Vocabulary
Words
Take a Planet Walk
is
inquiry-based
• Scientist Approach
Students build models
to help study and explain events
• Group Collaboration Students create an outside model
of the Solar System
• Outside Model
Emphasizes the size and distance
more accurately than
an inside model
• Incorporates Math
Students create tiny planets using a metric ruler
from the provided scaled object diameter
Students create an orbit radius outside
measuring with measuring tape
the appropriate distance of
each planet from the sun
from the provided scaled orbit radius
Take A Planet Walk
from the article
Science and Children
also
Emphasizes inquiry by providing teachers Questions to ask Students
Such as
• Why does Venus, which is farther away from the sun,
have a higher temperature than Mercury?
Emphasizes inquiry by having students make
Predictions on questions
Emphasizes inquiry by having students provide
Evidence to their findings
Website NASA Quest
provides teachers
inquiry-based lesson plans
such as
NASA’S SOLAR SYSTEM MATH
Solar System Math
provides teachers
inquiry-based lesson plans with
integrated math &
questions students can relate to
Questions such as:
• What is the speed your fingernails grow?
• What is the speed your hair grows?
• If you planned a family vacation,
how would you decide where to go?
• What details would you need to think about to plan
your trip?
A Week for Space by Diane Comstock
Mentions many great lesson plan
ideas accompanied with the concepts
students would learn. Talks about how
teachers worked collaboratively to
implement a weeklong study of space
concepts, called Space Week.
Integration with Reading
and Writing
Our Heat Source
Using manipulatives and making predictions
based on a reading about the sun.
Moon Phases
Reading a calendar and drawing moon phases
Galactic Composition
Internet research skills, reading articles and
creating an OWL Chart
Planetary Publishing
Group collaboration with writing persuasive ads
Tilt and the Seasons
Participation in class demonstration and
experiment and writing questions in their
science journal.
Is Mars Next
Conduct research from library books and
internet; collaborate with classmates and work
in teams to discuss new concepts.
Learning through inquiry
&
hands-on practice
“There is hope for teaching science
and to provide many great activities which
will help promote student learning”.
Students could even take activities one
step further by sharing their experiences,
thoughts, and investigations with each
other.
Teacher Websites for Earth in Space and Time
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Johannes Kelpler: The Laws of Planetary Motion
NASA Quest
New Horizons: NASA’s Photo-Kuiper Belt Mission
Planetary Orbits
Planets of the Solar System
Science Net Links
Students for the Exploration of Space
The World Wide Telescope
Why Study Space Science?
We use science as a tool to learn
about and understand the world
around us.
By understanding the world
around us, we better understand
who we are and what we are and
where we are.
This helps us to better
understand how Earth was
formed.
How Does Space Affect Florida?
Examples:
Predicting…
• Hurricanes
• Flooding
• Lightening Storms
Which affects..
• Crop Growth
• Tourism
Picture References
Google Images:
Space - Google Search. (n.d.). Google. Retrieved
October 22, 2011, from
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=space&um
=1&ie=UTF8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw
Refined Search:
 Earth in Space
 Time
 Galaxy
 Fantasy Sky
 Moon
 Sun
 Stars
 Sunset
 Night Sky
 Day Sky
References
Comstock, D. (2008). A Week for Space. Science and Children, 46(1), 25-29.
Retrieved September 19, 2011, from ProQuest Education Journals.
Koch, J. (2010). Science Stories: Science Methods for Elementary and Middle School
Teachers (4th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (2011). Solar system math [2006].
Retrieved from http://quest.nasa.gov/vft/#wtd
Schmidt, D. L., Saigo, B.W., Stepans, J. I. (2006). Conceptual Change Model: The CCM
Handbook. St. Cloud, MN: Saiwood Publications.
Schuster, D. (2008). Take a planet walk. Science and Children, 4 (1) 42-45. Retrieved from
http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.fgcu.edu/pqdweb?index=3&did=1556337111&S
rchMode=2&sid=1&Fmt=6&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=
PQD&TS=1316127631&clientId=8631
Science NetLinks: Gravity Launch. (2004, June 20). Science NetLinks: Resources for
Teaching Science. Retrieved October 3, 2011, from
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.php?BenchmarkID=4&DocID=405
The Earth in Space. (n.d.). An Exploration of Earth's Movement in the Solar System.
Retrieved October 22, 2011, from www.ncsu.edu/scivis/lessons/earthinspace3d/
earth2.html#top of page
Gravity Launch
Start this lesson by doing an activity that
will help you go over the concepts that
gravity is a force that depends on mass
and distance.
Drop a beanbag to the floor
 Why did the beanbag drop to the floor?
Toss the beanbag up into
the air a bit and then let it
fall to the ground.
 Did the beanbag fall to the ground the
same way as last time? Why/why not?
Interactive Website:
Gravity Launch