Unlocking the Key to the Solar System

1
Unlocking the Key to the Solar System

• What are the Big Ideas for this unit?
• Systems operate and move in an orderly pattern.
• Gravity influences the paths, orbits and
  processes of celestial bodies.
• The Sun directly affects the possibility of life
  and/or weather patterns on the planets.
• Astronomers have developed and implemented
  formulas and techniques to learn about the solar
  system.

2
Shifting Gears Through Differentiation

• Through the melding of many different activities
  and approaches, all of the lessons in my unit
  will differentiate for my students. Some of the
  ways I will differentiate are
• Students will work in groups or with partners to
  complete assignments.
• Students will complete hands-on experiments and
  projects.
• Students will participate in class discussions to
  learn new concepts.
• Students will have opportunities to complete
  extension activities that challenge and further
  their learning.

3
The Core Propositions

• My solar system unit is connected to proposition
  one, which states Teachers are Committed to
  Students and Their Learning. The main focus of
  this proposition is that students can learn. It
  is the job of the teacher to make that learning
  accessible to all students. An excellent teacher
  realizes that students are different and they
  monitor how their students are learning. It is my
  job to set aside my own beliefs about how I
  think students should learn and create my lessons
  to fit their needs and their learning styles.
• I have developed my unit to differentiate in
  each lesson so that I can be sure that I am
  hitting as many modalities as possible in each
  lesson. Also, through ongoing assessment, I can
  see each day how well my students are
  understanding and learning each concept in our
  unit.