The Planets of Our Solar System

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The Planets of Our Solar System

• By Ashley R. Burris

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Analyze Learners

• This lesson plan is intended for the third grade.
• They come from a homogenous ethnic background,
  but a diverse economic background.
• Most of the students have been exposed to the
  solar system, but they only have the basic
  knowledge.

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WV Content and State Objectives

• SC.3.2.3 - Support statements with facts found
  through research in reference books,
  scientific-related magazines, and the internet.
• SC.S.3 - Demonstrate an understanding of
  interdependent themes present in the natural and
  designed world (e.g., systems, order and
  organization evidence, models and explanation
  constancy, change and measurement equilibrium
  and evolution form and function)
• SC.3.3.2 - Use models of representatives of real
  things
• SC.3.3.4 - Given a set of objects, group or order
  the objects according to an established scheme
  (e.g., celestial objects, patterns of motion,
  constellations).
• SC.S.3 - Demonstrate the ability to identify,
  construct, test, analyze and evaluate systems,
  models, and changes.

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Materials

• Handouts
• Library
• Computer Lab
• Internet Based Web Sites

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Utilize Media and Materials

•  Day 1 I am going to present a PowerPoint
  presentation introducing the students to the
  planets of the solar system. I want them to take
  notes because there will be a quiz on the
  presentation. On day 1 I am also going to show a
  video called The Magic School Bus Gets Lost In
  Space.

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• Day 2 I am going to give a quiz on the
  PowerPoint I presented in class. The students
  have already had experience with PowerPoint in a
  previous class therefore there is no need to
  introduce it. I am going to put the students in
  groups of 4 and they are going to work on putting
  together a model of the solar system to keep
  around the classroom. I want them to use their
  imagination therefore they can come up with any
  model they want as long as it is accurate.

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• Day 3 I am going to have the students come up
  with a slide show of their own. We are going to
  go to the computer lab in the library so the
  students will be able to do both online and
  library research for their presentation about
  each planet in the solar system. I am going to
  assign a planet to every student and they are
  going to find as much information as they can to
  present to the rest of the class. I will give the
  students a helpful website for research
  http//www.siec.k12.in.us/west/proj/space/resourc
  es.htm

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• Day 4 The students are going to present their
  slide shows in the classroom. After each student
  presents we will have a discussion about the
  specific planet. This will take up the whole time
  period for this activity.
• Day 5 I am going to hand out a word search and a
  crossword puzzle that they will work on
  individually. We will then go to the computer lab
  in the library and I am going to give the
  students a tour of the solar system. This
  activity we will do all together. They will not
  be researching on their own.
• Day 6 This is the last day of the unit. We will
  do a quick review then I will hand out a test.
  For those students who do well on the tests they
  will get their name put on the bulletin board of
  shining stars. 

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Require Learner Participation

• Individual PowerPoint Presentations
• Group Work (Modeling Solar System)
• Tour of Solar System
• Puzzles, Games, and Quizzes

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Evaluate and Revise

• I am going to observe and note on a checklist,
  student participation with their groups and class
  discussions. I will also evaluate how they are
  performing with their groups along with their
  quiz grades. Finally, an ongoing evaluation of
  the effectiveness of the lesson as a whole will
  be based on inclusion of the solar system with
  student work.