Activities For Student Learning

(Fourth and Fifth Grade Level)

 

Planet Advertisements

Lesson Objective:
1. The student will conduct research on a particular planet.
2. The student will write a persuasive paragraph for a particular planet.

Organization of Learners:
The students may work individually or with a partner.

Instructional Materials and Resources:
factbooks and informational books
Microsoft Encarta
Internet

Pre-preparation Needed:
1. The student should have basic knowledge of the solar system.
2. The student should be able to research a given subject.
3. The student should be familiar with advertisements in magazines and newspapers.

Outline of Procedures:
What the Teacher Will Do:
1. The teacher will bring several written advertisements as found in magazines and newspapers. She will pass these among the students. What kinds of words do the advertisers use? Why do they use these words? They want you to invest in their product or visit their place of business. They are using persuasive language because they are trying to persuade you into buying or visiting.
2. The teacher will explain that each student will be given one planet to research. Some students may have the same planet. She will tell students that they will find out information about this planet, then write an advertisement for it, trying to persuade people to come visit this planet. The teacher will express that she wants these to contain facts, yet be very creative.
3. The teacher will assist students in their research and writing over the next few days.

What the Children Will Do:
1. The student will join the teacher in the discussion of the planets and persuasive paragraphs.
2. The student will find information about his planet and make an advertisement. He will choose words that would convince people to visit that planet.
3. The student will present their advertisements to the class.

Adaptations: The students will be paired heterogeneously so that a special needs student can work with a stronger student. They will help one another in finding information and pictures of that planet. The stronger student may do the actual writing, while the special needs student could do the artwork. They will also decide together how to make the paragraph creative and persuasive.

Evaluation of Children:
The teacher will evaluate students' performance by observing how well they are conducting research on that planet. She will see that their findings include basic information about that planet as well as interesting tidbits and creativity.

Space Simulation

You can use NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space

Administration) solar system simulator is view your planet.

The simulator lets you see what your planet looks like from earth. You can also see things like the orbit line.

If you aren't sure what some words mean, like "orbit" or "simulator", look them up in a dictionary. Use this Internet dictionary: Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary.

Directions:

 

1.      Go to NASA's Solar System Simulator.

2.      Make choices about how and what you want to see. You can pick planets, moons, orbit lines, size, direction, time and date, and labels.

3.      For some choices you click, hold and drag on the button with the little triangle to the one you want.
Like this: btn graphic

4.      For some choices you click in the little circle.
Like this: btn. graphic

5.      For some choices you click in the check box.
Like this: btn. graphic

6.      After making your choices, click the run sim. btn. graphicbutton.

7.      Study the picture and see what you can learn.

8.      Click the {Back button} to return to the simulator for new choices.

9.  Be ready to tell your teacher all about the solar system simulator.

 

Click here to go to the Simulator.

 

Solar System Model

Supplies needed:

  • A round piece of cardboard about 1 ft across (the cardboard from a frozen pizza works well)
  • Lots of colors of oak tag (or construction paper)
  • Scissors
  • Tape
  • String
  • Pencil, crayons, or markers
  • A compass (for making circles)

 

Find the center of the large cardboard circle by drawing a line from top to bottom and a line from right to left. Where these two lines meet is the center of the circle. This will be the position of the Sun.

 

Using a compass, draw the orbits of the 9 planets (draw circles around the center of the piece of cardboard).

The first 4 planets orbit relatively close to the Sun, then there is a gap (this is where the asteroids orbit). Then the last 5 planets orbit very far from the Sun.

 

Using an awl, the sharp point of scissors, or a large nail, punch a series of holes in the cardboard. First punch a hole in the center (this is where the Sun will hang). Then punch one hole somewhere on each circle (orbit); a planet will hang from each hole.

 

 

Cut circles from oak tag to represent the Sun and each of the planets. Since the range in size of the Sun and the planets is far too large to represent accurately, just make the Sun the biggest. Make Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune a bit smaller than the Sun. Make the remainder of the planets much smaller. Saturn has beautiful rings.

Write the name of each planet on its back.

 

Tape a length of string to each planet (and the Sun).

Lace the other end of each string through the correct hole in the large cardboard circle (Mercury goes in the inner orbit, Venus goes in the second orbit, Earth goes in the third, etc.). Tape the end of the string to the top side of the cardboard.

After all the planets (and the Sun) are attached, adjust the length of the strings so that the planets (and Sun) all lie in a plane.

 

To hang your model, tie three pieces of string to the top of the cardboard - then tie these three together. Tie them to a longer string (from which you'll hang your model).

You now have a model of our solar system.

 

 

 

 

 

Home Page Resume Teaching Unit
Misc. About Me Educational Links
  Misc. Lesson Material