Name of Lesson: Tour of the Solar System
Grade Level: 6th
Subject: Science
Prepared by: Kaitlyn McCallum
Overview & Purpose:
Students will become familiar with one of the planets in the solar system. Students will need to
research and read informational text on their favorite planet. Once students have taken the
appropriate information, they will create a travel brochure for their planet. Once the brochure is
finished the students will be the “tour guide” and present the ideas detailed within their
StoryKits (travel brochures) to the class under the document cameras.
Educational Standards Addressed:
SC Standard III, Objective I: Describe and compare
components of the solar system.
Objectives
(Specify skills/information
that will be learned.)
Content: SWBAT describe and compare components
of the solar system individually.
Language: SWBAT read informational text from a
variety of online resources.
Information
(Give and/or demonstrate
necessary information.)
Students must choose one of the nine planets to
research for a planet report i.e. travel guide.
Students will need to browse and save at least 7
images.
Verification
(Steps to check for student
understanding.)
Page 1: Brochure title with name (first & last)
Page 2: Introduction to Planet, what does the
Planet’s name mean?
Page 3-7: Areas to research (see handout)
Other Resources
(e.g. Web, books, apps, etc.)
Story Kit app
Wikipanion app
Mental Note app
Activity
(Describe the independent
activity to reinforce this
lesson.)
1. Students will choose planet to research.
2. Using the planet report handout, students browse
the internet on the appropriate websites and use
Wikipanion to research their planet.
3. In StoryKit, students will write their planet
reports (travel guide) and include pictures.
Planet Reports must be 7 pages on StoryKit.
At least 2 sentences per page.
Pictures must be included on each page.
www.wikipedia.org
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/,
http://nineplanets.org/
http://www.nasa.gov/
Summary
Materials Needed
iPods- 1per student
Planet Reports Handout
Examples of travel brochures.
Additional Notes
See handout for more details.
Travel Brochure: Take a Tour to a Planet
Must choose one of the nine planets to research for a travel brochure:
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto (Dwarf)
Planet Report must be 7 pages. Pictures must be included on each page.
Page 1: Brochure title with name (first & last)
Page 2: Introduction to Planet, what does the Planet’s name mean?
Areas to research:
Topics to Research and Include in Your Report:
When you write your report, try to answer as many of the following questions as you can:
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The Planet's Name: What does its name mean? Many planets were named after mythological gods.
Position in the Solar System: Where is your planet located (for example, Mars in the fourth planet from the Sun)? How far from the Sun
does it orbit. Is its orbit unusual?
Rotation on its Axis: How long does it take for your planet to rotate on its own axis? (This is one day on your planet.)
Size: How big is your planet? How does it rate in terms of the other planets in terms of size (is it the biggest, the smallest)? What is your
planet's mass?
Gravity: What is the force of gravity at the surface of your planet? For example, what would a 100-pound person weigh on that planet?
Orbit: How long does it take for your planet to orbit the Sun? (This is one year on your planet.)
Atmosphere: What is the composition of the atmosphere of your planet? Is it a thick or a thin atmosphere?
Temperature: What is the temperature range your planet? How does this compare to the temperature on Earth?
Composition of Your Planet and its Appearance: What type of planet is it (is it rocky or a gas giant)? What is its internal composition? What
does your planet look like?
Moons: If there are moons orbiting your planet, describe them and when they were discovered.
Rings: If there are rings orbiting your planet, describe them and when they were discovered.
How Would a Human Being Fare on Your Planet: On your planet, would a person choke in the atmosphere, be squashed by the extreme
gravity, float with ease, freeze, burn up, or something else?
Something Special: Is there anything special about your planet? This can often be the best part of the report, taking you off on interesting
topics. For example, are there 100-year-long storms on your planet? Are there giant volcanoes? Does your planet have a very tilted axis
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(giving it extreme seasons)? Have spacecraft visited your planet? If so, what have they discovered? Is your planet in an orbital resonance
with another body?
Discovery of Your Planet: The planets that are not visible using the naked eye were discovered after the invention of the telescope (these
are Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto). Tell when your planet was discovered and by whom.
Appropriate websites:
www.wikipedia.org
http://www.nasa.gov/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/
http://nineplanets.org/