCURY is the closest planet to our Sun and is the second smallest planet in oursolar system. If Earth were the size of a baseball, Mercury would be the size of agolf ball. It zips around the Sun every 88 days – faster than any other planet. (Inother words, it takes Earth 365 days to make one revolution, but it only takesMercury 88 days to make one revolution!)Since Mercury is so close to the sun, it is very hot. The temperature on Mercurycan change more than 1,000°F (530°C) between night and day. There is very littleair, or atmosphere, to hold in the heat when the Sun is not shining. The thinatmosphere also means meteors don't burn up, so Mercury is covered with craters.It looks a lot like our moon.VENUS is the second planet from our Sun. It is Earth's closest neighbor – thesecond brightest object in our night sky. Only the moon is brighter. Even though itis so close to Earth, Venus is very mysterious. The surface is hidden beneath hot,poisonous air made up mostly of carbon dioxide. Scientists must use radar to 'see'through Venus' clouds. Venus has no moon and no rings. To get to the surface ofVenus, you would have to pass through clouds of sulfuric acid, hurricane-forcewinds, and lightning.The temperature on Venus can get up to almost 900°F (482°C). It gets hotter thanMercury because it has such a thick atmosphere. The air is thick and poisonous.NSF North Mississippi GK-8 3

Venus' atmosphere is so heavy that it would feel like you were deep in the ocean.Remember how your head feels squeezed at the bottom of a swimming pool? Thatis pressure. On Venus, the pressure is so strong it would crush you. In fact, metalspacecrafts were smashed after only a few hours on the surface of Venus.Because the planet rotates so sluggishly, a day on Venus lasts longer than it takesto go around the Sun. Imagine if we switched to Venusians clocks on Earth. Aschool day would last four months! Ugh.EARTH: In some ways, Earth is similar to Mercury, Venus, and Mars. They are allhard, rocky planets. All four have meteor impact craters. Like Mars and Venus,Earth has volcanoes, mountains and valleys.But Earth is different in very important ways. Most of our planet is covered withwater. The air is made of nitrogen, oxygen, and a little carbon dioxide - just rightfor us to breathe. Earth is home to people, plants, and animals because it has bothwater and the right kind of atmosphere.Earth has one moon. It is the brightest and most familiar object in the night sky.In many ways, the moon is responsible for making Earth such a great home. Itstabilizes our planet's wobble, which makes the weather nicer!The MOON is covered with craters. Because it has no atmosphere to protect it,space rocks – some as big as mountains – have smashed into it. The moon's surfaceis rocky and covered with dust.The moon's weak gravity means it is easy for people to move around when they areon the moon, even in a heavy spacesuit. It is impossible for people to explore theMoon without a spacesuit because there is no air, and the radiation from the Sun isvery dangerous. It gets very hot and very cold on the moon.MARS is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called the 'Red Planet'because of its red soil. The soil on Mars is red because it contains iron oxide (rust).Mars is one of the brightest objects in the night sky. It has two moons, Phobos andDeimos. The thin air on Mars makes it a dangerous place for humans. It is mostlypoisonous carbon dioxide. You would need a spacesuit to visit Mars too. Mars is arocky, dusty, dry planet. The sky would be hazy and red instead of blue like it ishere on earth. Sometimes giant dust storms cover the whole planet!NSF North Mississippi GK-8 4

JUPITER is the fifth planet from our Sun. It is the biggest planet in our solarsystem. All of the other planets could fit inside of Jupiter! Jupiter would not be anice place to visit because it is just a giant ball of gas. Any spacecraft - or person -passing through the colorful clouds would be crushed and melted. On Jupiter, thepressure is so strong that it squishes gas into liquid. Jupiter's atmosphere cancrush a metal spaceship like a paper cup.Jupiter's stripes and swirls are cold, windy clouds of ammonia and water. Its GreatRed Spot is a giant storm as wide as three Earths. This storm has lasted hundredsof years. Jupiter's atmosphere is poisonous, composed mostly of hydrogen andhelium. There is also dangerous radiation, and it gets very hot and very cold. Talkabout bad weather!Jupiter has its own 'mini solar system' of 61 moons and three rings, but they arevery hard to see.SATURN is the sixth planet from our Sun and is the second largest planet in thesolar system. Saturn has the most spectacular rings of any planet in the solarsystem. It is often called the “jewel of the solar system” because of its beautifulrings. They are made of billions of small chunks of ice and rock. The chunks can beas small as a grain of sugar or as big as a house.Saturn is a lot like Jupiter. It is made up mostly of gas, including hydrogen, heliumand methane. It doesn't have a solid surface. Saturn has clouds, stripes, andstorms like Jupiter, but they are harder to see. The clouds we see are mostlyyellow and white. A person dropping through the icy clouds would be crushed by thepressure, which is so powerful it squeezes gas into liquid. Even a metal spacecraftwould be smashed! Saturn has at least 31 moons.URANUS is the seventh planet from our Sun. It is the third largest planet in oursolar system. Uranus is very cold, windy and, like most of the other planets,poisonous to humans. It is a gas planet like Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune. A personor spacecraft diving through Uranus' clouds would be crushed by the pressure.Seasons on Uranus last more than 20 years because the planet is tilted on its side.Methane gas present on Uranus absorbs red light and reflects the blue-greencolors we see when we look at Uranus through a telescope. Uranus is so far away itis difficult to study. Uranus' 11 rings weren't discovered until 1977 and several ofNSF North Mississippi GK-8 5

Uranus' 27 known moons were discovered as recently as 2003. There may be moreundiscovered moons out there!NEPTUNE: Most of the time Neptune is the eighth planet from our Sun.Sometimes Pluto's odd orbit brings it closer to the Sun. For the next 230 years orso, all you have to remember is that Neptune is the eighth planet. It takes a longtime for these distant planets to travel around the sun.Neptune is the fourth largest planet in our solar system. About 60 Earths could fitinside it. Neptune may be the windiest planet in the solar system. Winds tearthrough the clouds at more than 1,200 mph (2,000 kph).Neptune gets its blue color from a layer of methane gas above the clouds. Methaneabsorbs red light so only blue colors show up when we look at Neptune. Neptune hasfour rings and 13 known moons. Neptune's largest moon, Triton, gets colder thanPluto.PLUTO: Pluto and its moon – Charon – travel on an odd, slow orbit around the Sun.For 20 years, from 1979 to 1999, it was actually closer to the Sun than Neptune,but it will be more than 230 years before Pluto and Neptune trade places again.There is no air to breathe on Pluto, so you would need a spacesuit to explore it.Pluto and Charon are so far away they are difficult to see - even with powerfultelescopes. Even the best pictures are very fuzzy. We can only guess what Pluto'ssurface looks like. It is probably covered with frost. Some areas may be brighterthan snow, while others are very dark.COMETS orbit the Sun like planets. Most comets orbit way out beyond the orbit ofPluto. It can take a comet hundreds or even millions of years to go once around theSun (remember, on Earth it only takes 365 days). A few comets are close enoughfor us to see from Earth. When Earth passes through the tail of a comet, we see ameteor shower.ASTEROIDS are the biggest space rocks. Asteroids are made up of rock and iron,just like the four planets closest to our Sun. They are different from comets,which are mostly rock and ice and have tails. Asteroids are more like planets andmoons. Scientists often call asteroids minor planets. Most asteroids orbit the SunNSF North Mississippi GK-8 6

etween Mars and Jupiter. This area is called the asteroid belt. There are millionsof asteroids.As they bang around out there in space, these rocks break into smaller and smallerpieces that sometimes fall to Earth. Most of them burn up in streaks of light.Some asteroids crash into our planet and leave behind meteorites. Sometimes areally big asteroid will leave a giant crater.METEROIDS: Smaller pieces of rock and iron that travel through space are calledmeteoroids. Meteoroids orbit our Sun just like asteroids and planets.When a space rock enters Earth's atmosphere, it becomes a meteor - or shootingstar. The meteor heats up and makes the air around it glow, allowing us to see astreak of light. Most meteors burn up before they make it to the ground on earth.Scientists think up to 10,000 tons of meteors fall on the Earth each day, but mostare no bigger than a speck of dust.A meteor makes it all the way to ground without burning up in the atmosphere iscalled a meteorite. Meteorites range in size from tiny pebbles to boulders.Some planets and moons don't have enough atmosphere to protect them againstmeteor and asteroid impacts. Earth's moon, Mercury, and even Mars are coveredwith round impact craters from these collisions.Procedure:1. Hang 10 pieces of string from the ceiling of your classroom to resemble theSolar System (a piece for the Sun in the middle and nine other pieces atvarious distances from the center surrounding the Sun).2. Discuss each of the planets, the sun, and the solar system with the students(while showing the picture cards).3. Split the class in half (into teams of 10- 12 students). Half of the class willmold planets out of clay (Activity 1) and the other half will take turns usingthe Electro-boards (Activity 3) and completing their graphing worksheets(Activity 2) when it is not their turn. Then they will switch.4. NOTE: These activities can all be done on the same day or they can bespread out over several days.5. Activity 1: Clay PlanetsNSF North Mississippi GK-8 7

a. Assign each student one of the planets or the sun (or a comet orasteroid if there are more than 10 students in each group).b. Hang the pictures of the planets somewhere in the room where allstudents can see them.c. Distribute enough clay to each student to model his or her planetroughly to scale.d. Have students model their planet with any characteristic properties.e. Place a paper clip in the top of the planet so it can be hung from theceiling when it hardens.f. Allow planets to harden overnight or until completely dry (note thatthe drying process may take several days but it is important that theclay hardens completely in order for the paper clips to hold).g. **At this point the students can switch to Activity 2. The remainderof this activity has to be finished another day, after the planets havedried.h. Have students realistically paint or color their planet with markers.i. Have students come up one at a time and hang their planet in orderfrom the sun. Do not point out who should come up next. Start withthe sun and then ask which planet comes next. Have that studentcome and hang their planet up. Continue until both classroom sets ofthe solar system are hanging.6. Activity 2: Graphing Worksheetsa. Pass out data and charts to each student (each student should have 2charts, a list of questions, and the moons picture page).b. Have the students cut out all of the moons.c. Instruct students to complete both graphs and answer the questionsas the directions indicate.7. Activity 3: Planet Description Electro-Boarda. Whenever students are not working on their graphs let each try theelectro-board (or they can work in teams of 2).b. Using the continuity tester, touch the “alligator clip” end to the bradnext to a question on the board. Then touch the “pen” end to the bradnext to the correct answer. If the question is answered correctly,the tester will light up. If the question is answered incorrectly, thetester will not light.c. The student should keep going until every question is answeredcorrectly.NSF North Mississippi GK-8 8

Evaluation: Students’ individual planet models will demonstrate theirunderstanding of the relative size of each planet and the order and distance fromthe sun. The graphing worksheets can be used to asses their understanding of howto create bar and pictorial graphs. The questions can be used to determine thestudents’ ability to interpret bar and pictorial graphs. Although the electro-boardis self corrective, the frequency with which the tester lights up will indicate thelevel of understanding the student has regarding planet descriptions.Extended Activities:Which Planet Am I?Materials:• writing processor- (Student Writing Center, Word, Works, or any otherwriting program)• graphic program - (KidPix, Draw, or any other drawing/graphics program)or drawing paper, crayons, colored pencils.• books, videos, magazines, and appropriate web sites that can be used forresources.• list of internet resources that may be helpful for this project. A few goodwebsites are:o Amazing Space - http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/Find out about the night sky. Includes great pictures and information onthe solar system. Read the about the history of astronomy from Galileoto the Hubble Space Telescope.o Cassini Mission: Kid's Corner - http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/kids/index.cfmLearn more about Saturn and its mysterious rings.o Planetary Fact Sheets - http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/planetfact.htmlA list of links to fact sheets on the planets of the solar system.o Sea and Sky: The Sky - http://www.seasky.org/sky.htmlTake a tour of the sky gallery, the solar system, and sky lab. Lots to seeand do at this site.o StarChild : A Learning Center for Young Astronomers -http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/ This site will give information onthe solar system, and space exploration for primary age students.NSF North Mississippi GK-8 9

o Windows to the Universe - http://www.windows.umich.edu/Fun and interesting site about the planets, solar system , the universe,space missions, and news.Activity Description:1. Students will select a planet to research. They will use Internet resources,books, magazines, and videos to find facts about their planet.2. The student will write their information about their planet in the form of ariddle.Example:I am the red planet. I have ice caps at my north and south poles. Somescientists think there might have been water on my surface. I have twomoons named Phobos and Deimos. I have had space probes land on mysurface and they have taken soil samples. I have volcanoes and canals on mysurface. I am the fourth planet from the sun. I am 30 million miles fromEarth. It would take astronauts 11 months to get to me. Which planet am I?3. They would be encouraged to put many interesting facts about their planetin the written product.4. Students would then draw and color a picture of their planet. They could useeither paper and crayons or the computer paint programs that might beavailable to them.5. This could be made into a classroom book for all to read and enjoy.Evaluation:Students would be evaluated on their composition skills, the accuracy of thescientific information presented, effort put into artwork, and the research skillsof the students.Sources:http://atozteacherstuff.com/go/jump2.cgi?ID=2906http://sse.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/index.cfmhttp://www.dustbunny.com/afk/planets/pluto/Extended Activity was taken from:http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/proj/space/lesson1.htmNSF North Mississippi GK-8 10

Dunn, Rita and Dunn, Kenneth. 1993. Teaching Secondary Students Through TheirIndividual Learning Styles: Practical Approaches for grades 7-12. NeedhamHeitghts, MA: Allyn &Bacon. 172-173.Prepared by:Emlee WoodardAshley PhillipsAlice SanfordNSF NMGK8University of MississippiJune 2004NSF North Mississippi GK-8 11

The SunThe Sun is the biggest, brightest andhottest object in our Solar System.The Sun is our closest star and theonly star in our solar system!!NSF North Mississippi GK-8 12

MercuryMercury is the closest planet to theSun so it is very hot. Mercury is thesecond smallest planet in our solarsystem. The surface of Mercury isgray to orange in color. Mercury iscovered with craters!!NSF North Mississippi GK-8 13

VenusVenus is the second planet away fromthe sun. Venus is Earth’s closestneighbor. Venus is a brownish-yellowcolor. Venus is the hottest planet inour solar system!NSF North Mississippi GK-8 14

EarthEarth is the planet we live on!Earth is different from all otherplanets because it has liquid wateron its surface and people live on it!!NSF North Mississippi GK-8 15

MarsMars is the 4 th planet from the sun.It is also Earth’s neighbor. Itssurface is very cold and is coveredwith craters, volcanoes, and largecanyons. Mars is reddish in colorand sometimes called the “RedPlanet.”NSF North Mississippi GK-8 16

JupiterJupiter is the largest planet inour Solar System. All of theother planets could fit inside ofJupiter! Jupiter is broken intobands of white, yellow, red, andbrown clouds.NSF North Mississippi GK-8 17

SaturnSaturn is well known for itssystem of three rings. Thesurface of Saturn looks bandedand has a butterscotch color.The rings around Saturn arecomposed of rock and ice.NSF North Mississippi GK-8 18

UranusUranus is covered by a thicklayer of gas and is a blue-greencolor. Uranus is very cold andwindy. It is the seventh planetfrom the sun.NSF North Mississippi GK-8 19

NeptuneNeptune is slightly smallerthan Uranus. It looks blue andhas large dark blue stormclouds. Like Uranus, Neptuneis cold and very windy.NSF North Mississippi GK-8 20

PlutoPluto is the most distant planetfrom the Sun. Pluto is also thesmallest planet. Its surface andcolor are basically unknownbecause it is so far away!!!NSF North Mississippi GK-8 21

The Solar SystemOur Solar System is composed ofthe Sun, the nine planets, and manysmall objects like comets andasteroids. All of the planetsrevolve around the Sun. The nineplanets in order from the Sun are:NSF North Mississippi GK-8 22

Our Solar System:Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, andPluto. Notice the relative sizes of the planets and the Sun.http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo/education/nav/ss2.gifNSF North Mississippi GK-8 23

Using the following data, make a pictorial graph by gluing the moonsbelow in the correct place on the “Moons of the Planets PictorialGraph.”PlanetsNumber of MoonsMercury 0Venus 0Earth 1Mars 2Jupiter 16Saturn 18Uranus 20Neptune 8Pluto 1Color and cut out the moons on the next page and then glue them in astack on your “Moons of the Planets Pictorial Graph” until they reachthe correct number of moons for each planet.Note: 1 moon picture represents 2 planet moons. So for theplanets with only one moon, you may want to cut the moon in half.NSF North Mississippi GK-8 24

Directions: Cut along the solid lines.NSF North Mississippi GK-8 25

Name:_______________________________20Moons of the Planets Pictorial Graph181614Number of Moons12108642MercuryVenusEarthMarsJupiterSaturnUranusNeptunePluto0PlanetsNSF North Mississippi GK-8 26

Name:_______________________Using the following data, draw and color a bar graph on the chart below.Planets Temperature (°Farenheight)Mercury 452Venus 726Earth 285Mars 230Jupiter 120Saturn 88Uranus 59Neptune 48Pluto 37800Temperature on the Planets Bar Graph7006005004003002001000MercuryVenusEarthMarsJupiterSaturnUranusTemperature (°F)NeptunePlutoPlanetsNSF North Mississippi GK-8 27

Name: _________________________Use the two graphs you created to answer the following questions.Temperature:1. Which planet is the hottest?2. Which planet is the coldest?3. Which planet is hotter than Jupiter and colder than Earth?4. Which two planets have the closest temperature to Neptune’s?Moons:1. List all pairs of planets which have the same number of moons.2. Which planet has the most moons?3. Which planets have more moons than Neptune?4. Which planet has fewer moons than Saturn but more thanNeptune?NSF North Mississippi GK-8 28

An electro-board can be a useful learning tool in virtually any discipline.Instructions to Build and Electro-board:1. Write several questions about the planet’s characteristics and theanswers to those questions and cut them out. If you have selfadherent paper of some kind (mailing labels work well), you may wantto write or print on that.2. Obtain a piece of poster board, a pocket folder (without metalfasteners), or any heavy weight paper.3. Punch holes down the left hand side that are approximatelyequidistant. You will need the same number of holes as questions youwish to ask.NSF North Mississippi GK-8 29

4. Punch holes down the right hand side as level as possible with theholes on the left hand side.5. Adhere the questions to the right of the holes on the left hand sideof the board using tape or glue if necessary.6. Stick the answers to the left of the holes on the board’s right sidein random order.*IMPORTANT: One question and answer pair need to be level withone another.NSF North Mississippi GK-8 30

7. Turn the board over and connect the questions to the correctanswers using strips of tinfoil. Be sure to completely cover the holeswith the tinfoil.8. Using masking tape only, completely cover each strip of tinfoil.NSF North Mississippi GK-8 31

9. Take a metal fastener (or brad) and pierce the masking tape/tin foilin each hole from the front and fasten them.10. Cover the back of the board with construction paper or anythingthat will hide the strips of tape. Remember to only use masking tape.11. Decorate the board using drawings or stickers following the themeof the questioning.NSF North Mississippi GK-8 32

12. Using the continuity tester, place the alligator clip on the brassfastener next to the question and the pen end on the answer. If theanswer is correct, the pen will light up.13. Be sure to test each question before the students use the electroboard.NSF North Mississippi GK-8 33