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Elementary ScienceScience Focus Lesson SC.5.E.5.3 Solar System

Polk County Public Schools

TEST ITEM SPECIFICATIONS: (NOTE- This benchmark is assessed every year on FCAT, but is NOT TAUGHT IN GRADE 5!)Benchmark Clarifications Students will distinguish among objects in our solar system based on their relative positions and/or their characteristics.Students will identify common characteristics of all planets.Students will compare and/or contrast the common characteristics of inner and outer planet groups.Content Limit Items will address a conceptual understanding of our solar system and the characteristics of objects in our solar system.Items will not assess characteristics of the Sun.Items assessing inner and outer planet groups are limited to: surface composition (whether they are mostly solid or gas), presence of an atmosphere, size, relative position to the Sun, presence of moons or rings, relative temperature, and relative length of a year.Items will not require specific knowledge of quantitative astronomical data.Items will not asses interactions of objects in our solar system.Items will not assess the force of gravity.

1SC.5.E.5.3Benchmark: Distinguish among the following objects of the Solar System Sun, planets, moons, asteroids, comets and identify Earths position in it.

Essential Question:Describe the planets, moons, asteroids, comets and identify Earths position in it.

Vocabulary:PlanetCometMoonAsteroid

Planet a large object that orbits a starMoon a natural object that orbits a planetComet a mountain size chunk of ice and dust that orbits the sunAsteroid a large space rock that orbits the sun2Solar SystemOur solar system includes the sun, planets and their moons, comets, and asteroids. The Sun is the center of our solar system.Everything in the solar system revolves around the sun. Everything is kept in orbit by the pull of the suns gravity.

Planets have mass, rotate on an axis and revolve around the sun in a flattened circle called an ellipse. The planets are much smaller than the sun.Inner planets are much smaller than the outer planets.The inner planets are mostly solid and the outer planets are mostly gas.

Planets

MoonsMoons are natural objects that orbit a planet.The inner planets have very few or no moonsThe outer planets have multiple moons.

Earths MoonEarths moon rotates on its axis and revolves around Earth.One moon rotation and one moon revolution take the same amount of time, about 28 days. Because of this we can only see one side of the moon from Earth.Because of the way that the sun shines on Earths moon it appears to have different phases

Comets and AsteroidsComets are mountain size chunks of ice and dust that orbit the sun. They streak towards the sun from beyond Pluto and then back into outer space. Some comets orbit the sun again and again. Others crash into the sun or only make one trip around the sun and never return.Asteroids are small and large rocks in space that orbit the Sun. Most asteroids can be found in a large space between the orbit of Mars and Jupiter. This is call the asteroid belt.

SummarizingPartner A identify the items in our solar systemPartner B Describe three things that all planets have in common . Partner C Describe a cometPartner D Describe an asteroid

1 partner A planets, moons, The sun, comets and asteroids 2 Partner B have mass, rotate on an axis and revolve around the sun.3. Partner A- see slide 7 comet a mountain size chunk of ice and dust that orbits the sun.4 Partner B see slide 7 asteroid small and large rocks in space that orbits the sun.7Order and Description of the PlanetsMercury (inner planet)Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. Surface is rocky Almost no atmosphereDiameter 4,878 km0 moonsTemperature-180 OC at night to 450 OC during the day (HOT)Length of Mercurys year (orbit) is 88 Earth days.

Venus (inner planet)Venus is the 2nd planet from the sun. Surface is rocky Very thick atmosphere made mostly of carbon dioxideDiameter 12,104 km0 moonsTemperature on the surface is about 470 OC (HOT)Length of Venuss year (orbit) is 225 Earth days.

Order and Description of the Planets (cont.)Earth (inner planet)Earth is the 3rd planet from the sun. Surface is rocky; 70% is covered by waterAtmosphere consists of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% other gasesDiameter 12,756 km1 moonLength of Earths year is 365.25 Earth days.

Mars (inner planet)Mars is the 4th planet from the sun. Surface is rocky with mountains and canyons. Thin atmosphere made mostly of carbon dioxideDiameter 6,786 km2 moonsTemperature on the surface is about 20 OC to -123OC (WARM and COLD)Length of Mars year is 687 Earth days.

Order and Description of the Planets (cont.)Jupiter (outer planet)Jupiter is the 5th planet to the sun. Surface is liquid hydrogen gasAtmosphere of very thick hydrogen gas.Diameter 142,984 km; Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system.38 moonsTemperatures fall to about -160OC (VERY COLD)Length of Jupiters year(orbit) is 11.86 Earth years.Jupiter has a storm in its atmosphere called the Great Red Spot.

Saturn (outer planet)Saturn is the 6th planet from the sun. Surface is entirely gas, its surface IS its atmosphere!Thin atmosphere made mostly of hydrogen and heliumDiameter 120,536 km; it is the second largest planet of the solar system.30 moonsTemperature on the surface is about -190OC (VERY COLD)Length of Saturns year is(orbit) 29.46 Earth years.

Order and Description of the Planets (cont.)Uranus (outer planet)Uranus is the 7th planet to the sun. Surface is thought to be mostly gaseousAtmosphere of very thick hydrogen, helium, & methane gas.Diameter 51,108 km24 moonsTemperatures are as low as -220OC (VERY COLD)Length of Uranus year (obit) is 84 Earth years.

Neptune (outer planet)Neptune is the 8th planet from the sun. Surface is made of gaseous elementsThick atmosphere made of hydrogen, helium, &methane gasesDiameter 49,538 km8 moonsTemperature on the surface is the coldest at a little below -220OC (VERY COLD)Length of Neptunes year (orbit) is 165 Earth years.

SummarizingCreate a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting the characteristics of the inner and outer planets.Inner planetsOuter planetsInner planets rocky, few moons, size smaller than 12,756 km, planets year (time it takes to go around the Sun) measured in Earth days.Outer planet mostly gas, many moons, much larger than 13,000km, planets year is measured in Earth years, Temperatures are below zero, some have rings12Guided PracticeTalk to your shoulder partner about the answer to each question. Check your work.

A star named Sirius appears as the brightest star in the nighttime sky, even though a star named Pollux actually gives off more light. Which of the following best explains why Sirius appears brighter than Pollux in our nighttime sky?

Sirius has a different color than Pollux does. Sirius has different gases than Pollux does. Sirius is closer to Earth than Pollux is. Sirius is larger than Pollux is.

Have the students hold up a card with their response on it (A,B,C,D) so that you can easily see if the students are getting the correct answer.The answer isCStars that are closer appear to be brighter.

SiriusPolluxGuided Practice2. What is the shape of the orbit of a planet around the sun?ellipticalcircularSemi-circularidentical

Have the students hold up a card with their response on it (A,B,C,D) so that you can easily see if the students are getting the correct answer.The answer isAThe planets travel in an elliptical path around the sun. An ellipse is described as a flattened circle that is longer than it is wide.

Guided Practice3. Jacob started creating a diagram to show some of the common characteristics of the planets in our solar system. Which characteristic should Jacob write in the empty circle of the diagram?

made mostly of gas has a rocky surface revolves around a star is a satellite of another planet

Have the students hold up a card with their response on it (A,B,C,D) so that you can easily see if the students are getting the correct answer.The answer isCPlanets revolve around a star. The length of time that one revolution takes is called a year.

Our planet, Earth, revolves around our star, The Sun, in approximately 365 days.

Guided Practice4. Keisha wants to show Amy what happens during one Earth day. Keisha holds a small globe representing Earth, and Amy holds a large ball representing the Sun. What should Keisha do to show Amy what happens during one Earth day?

Keisha should move the globe in one complete circle around Amy. Keisha should move the globe toward Amy and then away from her. Keisha should slowly lift the globe above her head and then lower it. Keisha should slowly spin the globe one complete time about its axis.

Have the students hold up a card with their response on it (A,B,C,D) so that you can easily see if the students are getting the correct answer.The answer isD

Planets rotate on their axis. The length of time it takes for a planet to rotate is called a day.

The Earth takes approximately 24 hours to rotate on its axis, this is the length of one Earth day.SummarizingPass a piece of paper around the table. Each group member adds a detail that answers the question. Keep the paper moving until time is called- see how many ideas your group can generate!Essential Question: Describe the planets, moons, asteroids, comets and identify Earths position related to them.

Check Your Understanding1. Which of the following happens because of a combination of Earths rotation and the moons revolution aroundseasonsday and nightchanges in the appearance of the moonclimate changesCheck Your Understanding2. Life on Earth is possible because of the Sun. The Sun provides energy for all living things to grow. Plants need the Sun to make their own food. The water cycle would not be possible without the Sun. Which statement best describes the Sun?The Sun is a large planet that provides heat and light to Earth.The Sun is the largest star in the universe and provides heat and light to Earth.The Sun is a comet that provides heat and light to Earth.The Sun is a medium-sized star that provides heat and light to Earth.

Check Your Understanding3. Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. Which statement best describes these stars?The stars in a constellation are equal distances from Earth.The stars in a constellation are the same size.The stars in a constellation pattern never move.The stars in a constellation are different distances from Earth.Check Your Understanding4. Why does the Sun seem larger and brighter than other stars?The Sun can be seen from Earth during daylight hours.The Sun is closer to Earth than other stars in the universe.The Sun reflects light from all the moons in the solar system.The Sun can make its own light.Check Your Answersc ddb

The alignment between the Earth, Moon, and Sun determines the amount of light reflected by the Moon. This causes us to view phases of the moon.Although the sun appears to be very large to us, it is actually a medium sized starStars are at varying distances from the Earth, if they appear close together when we gaze at the night sky they may be a part of the same constellation. However, in reality these stars are not at all close to one another.The Sun appears larger to us because it is our closest star.

26 In your science journal Compare and Contrast what you know about the Earth with the inner and outer planets, moons, asteroids and comets.

Summary QuestionBe sure to set high expectations for a written summary!

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