MYP unit planner
Unit title
Unit 1: Earth’s place in the Universe
Teacher(s)
Megan Bonafede and Claudia Murphy (2013-2014)
Subject and grade
level
Science Year 1
Time frame and
duration
September – October – 8 weeks
Learner Profile
Risk-takers, balanced, reflective, thinkers, knowledgeable,
inquirers
Stage 1: Integrate significant concept, area of interaction and unit question
Trans disciplinary Theme/Global
Context
Global contexts provide shared
starting points for inquiry into what
it means to be internationally
minded. Intercultural
understanding and global
engagement through these
contexts build on the powerful
themes of global significance that
structure teaching and learning in
the PYP.
Significant concept(s)
What are the big ideas? What do
we want our students to retain for
years into the future?
Where we are in place and
time/Orientation in Space and
Time
Gravity affects us all.
The study of the Earth’s place in
the universe through gravitational
force, lunar phases, seasons, and
motion.
Changes are connected.
MYP unit question
Why can changes be predicted?
Assessment
What task(s) will allow students the opportunity to respond to the unit question?
What will constitute acceptable evidence of understanding? How will students show
what they have understood?
Summative Unit Assessment
Which specific MYP objectives will be addressed during this unit?
B Communication in Science
-uses scientific language correctly, consistent with the level of complexity of the units
of work covered
C Knowledge and understanding of Science
-with guidance, recall scientific knowledge and use scientific understanding to
construct scientific explanations, consistent with the level of complexity of the units of
work covered
Which MYP assessment criteria will be used?
Criterion B: Communication in Science
Criterion C: Knowledge and understanding of Science
Stage 2: Backward planning: from the assessment to the learning activities through inquiry
Content
What knowledge and/or skills (from the course overview) are going to be used to
enable the student to respond to the unit question?
What (if any) state, provincial, district, or local standards/skills are to be addressed?
How can they be unpacked to develop the significant concept(s) for stage 1?
Enduring Understanding
What is the sun?
• Know that the Sun is an averaged sized, yellow star.
• Describe the properties of our Sun.
• Compare and contrast the Sun to other bodies in our solar system.
- million times more volume than the Earth
- huge ball of gas and plasma
How big is the Sun in terms of its volume/mass compared to: the Earth, the
solar system, the galaxy?
• Understand that stars look like tiny points of light because they are so far away.
• Discuss distances in our solar system in terms of AU’s and explain we use this unit.
• Understand the solar system is mostly empty space.
How does distance from the Sun seem to affect the motion of the planet in its
orbit?
• Describe the general shape and direction of the orbits of the planets around the
sun.
Why don’t the planets crash into the Sun instead of orbiting around it?
• Understand that every object in the universe exerts a gravitational force on every
other object.
• Explain that since the Sun is so large, and relatively close to the planets, that the
gravitational force between them is strong enough to keep the planets in orbit.
How are the motions of the Earth and other celestial objects used in
determining our time scales?
• Compare and contrast rotation vs. revolution.
• Explain how the regular patterns of celestial bodies are used to explain and predict
phenomena on Earth and elsewhere:
- Movement of Sun, Moon, Stars, etc. through the sky
- Tides
- Comet appearance
- Meteor showers
- Eclipses (mention, more detail later)
• Time is based on the movements of celestial bodies:
- Year (Earth’s revolution: 365.25 days)
- Day (Earth’s rotation: 24 hours)
- Month (Moon’s revolution)
What occurs during lunar and solar eclipses?
• The mood is seen due to reflecting light from the Sun.
• Explain the phases of the Moon based on both how it looks and why it occurs.
• Describe the orientation of the Sun, Earth, and Moon during a lunar and solar
eclipse.
Where would you see Polaris from the following locations: North Pole,
Rochester, Florida, Equator, Brazil, South Pole
• Understand a globe is a circular model with a map of the Earth on it.
• Compare and contrast latitude and longitude in terms of direction and how they are
determined:
- Latitude
- N/S
- Earth’s 15 degree per hour rotation
- Longitude
- E/W
- Altitude of Polaris above horizon
• Find and label locations on Earth’s surface by using latitude and longitude.
• Recognize the Equator, Prime Meridian, and the North and South Hemispheres.
How can it be winter in Rochester but summer in Sydney, Australia?
• Explain why the number of hours of daylight changes throughout the year based on
season and latitude.
• Explain how the angle of the Sun’s rays change throughout the year and this is the
main reason for the seasons.
How do we know the earth is round?
• Know that the Earth and most other celestial objects (stars, planets, and moons)
are oblate spheroids.
• Describe the shape of the Earth.
New York State Standards
1.1a Earth’s Sun is an average-sized star. The Sun is more than a million times
greater in volume than Earth.
1.1b Other stars are like the Sun but are so far away that they look like points of
light. Distances between stars are vast compared to distances within our solar
system.
1.1c The Sun and the planets that revolve around it are the major bodies in the solar
system. Other members include comets, moons, and asteroids. Earth’s orbit is
nearly circular.
1.1d Gravity is the force that keeps planets in orbit around the Sun and the Moon in
orbit around the Earth.
1.1e Most objects in the solar system have a regular and predictable motion. These
motions explain such phenomena as a day, a year, phases of the Moon, eclipses,
tides, meteor showers, and comets.
1.1f The latitude/longitude coordinate system and our system of time are based on
celestial observations.
1.1g Moons are seen by reflected light. Our Moon orbits Earth, while Earth orbits the
Sun. The Moon’s phases as observed from Earth are the result of seeing different
portions of the lighted area of the Moon’s surface. The phases repeat in a cyclic
pattern in about one month.
1.1h The apparent motions of the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars across the sky can
be explained by Earth’s rotation and revolution. Earth’s rotation causes the length of
one day to be approximately 24 hours. This rotation also causes the Sun and Moon
to appear to rise along the eastern horizon and to set along the western horizon.
Earth’s revolution around the Sun defines the length of the year as 365 1/4 days.
1.1i The tilt of Earth’s axis of rotation and the revolution of Earth around the Sun
cause seasons on Earth. The length of daylight varies depending on latitude and
season.
1.1j The shape of Earth, the other planets, and stars is nearly spherical.
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
MS-ESS1-1 Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the
cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons
MS-ESS1-2 Develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motions
within galaxies and the solar system
MS-ESS1-3 Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in
the solar system
Next Generation Science Standards Core Ideas
ESS1.A: The Universe and Its Stars
Patterns of the apparent motion of the sun, the moon, and stars in the sky can be
observed, described, predicted, and explained with models. (MS-ESS1-1)
Earth and its solar system are part of the Milky Way galaxy, which is one of many
galaxies in the universe. (MS-ESS1-2)
ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System
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. (MS-ESS1-2),(MS-ESS1-3)
This model of the solar system can explain eclipses of the sun and the moon.
Earth’s spin axis is fixed in direction over the short-term but tilted relative to its orbit
around the sun. The seasons are a result of that tilt and are caused by the
differential intensity of sunlight on different areas of Earth across the year. (MSESS1-1)
The solar system appears to have formed from a disk of dust and gas, drawn
together by gravity. (MS-ESS1-2)
Vocabulary
Sun
Solar system
Star
Gravity
Orbit
Ellipse
Gravitational attraction/force
Universe
Mass
Property
Cyclical
Patterns
Rotation
Revolution
Meteor showers
Comets
Moon
Reflection
Phases of the moon
Solar eclipse
Lunar eclipse
Coordinate system
Longitude
Latitude
Equator
Hemisphere
Axis
Predictable
Celestial observations
Seasons
Sun’s rays
Axis
Equinox (autumnal and vernal)
Solstice (summer and winter)
Oblate spheroid
Approaches to learning
How will this unit contribute to the overall development of subject-specific and
general approaches to learning skills?
Collaboration
-collaborating in inquiry based groups
Communication
-Clear communication of information in their moon journals
Thinking
-Apply knowledge of concepts and drawing conclusions
Organization
-manage materials and resources
Learning experiences
Teaching strategies
How will students know what is
expected of them? Will they see
examples, rubrics, templates?
How will we use formative assessment to
give students feedback during the unit?
How will students acquire the
knowledge and practise the skills
required? How will they practise
applying these?
Do the students have enough prior
knowledge? How will we know?
General Skills: Students will follow
safety procedures, use appropriate
units for measured or calculated
values, recognize and analyze
patterns/trends, classify objects
according to and established scheme,
develop dichotomous key, sequence
events, identify cause-and-effect
relationships, and interpret results.
What different teaching methodologies will
we employ?
How are we differentiating teaching and
learning for all? How have we made
provision for those learning in a language
other than their mother tongue? How have
we considered those with special
educational needs?
Formative Assessments
-Quick writes
-Moon Journal
-Labs
Teaching Methods
-Use of graphic organizers
-Short answer responses
-Cornell Notes
-Philosophical Chairs
General Skills: Safely and accurately -Socratic Seminars
use the following measuring tools:
-WICOR Strategies
metric ruler, balance, stopwatch,
-Other AVID Science specific strategies
graduated cylinder, thermometer,
spring scale, and voltmeter.
Differentiated Teaching
-Pre-teaching vocabulary
-Discuss what objects exist in our
-Graphic organizers
solar system:
-Use of small group read alouds
-Construct a model comparing the
-Guided notes
Sun to other bodies in our solar
-Scaffolded questions
system.
-Discuss why the Earth stays in orbit.
-Predict the amount of gravitational
force acting on objects that have
different masses and different
distances from each other.
-Moon phase tracking at home.
Compare these drawings to charts on
the internet:
-Notice the same side of the moon is
always facing us.
-Use models and flashlight to
demonstrate phases.
-Construct a paper model of the
Earth-Moon system.
-Use magnetic compass to find
cardinal directions
-Draw and label a chart of the Sun
and Earth positions, showing the
equinoxes and solstices.
-Use models to show the different in
angles of the Sun’s rays for different
seasons.
-Measure the angular elevation of an
object, using appropriate instruments
Videos and CDs show the seasonal
progression.
Resources
What resources are available to us?
How will our classroom environment, local environment and/or the community be
used to facilitate students’ experiences during the unit?
-newspapers
-maps
-Encarta CD
-AVID Write Path Science Guide
-Prentice Hall Series
On-going reflections and evaluation
In keeping an on-going record, consider the following questions. There are
further stimulus questions at the end of the “Planning for teaching and
learning” section of MYP: From principles into practice.
Students and teachers
What did we find compelling? Were our disciplinary knowledge/skills challenged in
any way?
What inquiries arose during the learning? What, if any, extension activities arose?
How did we reflect—both on the unit and on our own learning?
Which attributes of the learner profile were encouraged through this unit? What
opportunities were there for student-initiated action?
Possible connections
How successful was the collaboration with other teachers within my subject group
and from other subject groups?
What interdisciplinary understandings were or could be forged through collaboration
with other subjects?
Assessment
Were students able to demonstrate their learning?
How did the assessment tasks allow students to demonstrate the learning objectives
identified for this unit? How did I make sure students were invited to achieve at all
levels of the criteria descriptors?
Are we prepared for the next stage?
Data collection
How did we decide on the data to collect? Was it useful?
Figure 12
MYP unit planner