from The MAILBOX® magazine.

Thematic Units…Thematic Units…

�

An

Adventure!

Planet Distance From The Sun String Length Mercury 36millionmiles 1yard Venus 67millionmiles approx.2yards Earth 93millionmiles approx.2.5yards Mars 142millionmiles approx.4yards Jupiter 484millionmiles approx.13.5yards Saturn 885millionmiles approx.24.5yards Uranus 1,780millionmiles approx.49.5yards Neptune 2,790millionmiles approx.77.5yards Pluto 3,660millionmiles approx.101.5yards

Solar System Extravaganza Showcaseaneye-catchingreproductionofthesolarsystemonyourplaygroundusingstring,ninetubes(frompaperproducts),andtagboardcutoutstorepresenttheSunandeachofthenineplanets.Labelatubeforeachplanet.Cutstringlengthsusingthechartbelowandwrapeachlengthofstringaroundtheap-propriatetube.Useaholepunchertopunchaholeintheleftsideofeachplanetcutout.PuncheitheronelargeholeorninesmallholesintherightsideoftheSuncutout.Assigneachofninestudentgroupsaplanet;thendistributethetubesandplanetcut-outstotheappropriategroups.Ontheplayground,positiontheSuncutoutinanopenarea.Seatthestudents(intheirgroups)neartheSuncutout.Then,inturn,haveeachgroupattachoneendofitsstringtotheSuncutoutandwalkawayfromtheSun,gentlyrollingoutthestringonitstube.Whenthestring’sendisreached,thecorrespondingplanetisattached.Continueinthisfashionuntilalloftheplanetsaredisplayed.Wow!Whatasolarsystem!

More About The Solar System

Postcards From Outer Space

Ifyou’replanningastudyofthesolarsystem,besuretoconsiderthesesupplementalliterature-basedactivitiesbeforepreparingyouryoungstersforblastoff. ideas contributed by Wendy Waterman

Exploring The Solar System

The Planets In Our Solar SystembyFranklynM.Branley(pub-lishedbyThomasY.CrowellJuniorBooks)introducesthesolarsystemanditsnineplanets.Theauthor’ssimpletextenablesyoungreadersandlistenerstograspbasicfactsaboutthesolarsystem’scelestialbodies.Inadditiondirectionsformakingtwomodelsofthesolarsystemaregiven.Onemodelshowsthedif-ferencesinthesizesoftheplanets.ThesecondmodelcanbedisplayedonawallandshowsthenineplanetsandtheirdistancesfromtheSun.AnotherhighlyinformativebookaboutthesolarsystemisA Book About Planets And StarsbyBettyPolisarReigot(publishedbyScholasticInc.).Packedwithinformation,thisisanotherbookworthconsideringforyoursolarsystemlibrary.

Takeauniquetripthroughthesolarsystemwiththehelpofaone-of-a-kindbookentitledPostcards From The Planets. Thissto-ryunfoldsasJessieandKatedepartintospaceintheyear2095.ThetwosomechronicletheirexperiencesbywritingandsendingpostcardstotheirrelativeslivingonEarth.Whilethebook’sstorylineisfictional,theinformationabouttheplanetshasbeenthor-oughlyresearched.(AvailableasaBigBookorinpacketsofsixsmallbookseach,Postcards From The Planets maybepurchasedfromRIGBYpublishersbycalling1-800-822-8661.) Aftereachpostcardhasbeenreadanddiscussed,askyourstudentstochoosethesolarsystemlocationstheywouldmostliketovisit.Pairtheyoungstersaccordingtotheirpreferences;thenchallengeeachtwosometoresearchitsdestination.Tocom-pletetheproject,haveeachpaircreateandcompleteapostcardliketheonesfeaturedinthebook.Displaythecompletedprojectsonabulletinboardentitled“PostcardsFromOuterSpace!”

�

What Is A Black Hole In Space? WhydoeslightningcontinuouslyflashonJupiter?WhyisVe-nus’satmospheresohardtoseethrough?Whydostarstwinkle?Allofthesequestionsandmanymorecanbeansweredusingthehands-onexperimentsinJaniceVanCleave’sAstronomy For Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments That Really Work (publishedbyJohnWiley&Sons,Inc.).Writtenespeciallyforyoungchildren,eachexperimentispresentedwithitspurpose,alistofneededmateri-als,step-by-stepinstructions,expectedresults,andascientificexplanationintermsthatkidscanunderstand.Infact,eachexperi-menthasbeen“childtested”bytheauthor’sownstudents.Usingtheexperimentsinthisvaluableresource,youcanpropelyourstudents’scienceenthusiasmtoextraordinaryheights!

Shooting Stars Thetopicofshootingstars—thosestreaksoflightthathavelongfascinatedskywatchers—issuretoevokeanenthusiasticre-sponsefromyouryoungsters.Askstudentstosharetheirknowl-edgeandquestionsaboutshootingstars.NextchallengestudentstolistencarefullyasyoureadaloudShooting StarsbyFranklynM.Branley(publishedbyThomasY.CrowellJuniorBooks).Delight-fullyillustrated,thisinformativebookexplainswhatshootingstarsare,whattheyaremadeof,andwhathappenswhentheylandonEarth.Attheconclusionofthebook,theauthorstatesthatsomepeoplebelievethatawishmadeuponashootingstarisawishthatwillcometrue. Afterreviewingthecontentsofthebook,createthisuniqueclassbookletofshooting-starwishes.Tomakeabookletpage,foldasheetof9”x12”constructionpaperinhalfandgluetheouteredgestoformapocket.Drawandcoloranightskysceneonthefrontofthepocketandpersonalizethebackofthepocket.Then,onaslipofpaper,writeandpersonalizeyourwishforashootingstar.Foldtheprogrammedslipinhalfandtuckitinsidethepocket.Bindthepocketsbetweenaconstruction-papercoverlabeled“Shooting-StarWishes.”Placethecompletedprojectinyourclassroomlibraryforalltoenjoy.

Jackson Crane

I wish

reces

s was

four

hours

long.

Out-Of-This-World Poetry Sendyouryoungstersintoorbitwiththispoetry-writingactivi-ty.Foraninspiringintroductiontospace-relatedpoetry,readaloudselectedpoemsfromSpace SongsbypoetMyraCohnLivingston(publishedbyHolidayHouse,Inc.).Displayalengthofcolorfulbulletin-boardpaper.Writethenameofaplanetatthetopofthepaper,andenlistfromyouryoungsterswordsandphrasesthatdescribetheplanet.Writeeachdescriptiononthepaper,arrangingthewordsinadesiredfashion.Whenthepoemiscomplete,askstudentstojoininasyoureaditaloud.Nextdividestudentsintosmallgroupsandgiveeachgroupalengthofcolorfulbulletin-boardpaperandamarker.Workingasateam,haveeachgroupagreeuponaspace-relatedtopicandcreateapoemaboutit.Aftereachgrouphasshareditspoem,postthecompletedprojectsinaschoolhallwayforotherstoenjoy.

��

Life On Other Planets Mostyoungsters(andadults!)areintriguedbythethoughtofextraterrestrialneighbors.InFranklynM.Branley’sbookIs There Life In Outer Space? (publishedbyThomasY.CrowellJuniorBooks),theauthordiscussesseveralideasandmisconcep-tionsaboutlifeinouterspace.Afterreadingthebookaloud,askyoungsterstorecapwhymostscientistsdonotbelievethereislifeontheotherplanetsinoursolarsystem.Takeaclasspolltodeterminehowmanystudentsbelievethattherecouldbeotherplanetsbeyondoursolarsystem.Alsofindoutiftheythinkotherformsoflifemayormaynotbelivingontheseplanets.(See“AlienArtwork”forafar-outfollow-upactivity!)

Alien Artwork Sendyouryoungstersintoorbitwiththistotallycosmicproj-ect!Tosetthemood,readaloudabookthatfeaturesanaliencharactersuchasUFO DiarybySatoshiKitamura(publishedbyFarrarStrausGiroux),Earthlets As Explained By Professor Xargle byJeanneWillis(publishedbyE.P.Dutton),orSpace Case byEdwardMarshall(publishedbyDialBooksForYoungReaders).Inviteeachstudenttoimaginetheperfectalienandillustrateitonalargesheetofdrawingpaper.Thenhaveeachyoungsteranswerquestionsabouthisalienfriendbycompletingacopyofpage7.Besuretoprovidetimeforstudentstointroducetheiralienfriendstotheirclassmates.Far-out!

Stargazing TurnyouryoungstersontostargazingwithSeeing Stars: A Book And Poster About The ConstellationsbyBarbaraSeiger(publishedbyGrosset&Dunlap,Inc.).Thisappealingsoftcoverbookandgiant-sizemapfeaturetheconstellationsoftheNorthernHemisphere.Packedwithinformationandblack-lineillustrations,thebookisaperfectresourceforastar-studdedlearningcenter.Placethebook,awhitecrayon,blackconstructionpaper,glue,andasupplyofsmallstarsorsequinsatacenter.Foraddedappealdisplaythegiant-sizeconstellationmapontheceilingabovethecenter.(Foraglow-in-the-darkposter,attachtheglow-in-the-darkstarstickers[thataccompanythebookandmap]asdescribedinthebook.)Usingthesuppliesatthecenter,studentscancreateeachoftheconstellationsforthecurrentseason.Bindeachstu-dent’spagesbetweenaconstruction-papercover,andthestudenthasapersonalstargazingguide. Pam Crane

©The Education Center, Inc. • Solar System • Primary • TEC3194

Note To Teacher: Use this activity with “Alien Artwork” on page 6.

Name Creative thinking/writing

Introducing An AlienAnswer each question about the alien you illustrated.Use complete sentences.

1. What is this alien’s name?

2. Where is this alien from?

3. How old is this alien?

4. What was this alien’s life like before it came to Earth?

5. What does this alien like to eat?

6. What does this alien like to do for fun?

7. What is one thing you hope to learn from your alien friend?

8. What is one thing you hope to teach your alien friend?

�

�

____________________

wasobserved_____________________________________________________________________

Awards Duplicate and present the awards to students as desired.

News TravelsFast!

_____________________soaredto

extraordinaryheights_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________

earnedthisaward_____________________________________________________________________

Thank you for your thoughtfulness!

Hooray

For You!

___________________!Your

___________________ ___________________ ___________________

wasout-of-this-world!

Congratulations!

©The Education Center, Inc.©The Education Center, Inc.

©The Education Center, Inc.©The Education Center, Inc.

©The Education Center, Inc. • Solar System • Primary • TEC3194