Solar System Unit Curriculum and Assessment Plan |
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Unit/Strand: S&T - Grade 6: Space |
Topic: Earth and our Relationship with our Sun and Moon. |
Timeline: 2 to 3 weeks |
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END
OF TOPIC CULMINATING TASK(S)
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Expectations/Big Ideas: Earth is part of a large interrelated
system.
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Description of task:
Download:
Student Template
for Presentation Write Say Do
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Assessment Tool:
Checklist - will evaluate students' ability to meet identified criteria of preparing and performing an effective oral presentation and writing an effective comparison. |
Assessment Criteria/ Look Fors:
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BIG
IDEAS
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The solar system is an orderly one, which reflects its formation, 4.5 billion years ago. The sun makes up 99.8% of the mass of the solar system. The planets orbit the sun in orderly fashion, and the moons orbit them. Asteroids and comets are small, and most move in orderly fashion, but are occasionally diverted into paths that cause them to collide with the earth or other planet - with disastrous results. |
SUMMARY
OF CONTENT
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The sun's mass makes up 99.8% of that of the solar system. The planets move around the sun in almost-circular orbits, all in the same direction, and almost in the same plane. They are kept in their orbits by the sun's gravity. Moons orbit most of the planets, kept in orbit by the planets' gravity. Asteroids orbit the sun, mostly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter; trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) orbit the sun, mostly beyond Neptune. But asteroids and TNOs can be deflected into more elongated orbits that may cause them to collide with the earth or other planets. |
CURRICULUM
EXPECTATIONS
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3.2 identify the bodies in space that emit light (e.g., stars) and those that reflect light (e.g., moons and planets)
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ENABLING
LESSONS LEADING UP TO THE CULMINATING TASK
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Lesson Goal(s) and/or Focus of Instruction |
Description
of Student task
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Diagnostic
or Formative Assessment
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Assessment
tool
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How will you know when each child has reached the goals? Assessment Criteria/Look Fors: | |
1B |
Students complete diagnostic questionnaire to determine prior knowledge and misconceptions they bring into the key learning of the Solar System. |
Write
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D
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anecdotal
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Read diagnostic
questionnaires submitted by students. Record major misconceptions as well
as areas of strength for both individuals as well as the group. Download: Solar System Diagnostic |
2B |
Lesson Plan: Thinking in Systems BLM:
What is a System? |
Write
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F
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anecdotal
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3B |
Download:
Suggestions for an effective KWL chart and a sample Solar System KWL chart.
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Say Do |
F
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anecdotal
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Students will share their knowledge and understanding of the solar system to the class KWL chart. Be sure to include all students in sharing not just those that have lots to share to gain insight of areas of strength and need of the class. |
4B |
Building on the ideas your students shared in the KWL, this lesson highlights the parts of our solar system. First students watch a video that explores key features of our Sun. Next students watch a video takes them on a journey through the rest of our solar system, highlighting the major components that comprise of our solar system. The final video of this lesson discusses why Pluto was demoted from its planet status to a dwarf planet and also gives mention to the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud objects that exist beyond Pluto. Video: NASA eClip - The Sun, Our Star Video: Journey through the Solar System Video:
NASA
eClip - Pluto Our First Dwarf Planet Website:
Comparing
the Planets Website:
Nine Planets |
Draw Say |
F
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anecdotal
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Have students write two truths and a lie regarding the information presented in today's videos. Students submit the three sentences. The teacher keeps them until the next lesson, and then reads them to the class, having the other students try to identify the lie from the other two true statements. By reading the statements the teacher can assess the learning from the previous day. Below is a link to an overview of Two Truths and a Lie, as well as an example of statements that pertain to this lesson. Download: Two Truths and a Lie
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5B |
Download:
Smart Notebook Construct a Solar System |
Do
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F
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anecdotal
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In lesson 12B students will construct their own model of the solar system using smart notebook software.
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6B |
The activity link below connects to a web quest in which the students explore the main components of our solar system in further detail, learning what each of the main components in made of and other interesting facts. This activity requires each student to add important information to a pre-created PowerPoint. Once the task is completed, students could present to the class or simply save and print for their own notes. Resource Solar System Trading Card Webquest Powerpoint Solar System Trading Card Webquest |
Do
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F
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anecdotal
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Have students print and submit the final product of their slides to ensure that they have been complete in full and with satisfactory accuracy. |
7B |
Download:
Comparing
and Contrasting the Planets Using Venn Diagrams |
Do
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F
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anecdotal
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Have students submit their final Venn diagram within their student handout which compares planets that have a longer orbital period than Earth, more moons than Earth, and no magnetic field. Teachers can do a quick skim of the submitted papers to identify those who get it and those who may need extra practice. |
8B |
Download: Effective Information Paragraph Checklist Download: Comparing and contrasting the Planets Using an Effective Information Paragraph Download: Smart
Notebook Presentation - Using the Answer Sandwich Model to Construct and
Effective Comparison |
Do
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F
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checklist
and/or rubric
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Use criteria on checklist (gist statement, supporting evidence, transition words, and concluding statement) to assess the student's knowledge and understanding and ability to write an effective comparison information response. Provide the students written feedback to improve their response.
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8.5 B | Through this activity,
students will become more familar with both the unique characteristics and
the similarities of comets, meteors and asteroids. Students will also learn
how to group and sort information with the use of Venn diagrams. Lesson: The difference between comets, meteors and asteroids |
Write
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F
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anecdotal
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9B | Students use the checklists and descriptive feedback to improve their responses, and then they resubmit for conferencing. |
Do
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F
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conferencing
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Teacher gives further oral feedback in preparation for future comparison writing and the upcoming summative evaluation. |
10B | After the students have knowledge of the components In our solar system, it is important to understand the relative size of these objects in relation to each other. A PowerPoint file is provided to use as a lesson starter or hook. A question is posed to the students asking if it is possible for a moon to be larger than a planet. It follows with a graphic showing two moons that are larger than Mercury. Activity: Relative size of objects in the solar system Video: Our Solar System: Size of Planets and Stars to Scale |
Do
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F
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ancedotal
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Students complete
exit cards to reflect on their experiences with these activities. Download: Exit Card - Relative Size of Objects in our Solar System |
11B |
In order to help students appreciate the vast distances between planets try the following activity. Activity: Distance Between Objects in our Solar System. Activity: Distance Between Objects in our Solar System (Beads). Activity:
Distance
Between Objects in our Solar System (Pacing). |
Do
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F
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ancedotal
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Students complete exit cards to reflect on their experiences with these activities. Download: Exit Card - Vast Distances Between the Planets. |
12B | Students revisit
a similar Smart Notebook file to the one in which they constructed a model
of the solar system. Students are able to use their notes and their knowledge
from the past few lessons to construct a model of the solar system on their
own. |
Say
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F
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checklist/
rubric
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Download:
Solar
System Checklist and Rubric.
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13B |
Download: Teachers Notes on Making a Model Comet Download Making a Comet in the Classroom - Student Handout Activity: Make a model comet -Dry Ice Activity:
Make
a model comet - Ice Cream Version |
Do
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F
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ancedotal
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14B | Complete "L" portion of KWL chart |
Do
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Download: Sample Solar System KWL |
GLOSSARY
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asteroid | A small (up to 1000 km), rocky object that orbits the sun, mostly between Mars and Jupiter -- the "asteroid belt". |
comet | A small (typically 1-100 km), icy object that orbits the sun, mostly beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is made up of a nucleus (solid, frozen ice, and dust), a gaseous coma (water vapor, CO2, and other gases) and a tail (dust and ionized gases). Its long tail of gas and dust always points away from the sun, because of the force of the solar wind. The tail can be up to 250 million km long, and is most of what we see. |
crater | A large, usually circular hole made when an asteroid or comet collides with a planet or moon |
gravity | Gravity is a physical force that pulls objects together. Every bit of mass produces a gravitational force; this force attracts all other masses. The more massive an object, the stronger the gravitational force. Newton formulated the law of gravity. |
orbit |
An orbit is a elliptical (closed) path that an object takes as it revolves around another body. |
planet |
A planet is a large celestial body that orbits a star and does not shine on its own. [There are eight planets orbiting the sun in our solar system.] |
trans-Neptunian object | Trans Neptunian Objects (TNO's) are small (typically 1-1000 km), icy objects that orbit the sun, mostly beyond the orbit of Neptune. They are comet nuclei! Yes, Pluto is a large TNO, but not the largest.. |
meteor | The streak of light that a meteoroid makes if it falls through the earth's atmosphere |
meteoroids |
Small, rocky objects that travel through space |
meteorite | A meteoroid that survives its trip through the earth's atmosphere and lands on the ground. |
zodiac |
The zodiac is a band of 13 constellations along the ecliptic. The constellations in the zodiac include: Capricorn (the goat), Aquarius (the water bearer), Pisces (the fish), Aries (the ram), Taurus (the bull), Gemini (the twins), Cancer (the crab), Leo (the lion), Virgo (the virgin), Libra (the balance), Scorpio (the scorpion), and Sagittarius (the archer). |
MISCONCEPTIONS
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CANADIAN
CONTENT AND CONTRIBUTIONS
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