N o r t h E a st I n d ep en d e nt S c h o o l D i st ric t
6th Grade Science
Unit 7
Space & the Solar System
Spring 2006
SPACE & THE SOLAR SYSTEM
In this unit, the 6th grade student will study the solar system, including the sun,
planets, meteorites, comets, asteroids, and moons. The concepts of the sun and
the planets are not new to the 6th grade student. In 3rd grade the student is asked
to identify the planets of our solar system and their position in relation to the Sun.
3rd graders also describe the characteristics of the Sun. The 4th grade student is
asked to identify patterns of change, including objects in the sky. Students in 5th
grade identify gravity as the force that keeps planets in orbit around the Sun, and
they study the lunar cycle.
The 6th grade student will examine characteristics of meteorites, comets and
asteroids for the first time. They will revisit the planets and study them more in
depth as they identify characteristics unique to each. Students may be tested on
these concepts on TAKS, but they will not receive extensive instruction on the
solar system again following 6th grade. As a result, it is important for content to
be covered thoroughly this year. This year will also be the first time students
describe types of equipment and transportation needed for space travel.
Through this unit, the 6th grader will continue to describe how the properties of
the system are different from the properties of the bodies that make up the solar
system. The solar system includes the sun, planets and many other objects that
are affected by the sun’s gravity. Within this system, other systems exist. An
example would be Saturn and all the moons located around the planet. The solar
system is enormous, and the objects within it range in size from particles of dust
to bodies as large as the Sun.
The Sun
The sun is the ultimate source of all life on Earth. Radiant energy from the sun
helps plants make their food, it heats the planet and it affects the weather. The
sun is a self-illuminating ball of gas, and it produces heat and light that will last for
billions of years. The sun’s strong gravity holds the planets in their orbits. Its
mass makes up over 99% of the mass of the entire solar system. The sun has an
Clarifying statements are intended to deepen teachers’ understanding of science concepts and serve as a guide for
instructional design. They are not intended to serve as student instructional materials.
This publication is the property of North East Independent School District. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is
prohibited without express written permission from NEISD.
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N o r t h E a st I n d ep en d e nt S c h o o l D i st ric t
6th Grade Science
Unit 7
Space & the Solar System
Spring 2006
atmosphere and an interior. It differs from other objects in the solar system
because all the layers are gaseous. The sun does not have a solid core like the
earth.
Features of the sun include sunspots, prominences, and solar flares. A sunspot is
an area of the sun’s surface that is cooler than the area around it. Sunspots
appear as dark spots on the sun. Reddish loops of gas that appear to connect
sunspots are called prominences. An explosion of gas from the sun’s surface occurs
when loops in sunspot regions suddenly connect. They are known as solar flares.
Solar flares can affect communication on earth by disrupting radio, telephone, and
satellite signals.
The Planets
The solar system can be organized into the inner planets and outer planets.
Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are known as the inner planets because they are
located within the asteroid belt. These planets are small, dense, and rocky. As a
result of these features, they are also referred to as terrestrial planets. Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are referred to as the outer planets because
they are located outside of the asteroid belt. All of these planets except Pluto
are sometimes referred to as Gas Giants. They are the largest planets. It is also
believed that their surfaces are a liquid or slush surrounded by extensive gaseous
atmospheres.
One mnemonic that could be used to help the sixth grade student remember the
order of the planets from the sun outward into space is “My very educated mother
just served us nine pizzas.” The distances between the sun and the planets are so
great that a measurement known as an astronomical unit or AU is used. An AU is
150 million kilometers, which is the average distance from the Earth to the sun. If
something is 6 AU away from the sun, then the object is six times farther from
the sun than the Earth is. Students should recognize that those planets closest to
the sun have shorter revolutions, or years, compared to Earth. Those furthest
from the sun have longer revolutions.
Clarifying statements are intended to deepen teachers’ understanding of science concepts and serve as a guide for
instructional design. They are not intended to serve as student instructional materials.
This publication is the property of North East Independent School District. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is
prohibited without express written permission from NEISD.
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N o r t h E a st I n d ep en d e nt S c h o o l D i st ric t
6th Grade Science
Unit 7
Space & the Solar System
Spring 2006
The 6th grade student should learn some characteristics that are unique to each
planet. They should not have to memorize specifics such as number of moons for
each, temperatures, diameters, rotation and revolution time periods, etc. Students
should be able to name prominent features, unique characteristics, and compare
and contrast the planets. Students should also understand that this is a field in
which new knowledge is obtained from satellites and probes on a daily basis. As a
result, information may differ depending on the source. A good example of
changing information would be the number of moons each planet has.
Mercury
# from
Sun
1
Inner/Outer
Planet
Inner
Venus
2
Inner
Planet
Earth
3
Inner
Mars
4
Inner
Important Characteristics
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Jupiter
5
Outer
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small, rocky,
no atmosphere
many craters due to no atmosphere
very cold at night due to no atmosphere
no moon
similar to Earth in size and mass
hottest planet due to thick atmosphere
(greenhouse effect)
no moon
home!
water in all states, esp. liquid
only planet in solar system known to
have life
known as the “red planet” due to high
iron content
has large volcanic systems, including
largest volcano in solar system,
Olympus Mons
frozen water at polar ice caps
gas giant
largest planet
has a giant storm called the Great Red
Spot
Clarifying statements are intended to deepen teachers’ understanding of science concepts and serve as a guide for
instructional design. They are not intended to serve as student instructional materials.
This publication is the property of North East Independent School District. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is
prohibited without express written permission from NEISD.
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N o r t h E a st I n d ep en d e nt S c h o o l D i st ric t
6th Grade Science
Saturn
6
Outer
Uranus
7
Outer
Neptune
8
Outer
Pluto
9
Outer
Unit 7
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Space & the Solar System
Spring 2006
has many moons
has a ring system
gas giant
known for extensive ring system made
of gases, dust, ice
most moons
gas giant
rotates on its side compared to other
planets
gas giant
characteristic blue color due to gases
sometimes the furthest from the Sun
terrestrial; rock and ice
smallest planet
only planet not to have been visited by
NASA probe
Clarifying statements are intended to deepen teachers’ understanding of science concepts and serve as a guide for
instructional design. They are not intended to serve as student instructional materials.
This publication is the property of North East Independent School District. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is
prohibited without express written permission from NEISD.
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N o r t h E a st I n d ep en d e nt S c h o o l D i st ric t
6th Grade Science
Unit 7
Space & the Solar System
Spring 2006
Other Rocky Bodies
Moons are natural satellites that revolve around a more massive body such as a
planet. Moons exist because they are caught by the gravitational pull of a larger
object. The Earth has one moon. Some planets, such as Mercury and Venus, have
none. Other planets, such as Saturn, have over 20. Our moon has been studied to
help us learn more about the history of the solar system. Most moons do not have
an atmosphere, and therefore do not experience a lot of weathering. There
surface is a preserved record of the past.
There is a difference between the following three words: meteor, meteoroid, and
meteorite. While the object orbits out in space it is called a meteoroid. As it
burns up when it enters Earth’s atmosphere, it gives off light and is called a
meteor or “shooting star”. Sometimes there are meteor showers that are quite
spectacular. Meteorites are fragments from space that survive the trip through
the Earth’s atmosphere and land on Earth. Craters on Earth indicate that
meteorites have hit Earth in the past.
Comets are large bodies of ice, gas, rock and dust that travel around the sun in an
elliptical orbit. It is believed that comets originate from two different locations:
the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud. Because of their composition, comets are
sometimes called “dirty snowballs”. If they come close enough to Earth, they can
be seen as a shooting star with a long, glowing tail. A comet has three main parts,
the nucleus, coma and tails. The nucleus is mostly solid with ice and dust mixed in.
The coma is located around the nucleus and is a dense cloud of water and gases.
Flowing behind the head is the comet’s tail. It is composed of the dust tail and the
ion tail. The tail is caused by solar winds blowing back matter from the coma. The
dust tail is what is usually seen in the night sky. There are about 1000 known
comets. Some take only a few years to orbit the sun while others may take
thousands of years to orbit the sun. Comets help scientists piece together the
history of the solar system. One comet, named Hale-Bopp, has chemicals that are
similar to those that might have formed life on earth.
Clarifying statements are intended to deepen teachers’ understanding of science concepts and serve as a guide for
instructional design. They are not intended to serve as student instructional materials.
This publication is the property of North East Independent School District. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is
prohibited without express written permission from NEISD.
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N o r t h E a st I n d ep en d e nt S c h o o l D i st ric t
6th Grade Science
Unit 7
Space & the Solar System
Spring 2006
Asteroids are pieces of rock made of minerals similar to those found on rocky
planets or moons. An asteroid belt exits between Mars and Jupiter. This belt
orbits the sun. The word asteroid means “star-like”. If all of the asteroids were
put together forming one planet, the planet would be smaller than half of the size
of the Earth’s moon. Scientists hope that the study of asteroids will help
scientists learn about how the solar system began.
Clarifying statements are intended to deepen teachers’ understanding of science concepts and serve as a guide for
instructional design. They are not intended to serve as student instructional materials.
This publication is the property of North East Independent School District. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is
prohibited without express written permission from NEISD.
6
N o r t h E a st I n d ep en d e nt S c h o o l D i st ric t
6th Grade Science
Unit 7
Space & the Solar System
Spring 2006
Space Travel
Space travel is still considered to be in its infancy. One question solved leads to
many other questions unanswered. It takes a lot of power to launch a probe or
rocket into space. Because of the cost of space travel, most space equipment and
transportation will have to be shared by many countries. The commitment towards
building the International Space Station is an example of how space travel can be
accomplished through the efforts of many.
NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the U.S. agency
responsible for astronomical research and space travel. NASA was the agency
that first landed a man on the moon and responsible for the invention of the space
shuttle. NASA scientists and engineers are constantly building, inventing and
researching new methods of space travel as well as ways to remotely study distant
objects. Progress of the latest missions and research can always be found at the
NASA website. The work of this agency as well as many others around the world
has led to countless innovations and advances in technology, such as Velcro, modern
refrigeration units, medicine without side effects, food dehydration procedures,
etc. Some of the many topics students may discuss in regards to equipment
developed for space travel or to study space include the following: rockets,
artificial satellites, space probes, space stations, space shuttles, remote sensoring
devices, space suits, radar, computers, fuel sources, landing modules, innovative
materials that can withstand immense pressure and heat, solar panels, lab modules,
living quarters, biomedical laboratories and equipment, docking modules, air
purification devices, telescopes, Geiger counters, observatories, cameras, etc.
Clarifying statements are intended to deepen teachers’ understanding of science concepts and serve as a guide for
instructional design. They are not intended to serve as student instructional materials.
This publication is the property of North East Independent School District. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is
prohibited without express written permission from NEISD.
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