Lesson Plan’s Author: Brenda Goodwin
Lesson Title: Rocket Day – Exploring the Solar System
Target Audience/Grade Level: Upper Elementary-Middle School
Student Participation Number: 30 (space to move without obstruction) Teaching Location: Gym
The Lesson’s Main Goal and/or Theme: Students will move in a creative way using the lower, middle, and high levels to finish the assigned task in each station. Students will list at least one fact about each of the planet stations in the solar system.
Instructional Objectives:
What are specific conditions and/or criteria that students should be accountable for as a result of the lesson in order to know perform and/or value what they have learned?
Psychomotor - Students will creatively demonstrate movement in the lower, middle, and high levels while completing the challenge at each station.
Cognitive Students will list at least one fact about each planet visited during the “Rocket Day” activity.
Affective - Students will, by a show of hands, share with the class what their favorite planet that was part of the “Rocket
Day” activity.
National Standards:
Standard 1 – Demonstrates competency in motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform a variety of physical activities.
Standard 2 – Demonstrates understanding of movement concepts, principles, strategies, and tactics as they apply to the learning and performance of physical activities.
Lesson’s Equipment, Resource, and Materials: Space music, 1 hula-hoop, 1 rolling scooter, 1 jump rope per student, 5 cones, 10 blue poly spots, balloons, 2 paper plates per student, 5 toy animals, 8 planet posters, IPod or CD player, and 5 foil balls
Time Limit per
Lesson Plan
Segment
Lesson Plan Segments
3 minutes
Classroom Organization/Set-up:
Hula-hoops will already be randomly placed on the floor. Stations will be set up around the outer walls of gym. Posters will be hung in their designated station. Stations will be divided using jump ropes.
Student
Formations and
Transitions (Draw and Explain)

5 minutes
5 minutes
Mercury station will have blue poly spots scattered around floor.
Jupiter station will have satellites (foil balls) at far side of station.
Saturn will have jump ropes arranged to make rings with scooters placed in the station.
Neptune will have round disk placed at far side of station.
Students will be asked to stand on the line at the front of the gym. After introduction to activity, students will be asked to find a hula-hoop and stand in the middle of it.
Once all students have found a hula-hoop, the teacher will ask students with a red hula-hoop to join as a group, and so on with other colors making five different groups (spaceships).
Introductory Activity:
Students will be introduced to the activity with the teachers asking them questions about space.

Ask students if they know what planet we live on.

Ask students to raise their hand to tell us of another planet.

Ask students if they want to go into outer space and learn about the other planets. Tell them if they are good they may get to get out and walk on some of the planets.
Students will also be told that the astronauts use a rope to help them stay together while walking in space. While each group of students walk on each planet they will be required to hold on to their assigned rope so that no on gets lost in space.
Student Motivation Activity :
Each group will be given a jump rope for all group members to hang on to the entire journey through space. They will be reminded of how the astronauts do this to stay together.
Students will be told to get to the low level to be a rocket ship getting ready for take off. Tell students that their hula-hoops are their space ships. They should grab the sides to drive it. Tell students to wait for countdown.
Countdown will begin and students, guided, by the teacher, slowly rise into mid-level, then to highest level like a spaceship taking off into outer space.
Scattered
Formation around
Moving Space

20-30 minutes
Teacher will jog students around gym floor (flying through space) until they reach the first station (planet).
Activity:
Students will arrive at Station 1 (Mercury). Teacher will give students an information fact about Mercury – the craters on Mercury have ice at the bottom because they never get any sunlight.
Teacher will begin to lead them to the next planet. The teacher informs students that their pets have escaped onto Mercury. Students are instructed to put down their spaceships and to retrieve their pets.
The group must hold on to a jump rope as they move. As a group they must retrieve their pets, cross the hot planet without touching any ice spots (blue poly spots) and use only one body part per member when touching the hot planet.
Students will be asked to get back into their space ships with their members, hold onto the jump ropes and their pets as they visit other planets.
Teacher will lead students by Venus, Earth, and Mars, stopping briefly to point out the window and give a fact about the planet. (Check web sites for interesting facts to share.)
Teacher will lead students to Second Station (Jupiter).
Students will be asked to put on their space boots (paper plates) and slide across the planet to retrieve the satellite. Students must keep hold of the jump rope and have to keep the boots on across the planet and back.
Students will take off space boots and get back into spaceship.
Teacher will lead students to Station 3 (Saturn). Students will be instructed to orbit Saturn on scooters using feet or hands staying together with the group’s jump rope. Student will be informed to not touch the rings (jump ropes) or other spaceships.
Teacher will tell students to get back into spaceships, and then lead them passed Uranus, stopping briefly for a fact. (Check web sites)
Teacher will lead students to Neptune. Students will be informed that this planet is so cold that there is no way to walk on this planet without sinking. Therefore, one member must stay at the spaceship holding the
Groups

3-5 minutes jump rope while other members get across planet in the lower level to place a flag on the opposite side of planet. Group members must be touching the entire time so that they can keep themselves warm on this very cold planet.
Teacher tells the students to hurry back to their space ship. There is a meteor shower coming and they must hurry to get back to the space station.
Students drive home through the gym while dodging meteors (balloons) rolled by the teacher. If one member gets hit, the space ship is damaged and all members must sit down. They must be rescued by the touch of another spaceship to make it home.
Teacher will line students up on the designated line (home). They will be instructed to land their spaceships dropping down to the lowest level.
Lesson Closure
Students will be asked a series of questions to check for comprehension.

Who can name a planet we visited today?

Ask students if they can tell one interesting fact about Mercury,
Jupiter, and Neptune.

After today’s lesson, raise your hand if you want to be an astronaut when you grow up.
Lesson’s Assessment Practices
Students can be asked to write a short description of their favorite activity on the planets that the class visited and one fact about that planet.
Large group in front of the PE teacher
References:
http://www.creativekidsonthemove.com/rocket.pdf
www.planetfacts.net
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/solar-system
http://www.universetoday.com/13944/interesting-facts-about-mercury/
http://www.universetoday.com/21999/10-interesting-facts-about-neptune/