Introduction to the Solar System
Brief Information
Students will use the website http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm to research about the solar system and each planet in detail. Students can do group discussion on their planet that they have been allocated and find good facts and information for the group assignment. The website has information such as diameter of the planets, mass, one orbit of the sun, one rotation, distance from the sun and temperature of the planet, which is all important information for the group assignment. Once students have researched each planets, a fun quiz is a way for students to think they are having fun and it can also determine how much each student learned while doing research and if they need to do any more research on their allocated planet. The quiz can be found at http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/games/levelfive/KC_Solar_System.html.
Materials for teachers
Teachers will need to provide the two url’s for the students to work on. The first url is http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm which the students can go on to research about the solar system, while the second url is http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/games/levelfive/KC_Solar_System.html which is the quiz that the students can have a go at. Teachers will also need to provide computers or allocate time in a computer lab for students to be able to access these websites.
Materials for students
Students will need to have computer and Internet access to complete the research and the quiz. Stationery such as pens, pencils and notebooks would also be helpful to write down any notes on information students find which would be helpful in their learning.
Objective
The objective of this lesson is for students to research the solar system to gain a vast amount of information, which will be beneficial for their solar system knowledge and for preparation for their group assignment. It will give a brief overview of the solar system, which can be studied more in depth in further lessons.