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Since we are not requiring EQT's for Science this year use this week to catch up, reteach, review, and extend the learning related to the standards taught.  Suggestions include allowing students to

review ACAP activities from the ACAP Educator Instructional Support.

answer guiding questions from the ACAP Educator Instructional Support.

complete a culminating project (suggestions found under additional resources).

complete additional instruction using the activities found across this padlet.

allowing students to engage in a self inquiry project or project based learning activity.  Start by sharing the written standards that were taught this quarter and asking students what questions they still have about these 4 standards that were covered.  Write these ideas on chart paper.  Let students choose questions they are curious about and complete research to find the answers.  They can also present their learning to the class- See the related article below about what the research shares about students remembering what they teach.

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Picture this: It's Monday and Ms. D'Angelo, a seventh-grade science teacher in the South Bronx, gives her students a homework assignment about food chains that is due in one week. The assignment asks students to teach a family member about this concept by completing a model food chain together.

The following Monday, Ms. D'Angelo is surprised to see that that some of her students seem to understand the material at a deep level-they even use new vocabulary terms with great fluidity. These same students appear be much more confident than usual when engaging in the class discussion. Ms. D'Angelo scans her grade book and notices that these students are the same the ones who completed the homework assignment.

Their teacher is in shock. "I couldn't believe it," she tells me. "I've never seen homework make such a difference." She then points to Sofia, one of her students who shined particularly bright during the class discussion. Sofia wasn't a poor student, but Ms. D'Angelo had never heard her speak like such a scientist before.

Was it coincidence, or something more? Perhaps it's the work of "learning by teaching," also known as the Protégé Effect. On its face, the concept is simple and intuitive: When you explain something to someone else, you understand it better. But could it really explain what Ms. D'Angelo witnessed in her classroom?

I have recently become very interested in these questions because the Protégé Effect is something we are now trying to leverage at the nonprofit I work for, PowerMyLearning, which strengthens the triangle of student-family-teacher relationships. I had a hunch that this learning strategy might be underutilized and could be something that more teachers would like to try. Acting on my hunch, I spoke with two prominent learning scientists to unpack the science behind why this strategy works.

I first contacted Bror Saxberg, vice president of learning science at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Bror told me he is a big believer in encouraging teachers to apply learning science in their classrooms because "the informal understanding of how learning works often doesn't line up with the evidence that we're gathering on how learning actually works."

Bror encouraged me to talk to Richard E. Mayer, who is a major figure in education psychology and has made significant contributions to theories of cognition and learning.

Richard confirmed my hunch that learning by teaching is a newer and under-studied strategy that more teachers should take advantage of. He said most teachers know about many other evidence-based learning strategies, such as summarizing, mapping and self-testing, but learning by teaching tends to not get as much spotlight. Richard noted that this learning strategy is usually thought of as "peer tutoring" but there are many other ways to go about it.

Perhaps most interestingly, learning by teaching has one of the largest effect sizes of the strategies he has studied. For that research, Richard and his former student Logan Fiorella (currently an assistant professor at the University of Georgia) conducted a random control trial that compared groups of students who used the learning by teaching strategy with those who do not.

They found that when students actually teach the content of a lesson, they develop a deeper and longer-lasting understanding of the material than students who do not teach it. Interestingly, they found that the act of preparing to teach alone can lead to short-term gains, but the act of preparing to teach coupled with actually teaching another person is what leads to long-term retention and deeper learning.

Richard said he was most surprised by the magnitude of the effect size, or difference between the two groups: It was 0.77, which can substantially increase student grades. Education researcher John Hattie says an effect size of 0.5 is equivalent to a one grade leap, and an effect size of 1.0 is equivalent to a two grade leap. Therefore, we can deduce that learning by teaching can potentially improve C students to a B+ or even an A-.

Why is this? Richard said that when students are told they are going to have to teach something, they prepare better. Then when the students actually do the teaching, the questions asked by their "pupil" help them build knowledge by elaborating on the material, monitoring their own understanding and fixing misunderstandings-all of which help students construct deeper meaning and long-term understanding. He said that from a student's perspective, it's when you take the material and "mentally re-organize it and integrate it with what you already know-that's how you make sense out of it."

It turns out the benefits to learning by teaching are not limited to comprehension; the strategy also helps students develop essential social-emotional learning skills.

Learning by teaching can help improve student efficacy, confidence and communication skills. In addition to learning content, Richard said that students learn productive beliefs about themselves. In his words: "If students feel confident enough to explain it to someone else, they might develop a higher self-efficacy. That's going to be motivating to see themselves as competent learners."

So, there are clear benefits of students teaching others, but who should those "others" be? In the case of peer tutoring, it's typically other students. But imagine if we could use this strategy to engage grandparents, younger siblings or mom and dad, as Ms. D'Angelo did.

Richard hypothesized that teaching family partners could increase the impact he saw in his studies because students are teaching people with whom they have relationships, and who ask meaningful questions. He says, "When you work with your parents, I think that builds a relationship where you feel that your parents are proud of you because you're showing you know something, and they're recognizing that you're capable of doing this. And we know that if you feel that your parents have confidence in you, it gives you confidence."

Bror also emphasized the benefit of relationships. He said students can learn valuable social skills on how to communicate with their family partners. Generally, if students are communicating with someone they trust in a safe environment (at home), they are going to feel more confident.

At PowerMyLearning, we are exploring the benefits of learning by teaching through Family Playlists. Family Playlists are interactive assignments where students "teach" what they learned in class to a parent at home, and then the parent gives feedback to the teacher. In short, Family Playlists "light up" the triangle of learning between students, teachers, and families while leveraging the learning by teaching strategy.

The results we have seen-like in Ms. D'Angelo's classroom-reflect Bror and Richard's observations. Ms. D'Angelo's saw the magic that can happen after students teach their family partners. She could see that her students were more confident in the lesson. As an extra benefit, parents also showed a sense of pride in seeing their child "teach" them. For example, in Sofia's Family Playlists report, her mother noticed her daughter's enthusiastic expressions when explaining the material, and how proud it made her.

Given all these positive outcomes, I asked Richard if there is any downside to using the learning by teaching strategy. He cautioned that the approach could backfire if students do not fully understand the concept before teaching it. Students can actually become more invested in the wrong explanation. To avoid this outcome, Richard said teachers should make certain that students understand the concept before they teach it. While this downside is something we are aware of, we still have more to learn.

After talking with Bror and Richard, I am even more excited about the learning by teaching strategy. The learning science is clear and the concept is simple. Learning by teaching is a strategy anyone can do and we know it improves learning outcomes. I would love to see more teachers follow in Ms. D'Angelo's footsteps and try out this strategy in their classrooms. Who knows what we'll learn.

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Want Students to Remember What They Learn? Have Them Teach It. - EdSurge News

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Picture this: It's Monday and Ms. D'Angelo, a seventh-grade science teacher in the South Bronx, gives her students a homework assignment about food ...

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Sink or Swim – Divide students into two teams and have them sit across from one another. To begin ask one team a question from the study guide and from student generated quizzes created the day before, if they get the answer correct they are able to sink one person from the other team. Assign each student on the team a number and have students sink a student’s number instead of saying their name, so no one gets his or her feelings hurt. Then, ask team number two a question and if they get it correct they can either sink a person, or save one of their own. This continues until one team has no players left.

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STANDARD 6.3            Activities from the ACAP ALSDE Educator Instructional Support document.

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STANDARD 6.3            Activities from the ACAP ALSDE Educator Instructional Support document.

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STANDARD 6.2            Activities from the ACAP ALSDE Educator Instructional Support document. 

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STANDARD 6.2            Activities from the ACAP ALSDE Educator Instructional Support document. 

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Copyright © 2021 Discovery Education. All rights reserved. Discovery Education, Inc.

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Give students the opportunity to create their own quiz using their study guide. This will not only engage students, but it will give them a better idea of how test creators structure their questions. Discuss all of the types of questions that can and will be on the standardized test. Make sure that you point out that many of the answers act as “distractors” and to design their quiz with tricky elements.
Next, group students together and have them create their own version of a quiz. It’s good to pair students with different strengths and learning styles into groups with one another. This will help students benefit from each others’ strengths. When the quizzes are completed, have groups exchange with each other and take the quiz. Then have groups take a moment to give feedback on how they think the quiz was.

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Rollin' Through the Solar System: Creating a Scaled Model - Taken from Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) Lesson

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Rollin' Through the Solar System: Creating a Scaled Model - Taken from Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) Lesson

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First, students will view an engaging video about the recent arrival of the New Horizons spacecraft at Pluto. Students will create a sketch of the solar system to show their current understanding of the relative sizes and distances of the objects in our solar system. Students will then scale the diameters of the Sun, eight main planets, and Pluto, as well as the planets' distances from the sun. Students will be required to utilize mathematical skills, such as division, rounding, and metric system conversions. After scaling the diameters and orbits of the objects in our solar system, students will create a scaled model of the solar system using a roll of toilet paper.

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Rollin' Through the Solar System: Creating a Scaled Model
You may save this lesson plan to your hard drive as an html file by selecting "File", then "Save As" from your browser's pull down menu. The file name extension must be .html.

This lesson provided by:

Author:

Hannah Bradley

System:

Dothan City

School:

Carver Magnet School

The event this resource created for:

ASTA

General Lesson Information

Lesson Plan ID:

34743

Title:

Rollin' Through the Solar System: Creating a Scaled Model

Overview/Annotation:

First, students will view an engaging video about the recent arrival of the New Horizons spacecraft at Pluto. Students will create a sketch of the solar system to show their current understanding of the relative sizes and distances of the objects in our solar system. Students will then scale the diameters of the Sun, eight main planets, and Pluto, as well as the planets' distances from the sun. Students will be required to utilize mathematical skills, such as division, rounding, and metric system conversions. After scaling the diameters and orbits of the objects in our solar system, students will create a scaled model of the solar system using a roll of toilet paper.
This lesson results from a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and ASTA.

Associated Standards and Objectives

Content Standard(s):

Science
SC2015 (2015)
Grade: 6
Earth and Space Science

3 ) Develop and use models to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system (e.g., scale model representing sizes and distances of the sun, Earth, moon system based on a one-meter diameter sun).

Scientific And Engineering Practices:

Developing and Using Models

Crosscutting Concepts: Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

Disciplinary Core Idea: Earth's Place in the Universe

Evidence Of Student Attainment:

Students:

Develop models to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.

Use models to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.

Model

Scale

Scale model

Properties

Size

Distance

Diameter

Solar system

Planet

Moon

Sun

Asteroid

Asteroid belt

Celestial body

Students know:

A (scale) model is a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object being represented.

Measurements may be multiplied or divided to correctly scale objects in a model.

Charts and data tables may be analyzed to find patterns in data.

Patterns can be used to describe similarities and differences in objects in the solar system.

Systems and their properties may be described using more than one scale.

Students are able to:

Develop a model of objects in the solar system and identify the relevant components.

Describe that different representations illustrate different characteristics of objects in the solar system, including differences in scale.

Use mathematics and computational thinking to determine scale properties.

Describe that two objects may be similar when viewed at one scale but may appear to be quite different when viewed at a different scale.

Students understand that:

The solar system consists of the sun and a collection of objects, including planets, their moons, and asteroids that are held in orbit around the sun by its gravitational pull on them.

Space phenomena can be observed at various scales using models to study systems that are too large or too small.

AMSTI Module:
Researching the Sun-Earth-Moon System
Exploring Planetary Systems

Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards

AAS Standard:
SCI.AAS.6.3- Use a model to compare the relative sizes of objects in the solar system (e.g., sun, Earth, moon).

Local/National Standards:

Primary Learning Objective(s):

Students will develop a scale model to represent the diameters of the sun, eight main planets, and Pluto.

Students will develop a scale model to represent the distances between the objects in our solar system.

Students will use the model they create to describe the relative diameters and orbits of the objects in our solar system.

Additional Learning Objective(s):

Students will use mathematical skills (division, rounding, and metric system conversion) to create a scale model of the solar system.

Preparation Information

Total Duration:

91 to 120 Minutes

Materials and Resources:

Pencil

Notebook paper

Calculator

Metric ruler

Meter stick

Roll of toilet paper (one per student or group)

Markers

Technology Resources Needed:

Background/Preparation:

Students should have a basic understanding of the objects included in our solar system. In addition, students should understand that the solar system is so vast, we have to scale it down in order to understand the relationships between objects in our solar system. Students should be able to develop a scale model with teacher assistance, be able to round numbers to a specific place value, and complete metric system conversions (millimeters to meters).

Procedures/Activities:

Before Strategy/Engage: (20 minutes)

1. Students will view the video clip "Pluto in a Minute: How Did New Horizons Phone Home?". As students view the video, ask them to write the answers to these questions: How did New Horizons send messages to Earth? How long did it take these messages to reach Earth?
Answers: Pluto sent messages to Earth using radio waves, which travel at the speed of light. It took 4 hours and 25 minutes for messages from New Horizons to reach Earth.

2. After viewing the video clip, ask students the following question and lead a discussion on the possible answers: Why did it take New Horizons almost four and half hours to send messages to Earth, even though its messages were traveling at the speed of light?
Possible Answer: Because Pluto is so far away (32 astronomical units/7.5 billion kilometers/4.67 billion miles), it takes a very long time for radio waves to reach it, even though they are moving at the speed of light.

3. Ask students to sketch an illustration of the solar system. Students should include the names of the planets, the relative sizes of the planets and the sun, and the distances of the planets from each other. Students should keep this sketch to refer to for the assessment portion of this lesson.
Note: Most students will know the outer planets are larger than the inner planets. However, most students will have the misconception that the planets are evenly spaced within the solar system.

4. After discussing student drawings, explain to students they will be creating a scaled model of our solar system using a roll of toilet paper.

During Strategy/Explore & Explain:(80 minutes)

1. Students will need the "Rollin' Through the Solar System" Student Sheet handout.

2. The teacher will lead students through the first scale conversion (sun's diameter). (See "Rollin' Through the Solar System" handout for detailed instructions.)
Note: Instead of personally calculating the scale factor for each planet's diameter and orbit, students can use the Build a Solar System (planets only) website. Students will type in 10 for the body diameter of the sun (in mm), and the website will calculate the scaled measurements.

3. The teacher will demonstrate the second scale conversion (Mercury's diameter and distance from the sun). Students will complete the problem on their handout.

4. Students will complete the third scale conversion (Venus's diameter and distance from the sun) independently or with a partner. The teacher will informally assess students as they are working to ensure they are understanding the scale conversion. Students will complete the table provided on the "Rollin' Through the Solar System" Student Sheet.
Note: If students are personally calculating the scale factor for their model, this step would be a good stopping point. Students can create their scaled model the next class period.

5. Before students begin to create their model solar system, the teacher should check to ensure all students have the correct measurements for the scaled model. This can be done individually or as a whole class. (See "Rollin' Through the Solar System Answer Key" for correct answers.)

6. Students will now begin to create their scaled model of the solar system on their roll of toilet paper. Students may work individually on their scale model or work in collaborative learning groups. (See "Rollin' Through the Solar System" Student Sheet for detailed instructions.)

7. After students draw Mercury on their scaled model, they will refer to the table on their handout. They will see Venus should be 0.36 meters away from Mercury on their scaled model. They will use a ruler or meter stick to measure this distance on their roll of toilet paper. Students will measure a line that is approximately 0.1 mm and label it Venus. Students will continue to measure the scaled diameters and distances in this fashion to complete their scaled model of the solar system.
Note: The student sheet instructs students to put only a tiny dot to represent Mercury. They will need to follow this same procedure for Mars and Pluto. Be sure students understand this is due to the scale factor. In order to fit the entire solar system on the roll of toilet paper, the sizes and distances had to be scaled down so much, these relatively small planets can barely be seen from this scale.

After Strategy/Explain & Extend:(20 minutes)

Students will answer reflection questions about this activity. This will include a sketch of the model, as well as questions to check for student understanding of the concept. (See "Rollin' Through the Solar System Reflection" Student Sheet handout.)

Assessment

Assessment Strategies

The teacher will informally assess students as they complete the math problems required by the scale factor.

The teacher will informally assess students as they use the scaled diameters and distances of the objects in the solar system to create their scaled model on toilet paper.

The students will be formally assessed by completing the "Rollin' Through the Solar System Reflection Questions" handout. The teacher can count this assessment as a course grade, or use this reflection handout to facilitate a class discussion on the model.

Acceleration:

Students who meet the Primary Learning Objective can add additional objects to their scaled model, such as planetary satellites.

The following website contains information about the diameters and orbits of various planetary satellites: Build a Solar System (all celestial bodies).

Intervention:

Students who struggle with the mathematical portion of this lesson could be partnered with a student who excels in math, in order to provide support during that portion of the lesson. The teacher should also provide support to these students during that portion of the lesson to ensure the students are using the correct measurements for the model. If the mathematical skills required for this lesson would prevent the student from creating the scale model, the student can use the following website to compute the scale factor: Build a Solar System (planets only).

View the Special Education resources for instructional guidance in providing modifications and adaptations for students with significant cognitive disabilities who qualify for the Alabama Alternate Assessment.

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You may save this lesson plan to your hard drive as an html file by selecting "File", then "Save As" from your browser's pull down menu. The file name extension must be .html.

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Satellites and Gravity - Taken from Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) Lesson

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Satellites and Gravity - Taken from Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) Lesson

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The teacher will present an informational text from the website, ReadWorks. Students will interact with this non-fiction text by annotating the text digitally. This learning activity can introduce students to the concept of gravity and celestial bodies or serve as reinforcement after students have already learned this concept.

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Satellites and Gravity

Classroom Resource Information

Title:

Satellites and Gravity

URL:
https://www.readworks.org/article/Satellites-and-Gravity/db9d5a7e-11d6-4e3b-a2b5-7a24b288803b#!vocabularySection:application/articleTab:content/

Content Source:

Other
ReadWorks.org

Type:
Learning Activity

Overview:

The teacher will present an informational text from the website, ReadWorks. Students will interact with this non-fiction text by annotating the text digitally. This learning activity can introduce students to the concept of gravity and celestial bodies or serve as reinforcement after students have already learned this concept.

Content Standard(s):

Science
SC2015 (2015)
Grade: 6
Earth and Space Science

2 ) Construct models and use simulations (e.g., diagrams of the relationship between Earth and man-made satellites, rocket launch, International Space Station, elliptical orbits, black holes, life cycles of stars, orbital periods of objects within the solar system, astronomical units and light years) to explain the role of gravity in affecting the motions of celestial bodies bodies (e.g., planets, moons, comets, asteroids, meteors) within galaxies and the solar system.

Scientific And Engineering Practices:

Developing and Using Models

Crosscutting Concepts: Systems and System Models

Disciplinary Core Idea: Earth's Place in the Universe

Evidence Of Student Attainment:

Students:

Construct models to explain the role of gravity in affecting the motions of celestial bodies within galaxies and the solar system.

Use simulations to explain the role of gravity in affecting the motions of celestial bodies within galaxies and the solar system.

Model

Simulation

Gravity

Gravitational force

Solar system

Galaxy

Milky Way galaxy

Sun

Planets

Moons

Asteroids

Asteroid belt

Stars

Celestial bodies

Elliptical orbit

Students know:

The solar system is a collection of bodies, including the sun, planets, moons, comets, asteroids, and meteors.

A galaxy is any of the very large groups of stars and associated matter that are found throughout the universe.

The Earth's solar system is one of many systems orbiting the center of the larger system of the Milky Way galaxy.

Gravity is an attractive force between solar system and galaxy objects.

Gravity increases as the mass of the interacting objects increases.

Gravity decreases as the distances between objects increases.

Gravity affects the orbital motion of objects in our solar system (e.g., moons orbit around planets, all objects within the solar system orbit the sun).

Gravity is a predominantly inward-pulling force that can keep smaller/less massive objects in orbit around larger/more massive objects.

Gravity causes a pattern of smaller/less massive objects orbiting around larger/more massive objects at all system scales in the universe.

Gravitational forces from planets cause smaller objects (e.g., moons) to orbit around planets.

The gravitational force of the sun causes the planets and other bodies to orbit around it, holding the solar system together.

The gravitational forces from the center of the Milky Way cause stars and stellar systems to orbit around the center of the galaxy.

The hierarchy pattern of orbiting systems in the solar system was established early in its history as the disk of dust and gas was driven by gravitational forces to form moon-planet and planet-sun orbiting systems.

Objects too far away from the sun do not orbit it because the sun's gravitational force on those objects is too weak to pull them into orbit.

Without gravity smaller planets would move in straight paths through space, rather than orbiting a more massive body.

Students are able to:

Develop a model and identify the relevant components including gravity and celestial bodies.

Describe the relationships and interactions between the components of the solar and galaxy systems.

Use the model to describe gravity and its effects.

Students understand that:

Gravity is an attractive force between solar system and galaxy objects.

Gravity causes a pattern of smaller/less massive objects orbiting around larger/more massive objects at all systems scales in the universe.

AMSTI Module:
Exploring Planetary Systems

NAEP Statement::
E12.2: Early in the history of the universe, matter (primarily the light atoms hydrogen and helium) clumped together by gravitational attraction to form countless trillions of stars and billions of galaxies.

NAEP Statement::
E8.1a: In contrast to an earlier theory that Earth is the center of the universe, it is now known that the Sun, an average star, is the central and largest body in the solar system.

NAEP Statement::
E8.1b: Earth is the third planet from the Sun in a system that includes seven other planets and their moons, as well as smaller objects such as asteroids and comets.

NAEP Statement::
E8.2: Gravity is the force that keeps most objects in the solar system in regular and predictable motion. These motions explain such phenomena as the day, the year, phases of the Moon, and eclipses.

Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards

AAS Standard:
SCI.AAS.6.2- Recognize that gravity is responsible for the moon's orbit around Earth, and Earth's orbit around the sun.

Tags:

gravity, motion, readworks, satellites

License Type:

Custom Permission Type
See Terms: https://about.readworks.org/terms-of-use.html
For full descriptions of license types and a guide to usage, visit :
https://creativecommons.org/licenses

Accessibility
Audio resources: includes a transcript or subtitles

Comments

ReadWorks is a website that provides K-12 teachers with free literacy resources ( About ReadWorks). ReadWorks has literary and informational texts on a variety of subjects and reading skills. You may narrow your search using grade level or Lexile level, making this website a wonderful tool for differentiation. Students will complete their work digitally, and you will provide their score and feedback digitally. This makes it easy to go paperless for this activity.

Prior to implementing this activity, you will need to sign up for an Educator Account on ReadWorks. After setting up an account, create a class from the Class Admin tab, this will provide you with a Class Code to give to students. Next, use the Find Content tab to search for the informational article that will be used during this activity, "Satellites and Gravity". After navigating to the article, click on the blue Assign button to assign it to your class.

Each student will need access to a digital device, such as a tablet or laptop. The first time students enter the website they will need to enter the Class Code that is listed on your Class Admin page. Alternatively, you can print the article, if digital devices are not available.

This resource provided by:

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Satellites and Gravity Classroom Resource Information Title: Satellites and Gravity URL: https://www.readworks.org/article/Satellites-and-Gravity/db9d5a7e-11d6-4e3b-a2b5-7a24b288803b#!vocabularySection:application/articleTab:content/ Content Source: Other ReadWorks.org Type: Learning Activity Overview: The teacher will present an informational text from the website, ReadWorks. Students will interact with this non-fiction text by annotating the text digitally.

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https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/solar-system-bead-activity/

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Exploring Planet Sizes and Distances - Taken from Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) Lesson

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Exploring Planet Sizes and Distances - Taken from Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) Lesson

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This lesson allows students to construct solar system models showing the comparative sizes of the planets to a scale.  The students will also use their models to carry out an investigation to analyze and interpret the distances between planets in the Solar System. This lesson uses common objects easily obtained by teachers.

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1. Read through the Planet Sizes St udent Worksheet. This is where you will find the lesson jobs for each team.

2. Discuss Earth, the solar system, and why we need models to help study them.
✦ Earth is the biggest thing we have ever touched, but Earth is not the biggest planet in the Solar System. We cannot just look up in the sky and see the whole Solar System and how it works. It is too big, and the planets are too far away.
✦ Models let us take objects that are vastly bigger than we can understand and bring them down to a size we can understand.

3. Show students the model Sun (the balloon blown up to 14 cm (5.5 in)). Based on the size of the model Sun, students will work in teams of four or five to answer questions 1-4 on the Planet Size Student Worksheet. These questions reveal what students currently think about planet sizes.

4. Discuss students' predictions and pass out the Model Planet Cards.

5. Direct each team to choose an item from the material list and compare it to the planet on the cards. Complete the Planet Sizes Worksheet for each planet with their findings.

6. Go around the room, having each team's reporter give reasons why they picked each object to use for a given planet.

7. Cut the Model Planet Cards to use in Part 2 for the walk. You may want to attach the cards to helium balloons for the walk to make the planets easy to see at a distance.
PART 2: WALKING PLANET DISTANCES
1. Before taking the class outside, introduce the "pace" as the "ruler" for this model. A pace is two steps one with each foot. One pace is about 1 meter. You can use a meter stick for reference and for practice "pacing."

2. Have each team predict how far away the Earth card should be from the model Sun, using paces or meters.

3. Take your class outside to walk the model length of the Solar System. Take the cut-up master Model Planet Cards you made in Part 1.

4. For each planet, choose a team of students to be the official "pace setter" and "planet bearer" to fasten the planet at the correct distance.

5. Fasten the Sun to the ground (or tie a helium balloon to a nearby object). Tell class the number of paces to Mercury, and tell students to complete the chart on their Distance Between Planets worksheet. "Walk" to Mercury, fasten the Mercury Planet Card to the ground, and repeat the process for all planets.

NOTE: In this model, a spacecraft would move an average of 3cm (1 in) every 5 hours.

NOTE: Be sure to point out the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Neptune was the most distant planet in the Solar System from 1979 until 1999 when Pluto passed outside of Neptune's orbit.

7. Back in the classroom, conclude the activity with Reflection Questions. (As a group activity or individually in science journal/notebook)

NOTE: Be sure to remind students that the planets do not really form a straight line. They all travel around the Sun at different speeds, so they are constantly changing positions.

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1. Read through the Planet Sizes St udent Worksheet. This is where you will find the lesson jobs for each team. 2. Discuss Earth, the solar system, and why we need models to help study them.✦ Earth is the biggest thing we have ever touched, but Earth is not the biggest planet in the Solar System.

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Satellite Orbits - Taken from Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) Lesson

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Satellite Orbits - Taken from Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) Lesson

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In this lesson, students refine and expand their understandings of gravity, forces, and motion in the context of satellite orbits. This lesson is most appropriate for students who have already had instruction in the forces acting on falling bodies and gravity. The purpose of this lesson is for students to explore satellite orbits and gravitational force.

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© 2011 Clipart.com

Purpose

To explore satellite orbits and gravitational force.

Context

In this lesson, students refine and expand their understandings of gravity, forces, and motion in the context of satellite orbits. The middle-school grades are the appropriate time to more fully develop the force/motion relationship for students. However, these concepts need to be built over time. Students may view the phenomenon of a falling body as a natural occurrence which requires no further explanation. This lesson is most appropriate for students who have already had instruction in the forces acting on falling bodies and gravity in lessons such as Exploring Pendulums.

Students should already know that the earth's gravity pulls any object toward it without touching it. ( Benchmarks for Science Literacy, p. 94.) This lesson will help students to more fully develop their understanding of the relationship between force and motion. "Students have no trouble believing that an object at rest stays that way unless acted on by a force. The difficult notion is that an object in motion will continue to move unabated unless acted on by a force." ( Benchmarks for Science Literacy, p. 90.)

Planning Ahead

You can read Microgravity Science Primer for background information on gravity and satellite orbits.

Motivation

Begin with a brief discussion to tap into existing student knowledge and misconceptions about satellites. Use questions such as these:

Why do we send satellites into space?

How are satellites launched?

How do satellites stay in orbit?

Do they ever fall out of orbit?

Do they ever get lost?

Development

In this part of the lesson, students explore resources from the Satellites and Space Weather page to develop an understanding of how satellites work, especially how they stay in orbit. Using the Satellite Orbits student esheet, they will refer to these pages:

After students have explored these resources on their own, review the concepts with the whole class. Allow students to ask questions about things that they don't fully understand. Some common misconceptions about satellites can be found on Misconceptions About Satellites and Weightlessness. You can use this to help identify and address lingering misconceptions in students' ideas about satellites.

Assessment

Using the student esheet to guide them, students will explain, in their own words, how a satellite stays in orbit around the earth and what, if anything, might cause it to fall.

Students should be able to explain that falling and forward motion combine to produce a curved path. These forces act independently of one another. A satellite orbiting around the earth may fall forever towards the earth's surface but since the earth's surface curves away at the same rate, the satellite remains suspended forever at the same height above the surface. Frictional forces on the satellite (such as atmospheric drag), however, can cause the forward speed of the satellite to decrease, changing the curvature of its orbit. The curvature is decreased so that it no longer matches the curvature of the earth's surface at the satellite's altitude, causing it to fall.

Extensions

Around the World is an activity in which students build a model of an earth satellite. It can be used to extend the ideas in this lesson or as an authentic assessment of student understanding of the concepts covered in this lesson.

Microgravity in the Classroom is a NASA educational activity designed to demonstrate freefall in the classroom. This activity is particularly helpful if you find that students need more experiences with these phenomena.

Newton's Laws of Motion: Force and Inertia can be used to review the laws of motion.
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© 2011 Clipart.com To explore satellite orbits and gravitational force. In this lesson, students refine and expand their understandings of gravity, forces, and motion in the context of satellite orbits. The middle-school grades are the appropriate time to more fully develop the force/motion relationship for students.

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https://www.etsu.edu/coe/cuai/documents/5ess14moonsunearthrelationships.pdf

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Scaling the Sun-Earth-Moon System - Taken from Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) Lesson

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Scaling the Sun-Earth-Moon System - Taken from Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) Lesson

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Students will develop a scale model of the sun, Earth, and moon system based on a one-meter sun. Students will first interact with a technology-based scaled model and view a video clip on scaling the solar system. Students will then scale the diameter of the Earth and moon, as well as the distance from the Earth to the sun, and from the Earth to moon. Students will be required to utilize mathematical skills, such as division, rounding, and metric system conversions. After scaling the diameters and distances, students will create the scaled model.

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Scaling the Sun-Earth-Moon System
You may save this lesson plan to your hard drive as an html file by selecting "File", then "Save As" from your browser's pull down menu. The file name extension must be .html.

This lesson provided by:

Author:

Hannah Bradley

System:

Dothan City

School:

Carver Magnet School

The event this resource created for:

ASTA

General Lesson Information

Lesson Plan ID:

34496

Title:

Scaling the Sun-Earth-Moon System

Overview/Annotation:

Students will develop a scale model of the sun, Earth, and moon system based on a one-meter sun. Students will first interact with a technology-based scaled model and view a video clip on scaling the solar system. Students will then scale the diameter of the Earth and moon, as well as the distance from the Earth to the sun, and from the Earth to moon. Students will be required to utilize mathematical skills, such as division, rounding, and metric system conversions. After scaling the diameters and distances, students will create the scaled model.
This lesson results from a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and ASTA.

Associated Standards and Objectives

Content Standard(s):

Science
SC2015 (2015)
Grade: 6
Earth and Space Science

3 ) Develop and use models to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system (e.g., scale model representing sizes and distances of the sun, Earth, moon system based on a one-meter diameter sun).

Scientific And Engineering Practices:

Developing and Using Models

Crosscutting Concepts: Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

Disciplinary Core Idea: Earth's Place in the Universe

Evidence Of Student Attainment:

Students:

Develop models to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.

Use models to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.

Model

Scale

Scale model

Properties

Size

Distance

Diameter

Solar system

Planet

Moon

Sun

Asteroid

Asteroid belt

Celestial body

Students know:

A (scale) model is a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object being represented.

Measurements may be multiplied or divided to correctly scale objects in a model.

Charts and data tables may be analyzed to find patterns in data.

Patterns can be used to describe similarities and differences in objects in the solar system.

Systems and their properties may be described using more than one scale.

Students are able to:

Develop a model of objects in the solar system and identify the relevant components.

Describe that different representations illustrate different characteristics of objects in the solar system, including differences in scale.

Use mathematics and computational thinking to determine scale properties.

Describe that two objects may be similar when viewed at one scale but may appear to be quite different when viewed at a different scale.

Students understand that:

The solar system consists of the sun and a collection of objects, including planets, their moons, and asteroids that are held in orbit around the sun by its gravitational pull on them.

Space phenomena can be observed at various scales using models to study systems that are too large or too small.

AMSTI Module:
Researching the Sun-Earth-Moon System
Exploring Planetary Systems

Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards

AAS Standard:
SCI.AAS.6.3- Use a model to compare the relative sizes of objects in the solar system (e.g., sun, Earth, moon).

Local/National Standards:

Primary Learning Objective(s):

Students will be able to develop a scale model to represent the diameters of the Earth, the moon, and the sun.

Students will be able to develop a scale model to represent the distances between the Earth and the sun, and the Earth and the moon.

Additional Learning Objective(s):

Students will be able to use mathematical skills (division, rounding, and metric system conversion) to create a scale model of the sun, Earth, and moon system.

Preparation Information

Total Duration:

91 to 120 Minutes

Materials and Resources:

Student Materials

Pencil (for each student)

Calculator (for each student)

Metric ruler (for each student)

Protractor (for each student- if available)

Blue paper (one sheet per student)

Gray paper (one sheet per student)
Teacher Materials
One-meter sun model (could use a large beach ball, or make model from yellow paper)

Area at least 108 meters in diameter

Technology Resources Needed:

Background/Preparation:

Students should understand that the Earth is orbiting around the sun while the moon is orbiting around Earth. In addition, students should understand that the solar system is so vast, that we have to scale it down in order to understand the relationships between objects in our solar system. Students should be able to develop a scale model with teacher assistance, and be able to round to the nearest whole number and complete metric system conversions (millimeters to meters and centimeters).

Procedures/Activities:

Before Strategy/Engage- 15 minutes

1. If students have access to a digital device (laptop/tablet), they should visit the website Smithsonian Education "Sizing Up the Universe" Interactive . If students do not have access to a digital device, the teacher can display the interactive on the digital whiteboard.

2. Instruct students to travel through steps 1-5 of this interactive. This will give students a beginning understanding the scaled sizes of the Earth, the moon, and the sun, as well as the diameter of each objects' orbit.

3. Students will view "A Scale Model of Our Solar System". After students view the video, the teacher should ask the students, "Why did the men in the movie have to go all the way to a desert to create their scaled model of the solar system?"

Possible answer: The solar system is so big, they had to find a fairly large area to recreate their scaled model.

4. Explain to students they will be creating their own model of the solar system, for now, just focusing on the sun, Earth, and the moon.

During Strategy/Explore & Explain- 60 minutes

1. Students will need the "Scaling the Sun-Earth-Moon System" handout.

2. The teacher will lead students through the first scale conversion (sun's diameter). (See "Scaling the Sun-Earth-Moon System" Handout for detailed directions for steps #2-4).

3. The teacher will demonstrate the second scale conversion (Earth's diameter). Students will complete the problem on their handout.

4. Students will complete the third scale conversion independently or with a partner. The teacher will informally assess students as they are working to ensure they are understanding the scale conversion.

5. The teacher will lead students in the scale conversion for the distance from the Earth to the sun. (See back of "Scaling the Sun-Earth-Moon System" handout for steps #5 and #6.)

6. Students will complete scale conversion for the distance from the Earth to the moon independently or with a partner. The teacher will informally assess students as they are working to ensure they are understanding the scale conversion.

7. The students will use a ruler and/or protractor to measure a circle that is 2 millimeters in diameter on the gray paper (if no gray paper is available, students may use white paper and color it gray). Students should label this object "moon".

8. The students will use a ruler and/or protractor to measure a circle that is 9 millimeters in diameter on the blue paper (if no blue paper is available, students may use white paper and color it blue). Students should label this object "Earth".

Note: Students could partner for steps #7 and #8, with one student representing the moon and one student representing the Earth.

9. The teacher will take the class to an area that is at least 108 meters in diameter. The teacher will represent the sun by standing in the middle of the area with the sun model (beach ball one meter in diameter or paper model).

10. Students will begin at the sun (teacher), and walk 108 meters outward. Students can measure exactly with a meter stick, or they can estimate the measurement with 108 large steps or 216 small steps. Students will place their "Earth" model on the ground.

11. Students will use a ruler to measure 28 centimeters away from their "Earth" and place their "moon" in that location.

Note: If students are working in partners, one partner can hold the "Earth", while the other student measures and holds the "moon" 28 centimeters away.

12. Ask students to look towards the sun and at their "Earth" and "moon" models. If students have the capability to take a picture with a digital device, they could take a picture of the sun mode from their vantage point of "Earth".

After Strategy/Explain & Extend- 20 minutes

1. Students will complete reflection questions on the model. This will include a sketch of the model, as well as questions to check for student understanding of the concept. (See "Scaling the Sun-Earth-Moon System Reflection" handout.)

Assessment

Assessment Strategies

The teacher will informally assess students as they complete the math problems required by the scale factor.

The teacher will informally assess students as they use their scaled models of the Earth and moon to create a model of the entire sun, Earth, and moon system.

The students will be formally assessed by completing the "Scaling the Sun, Earth, and Moon Reflection" handout. The teacher can count this assessment as a course grade, or use this reflection handout to facilitate a class discussion on the model.

Acceleration:

Students who can easily create the scaled models of the sun, the Earth and the moon can use the same scale factor to create models of the other planets in our solar system. Students can also use the same scale factor to calculate each planet's distance from the sun, and add their models to the class model of the sun, Earth, and moon system.

The following website contains a data table with the diameter of each planet, as well as each planet's distance from the sun:
Enchanted Learning-The Planets
Note: Be sure to remind students to use the measurement in kilometers (not miles)!

Intervention:

Students who struggle with the mathematical portion of this lesson could be partnered with a student who excels in math, in order to provide support during that portion of the lesson. The teacher should also provide support to these students during that portion of the lesson to ensure the students are using the correct measurements for the model. If the mathematical skills required for this lesson would prevent the student from creating the scale model, the teacher could complete the math problems prior to the lesson, so that the student could focus on creating the actual model.

View the Special Education resources for instructional guidance in providing modifications and adaptations for students with significant cognitive disabilities who qualify for the Alabama Alternate Assessment.

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You may save this lesson plan to your hard drive as an html file by selecting "File", then "Save As" from your browser's pull down menu. The file name extension must be .html.

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Gravity Launch - Taken from Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) Lesson

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Gravity Launch - Taken from Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) Lesson

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The purpose of this lesson is to explore how the Earth’s and moon’s gravity affects the path of a rocket launched into space. The heart of this lesson will focus on an online interactive, in which students launch a rocket from Earth on various space missions. Students will have control over the angle and thrust of the rocket and should see the relationship between the two as they change these settings.

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Purpose

To explore how the earth's and moon's gravity affects the path of a rocket launched into space.

Context

Two kinds of forces we are commonly aware of are gravitational and electromagnetic. This lesson focuses on the former. All objects in the universe exert gravitational force on all other objects, and the focus of this lesson will be mainly on earth's gravitational pull, as well as forces and how the motion of an object changes.

So far, students will have had experiences with learning about forces and motion in a very general way and without using scientific language. They will know that pushing and pulling an object will change how it moves and that "things near the earth fall to the ground unless something holds them up." ( Benchmarks for Science Literacy, p. 94.)

This lesson will start with an introduction to forces. While students know that, for instance, pushes and pulls move things, it is important that they realize how the word and the definition of force are applied. They will build on this knowledge with the vocabulary and understanding of motion, speed, angle, and thrust, and how these things relate to force.

At this age, students will also be ready to explore and "...work out for themselves some of the general relationships between force and change of motion..." ( Benchmarks for Science Literacy, p. 89.) The heart of this lesson will focus on an online interactive, in which students launch a rocket from earth on various space missions. Students will have control over the angle and thrust of the rocket and should see the relationship between the two as they change these settings.

Research suggests that elementary-school students typically do not understand gravity as a force. They see the phenomenon of a falling body as "natural" with no need for further explanation. While this lesson will point out that things fall because of gravitational force, or that they are pulled to earth, it will not delve into much more of a discussion. The concept of gravity, and that all objects pull on all other objects is a concept that will be better explored in later grades. Research also states that students may not realize the magnitude of the earth's gravitational force. Though this will be brought up in discussion, students still may not have enough of a base understanding at this age to understand the magnitude. ( Benchmarks for Science Literacy, p. 340.)

Planning Ahead

Note: For your own review, you may want to read the essays in Science for All Americans, under 4B, 4F, and 4G. These essays may give you ideas for further discussion throughout the lesson.

Motivation

Start this lesson by doing an activity that will help you go over the concepts that gravity is a force that depends on mass and distance; that mass is not the same as weight but rather the amount of stuff that makes up a thing; and also that weight is a force. It is important you determine whether or not students have a good understanding of forces, motion, etc.

To do this, stand at the front of the classroom and drop a beanbag to the floor. Ask students:

Why did the beanbag drop to the floor? (If students think that things just "naturally" fall, this is a misconception and you will need to spend more time on this question. Since they just saw a movie on gravity, they should know that it fell to the floor due to the "force of gravity." If they do not use the word force, ask them what gravity is.)

Does the earth have to touch something to pull on it? Does everything fall to the ground when it is pulled on by earth? (The answer to both is no. What about earth's atmosphere? What about the moon or orbiting objects? Earth doesn't pull everything to the ground, so the point here is that earth pulls on objects period.)

What happens to something when force is put on it? (This question is to enforce that a force exerted on something makes motion. Students may say "falling" since you've been discussing gravity. If so, push a chair and say that you've just exerted a force on the chair, what happened?)

What if I pushed harder (put more force) on the chair? (The chair would move faster or farther.)

What does weight have to do with the force of gravity? (Weight is a force, and its strength depends on the strength of gravity. You could give the example of the moon having six times less gravity than earth. Students would weigh only 1/6th of their weight on the moon.)

What does distance have to do with the force of gravity? (As the movie gave for an example, if two things are farther apart, there will be less of a pull.)

Can you define the word force? (Try to get students to define it in the broadest sense, basically that force causes motion. But do not discount more specific answers, such as force pulls on things or pushes on things.)

This time toss the beanbag up into the air a bit and then let it fall to the ground. Ask students:

Did the beanbag fall to the ground the same way as last time? Why or why not? (Students will likely say no, which is correct, but be sure they understand that force pushed it up into the air, and also pulled it to the ground.)

What do you predict would happen if more force were used in tossing the beanbag? What if the angle were just right and it got going fast enough? (Students should realize that it would go much farther.)

Development

In this part of the lesson, students will use Gravity Launch, an online interactive in which they send a rocket ship to a docking station. They will learn how the force of gravity can pull an object toward the earth and moon, and experiment with different thrust and angle settings to learn how these settings change the motion of the rocket.

First print out and give students the Gravity Launch student sheet. Then, they will use the Gravity Launch student esheet to access the interactive. The esheet includes instructions on how to play, as well some more information about gravity. There is not just one setting for each mission. (You may want to have groups of two work on this interactive. One student could put settings in while the other writes down observations. Be sure students switch off.)

Since this is an answer driven activity, we recommend that you closely monitor your students as they play this game. It takes a bit of time to get the numbers right on the thrust and angle. We also recommend that you ask individuals direct questions as they do the interactive to be sure they understand what it is they are trying to achieve, and more importantly, how the angle and thrust help in reaching the goal.

Here are some correct thrust and angle settings for each mission, 1-5, of the interactive:

Give students about ten minutes to do the first launch. This is a generous amount of time, but unless they are being systematic about the settings, it could take this long. Below are questions you may want to discuss during and after the game. These questions are not on the esheet:

Did anyone have their rocket ship pulled back to earth for a crash? (This will likely happen to some of your students since any thrust setting below six does not exert enough force to get the rocket ship far enough away from earth.)

Why do you suppose it did that? (If there is not enough thrust or force on the rocket ship, it will go up and just come right back down. Here you can discuss how enough thrust/force is needed to get beyond the gravitational pull, also a force.)

Did anyone observe the earth or the moon pulling the rocket ship toward it? Did it change the motion of the rocket ship? (Students may have noticed the moon having an effect on the rocket ship's path. Discuss that this pull/force also changed the motion of the object.)

Ask these questions after students are done with the interactive:

What do you think the thrust of the rocket ship is? (Basically, you want to be sure that students understand that when an object is moved, a force moves it, and thrust imposes a force great enough to get the rocket off the ground.)

What do angle and thrust have to do with the motion of the object? (Discuss how these things change the motion. The angle also worked with or against gravity because it helped aim the rocket ship.)

What did you observe with number 4 where you were instructed to put in certain angle and thrust numbers? (This was a demonstration of the rocket ship orbiting around the moon several times. Discuss that it orbited due to the pull of the moon and was actually "falling." The speed it was traveling was due to the thrust and the pull.)

Assessment

The assessment will go back to what you demonstrated at the beginning of the class, only this time, students will do the beanbag tossing and explaining amongst themselves.

Divide your class into five or six groups and give each group a beanbag and two pieces of masking tape. Each group will need enough space to toss the bags about five feet. Weather permitting, outside is also an option.

Students should follow the directions on their Gravity Launch student sheets to make a target and play with different angles and speeds of the beanbags to hit the target. They also are instructed to write down their observations, which is what you will use to determine what they have learned in this lesson.

The observations section should in one way or another incorporate these observations:

That the beanbags are pulled toward earth by its gravity;

That the earth does not need to touch the beanbags in order to pull them down; and

That different changes in how the bag is thrown, meaning speed or direction, is caused by a force from a person's arm.

Extensions

For another lesson that explores gravity, see the Science NetLinks lesson, Falling.

Falling for Gravity is a Science NetLinks Afterschool activity that allows students to do some experiments and put gravity to the test.
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To explore how the earth's and moon's gravity affects the path of a rocket launched into space. Two kinds of forces we are commonly aware of are gravitational and electromagnetic. This lesson focuses on the former.

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