Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 2

Transcription

1 Astronomy Grade Level: Third Grade Written by: Kristina Villari, Belle Creek Charter School, Henderson, CO Length of Unit: Five lessons (approximately a week and a half (eight days); one day = 45 minutes) I. ABSTRACT Take a trip through space and learn about our solar system, planets, its stars, and astronomers. See where scientists have traveled and what they have discovered over time. Students will keep a space journal, design chosen constellations, and create a group planet project. II. OVERVIEW A. Concept Objectives 1. Students understand the processes of scientific investigation and design, conduct, communicate about, and evaluate such investigations. (Colorado Model Content Standards for Science, Standard 1) 2. Students understand the processes and interactions of Earth s systems and the structure and dynamics of Earth and other objects in space. (Colorado Model Content Standards for Science, Standard 4) 3. Students understand interrelationships among science, technology, and human activity and how they can affect the world. (Colorado Model Content Standards for Science, Standard 5) B. Content from the Core Knowledge Sequence 1. Science: Astronomy (p. 83) a. The Big Bang b. The universe: an extent almost beyond imagining c. Galaxies: Milky Way and Andromeda d. Our solar system i. Sun: source of energy (heat and light) ii. The nine planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto e. Planetary motion: orbit and rotation i. How day and night on earth are caused by the earth s rotation ii. iii. Sunrise in the east and sunset in the west How the seasons are caused by the earth s orbit around the sun, tilt of the earth s axis f. Gravity, gravitational pull i. Gravitational pull of the moon (and to a lesser degree, the sun) causes ocean tides on earth g. Stars and Constellations h. Orienteering (finding your way) by using North Star, Big Dipper C. Skill Objectives 1. Students will be able to brainstorm the words astronomy, solar system, planets, sun and stars. 2. Students will be able to define the words astronomy, solar system, planets, sun, stars and Nicolaus Copernicus. 3. Students will be able to state the two sources of energy the sun provides (heat and light). 4. Students will be able to state what the Big Bang theory is. 5. Students will be able to state what galaxy we live in. Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 1

2 6. Students will be able to state the closest galaxy to ours. 7. Students will be able to state the nine planets. 8. Students will be able to define the words orbit and rotation. 9. Students will be able to state how long it takes the earth and other planets to orbit the sun. 10. Students will be able to explain why it is dark on one side of the earth while it is light on the other. 11. Students will be able to state why the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. 12. Students will be able to explain why we have seasons. 13. Students will be able to define the words gravity, moon, and satellite. 14. Students will keep a journal of the phases of the moon. 15. Students will be able to describe the phases of the moon. 16. Students will be able to name the nine planets. 17. Students will create a planet project with classmates. 18. Students will present their projects to the class. 19. Students will be able to state some of the constellations in the night sky. 20. Students will be able to create their own constellation of choice. 21. Students will be able to name what constellations are in the sky during different seasons. 22. Students will be able to define constellation, comet, and meteor. III. IV. BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE A. For Teachers 1. What Your Third Grader Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch, Jr Maya Moon by Marianne Mitchell B. For Students 1. Grade 1: Astronomy: Sun: source of energy, page Grade 1: Astronomy: Moon: phases of the moon (full, half, crescent, new), page Grade 1: Astronomy: The nine planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto), page Grade 1: Astronomy: Stars: page Grade 1: Astronomy: Earth and its place in the Solar System, page 39 RESOURCES A. (Lessons One-Six) B. Hirsch, E.D. What Your Third Grader Needs to Know (Lessons One-Six) C. Mitchell, Marianne. Maya Moon (Lesson Three) D. Scholastic Children s Dictionary (Lessons One-Six) V. LESSONS Lesson One: Our Galaxy (45 minutes) A. Daily Objectives 1. Concept Objective(s) a. Students understand the processes of scientific investigation and design, conduct, communicate about, and evaluate such investigations. b. Students understand the processes and interactions of Earth s systems and the structure and dynamics of Earth and other objects in space. 2. Lesson Content a. The Big Bang Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 2

3 b. The universe: an extent almost beyond imagining c. Galaxies: Milky Way and Andromeda d. Our Solar System i. Sun: source of energy (heat and light) ii. The nine planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto 3. Skill Objective(s) a. Students will be able to brainstorm the words astronomy, solar system, planets, sun and stars. b. Students will be able to define the words astronomy, solar system, planets, sun, stars and Nicolaus Copernicus. c. Students will be able to state the two sources of energy the sun provides (heat and light). d. Students will be able to state what the Big Bang theory is. e. Students will be able to state what galaxy we live in. f. Students will be able to state the closest galaxy to ours. g. Students will be able to state the nine planets. B. Materials 1. One large flashlight 2. One small flashlight 3. Globe 4. Pens, pencils, colored pencils 5. Folder (one per student that they will put all papers in from this unit) 6. Overhead Projector 7. Dry Erase Markers 8. Appendix A- Vocabulary Sheet (one per student, one per teacher, one transparency) 9. Appendix B- Vocabulary Sheet Answer Key (one per teacher, one transparency) 10. Appendix C- Lesson One: Worksheet (pp. 1-4) (one per student, one per teacher) C. Key Vocabulary 1. Astronomy- the study of stars, planets, and space 2. Solar System- the sun and the bodies that move in orbit around it. In our solar system there are nine planets, many moons, and also asteroids and comets 3. Planets- one of the nine large heavenly bodies circling the sun 4. Sun- the star that the earth and other planets revolve around and that gives us light and warmth 5. Stars- a ball of burning gases in space 6. Nicolaus Copernicus- a polish astronomer that argued that the Sun was the center of our solar system D. Procedures/Activities 1. Activate students prior knowledge. Ask students to brainstorm the words: astronomy, solar system, planets, sun, and stars. 2. Write all the words that the students come up with on the board. Then talk about the word astronomy. We call the study about outer space, planets and the stars astronomy. It comes from the Greek word astron which means star. Have students take out Appendix A (Vocabulary Sheet) and write the definition of astronomy. Therefore, we can say that the definition of astronomy is the study of stars, planets, and space. 3. Then ask the students, True or False? Do you think that the sun is a star? Allow time for student responses. Well, what do you think the definition of a star is? Again wait for responses. Then continue, Well, the definition of a star Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 3

4 is a ball of burning gases in space. (Have students write down the definition on Appendix A). So, with that said, do you think that the sun is a star? Students should respond, Yes. Correct. The sun is a star. And the sun appears to be one of the biggest and brightest stars because it is the closest star to us. Even though it is the closest star to us, it is still 93 million miles from Earth. The sun is only one single star among the billions of stars that make up our galaxy. At night we see tons of stars. Those stars are still out during the day, we just can t see them because the sun is so bright. Let s do an example. (Take out the two flashlights.) Have one student hold the large (stronger) flashlight against the globe and another student stand the same distance away holding the (weaker) smaller flashlight. Ask students what they notice. They should say that they notice that both flashlights are shining but they only notice the larger light. Then let the students know that as the earth rotates, it rotates away from the sun and that is when you will notice the other stars shining, because the sun isn t shining directly on that point. Have the student with the smaller flashlight move to the other side of the globe while the student with the larger flashlight stays in place. Then ask if the students now notice the smaller light. That is because the sun (the brighter star) is away from that point and not shining its light so the other smaller star can now be seen. 4. As you can see, there can be tons of stars in our galaxy we just might not be able to see all of them all of the time. We will learn more about that when we talk about constellations. Does anyone know what our galaxy is called? Allow time for student responses. It is called the Milky Way galaxy. Does anyone know why we call it the Milky Way? Allow time for students to respond. It is called the Milky Way because on a dark night, you can sometimes see a fuzzy, milky-white strip running across the sky. That white stripe is made up of all the billions of stars in the Milky Way. 5. There are other galaxies besides the Milky Way. Another galaxy that is our closest neighbor is 2 million miles away and that galaxy is called the Andromeda galaxy. There are other galaxies even further than the Andromeda and scientists believe that our universe is getting even bigger. Why? Well, has anyone ever heard of the Big Bang Theory? Allow time for students to respond. The Big Bang Theory states that scientists think that about 15 billion years ago all the matter in the universe was packed into a super dense ball. No one knows exactly what it was or why it happened, but something caused this ball to explode with a big bang. The explosion sent chunks of matter flying into space. Eventually, this matter became the stars, planets, and everything else in our universe, including us (Hirsch). 6. Before we go any further, how are we able to know and learn about the galaxies and universe in the first place? What are some instruments that scientists can use to find out about this information? Allow students to state their opinions. Well, the instruments that scientists use to find out what is in space are telescopes. But, can we use telescopes anywhere? No, they have to be where there is not a lot of light. The biggest telescopes that are used are made of lenses and mirrors that allow the human eye to focus on things far, far away and are located in special buildings in places far away form any lights. Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona holds four different telescopes. Some other telescopes are called radio telescopes. What do you think radio telescopes do? Students should respond with, Pick up sound signals. Yes, these radio telescopes pick up sound signals from outer space. One radio telescope that is in outer space is the Hubble Space Telescope. This spacecraft is about as big as a Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 4

5 school bus and floats in outer space using a concave mirror that picks up information about light from faraway stars and radios it back to Earth. For example, this spacecraft carries cameras, computers, and scientific instruments and would pick up information and radio it back to Earth. Then astronomers would turn those signals into pictures. It would be like sending a picture or postcard from outer space. If this spacecraft is about as big as a school bus, how much do you think it weighs? Allow time for students to take a guess. Well, it weighs 12 tons and is orbiting about 370 miles above the earth. Pretty crazy huh? Does anyone have any other questions? 7. Earlier, we brainstormed the word solar system. What does the word solar system mean? Allow time for students to respond or you can have someone look it up in the dictionary. After students respond, have them take out Appendix A again, and write the definition of solar system on their paper. Solar System means the sun and the bodies that move in orbit around it. In our solar system there are nine planets, many moons, and also asteroids and comets. Solar has a Latin root, sol which means sun. System means a group of things that move and interact with each other. Put it all together and we have a group of planets that move in circles around the sun. But do you know what scientists believed hundreds of years ago? They believed that instead of the planets and stars rotating or circling the sun, the planets and stars circled the Earth. Then in the 1500 s, how many centuries ago was that? Yes, five centuries ago, a polish astronomer named Nicolaus Copernicus, argued that the sun was the center of our solar system and that the planets circled around the sun. That scientific observation is still believed today. Have students write down what Nicolaus Copernicus argued in Appendix A. 8. We talked about the sun a little bit before, but can anyone guess how big the sun is compared to the earth? Allow time for students to state their guesses. Well, an example could be if the sun were a basketball, the earth would be the size of an orange seed. And can you guess how hot the sun is? It is said that at the sun s surface it could reach up to 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Do you think it is hotter at the surface or at the core? Astronomers believe that it can reach 27 million degrees at the core of the sun. Therefore, it is much hotter deep within the sun s core. With all this said, what do you think the two things are that the sun provides? Think about it, when you stand outside, what does the sun provide for you? Students should respond with, Heat and light. Correct. It is heat and light. It makes you feel warm and allows you to see, but it also provides life for other living things. Without those two things, life just would not exist. 9. Does anyone know what circles or orbits around the sun? The nine planets circle or orbit the sun. The sun is the star that the earth and other planets revolve around and that gives us light and warmth. (Students can write this definition down in Appendix A. Earth (which is the planet we live on) is one of those planets. Does anyone know what the other planets are? Allow time for student responses. The nine planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. The word planet comes from the Greek word meaning wanderer. But, the planets do not wander around the solar system. In fact, it is just the opposite. They travel around in fixed paths called orbits. Not only do the planets orbit the sun, but they also rotate. That means they spin around like a top. The definition of a planet is one of the nine large heavenly bodies circling the sun. Have students write the definition on Appendix A. 10. These nine planets in our solar system are broken down into inner and outer planets. There are four inner planets and five outer planets. The four inner Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 5

6 planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. The five outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. However, we will learn more about all the planets in another lesson. Let us complete some questions about what we have learned so far today. Hand out Appendix C - Lesson One: Worksheet (pp. 1-4) and allow students to work alone, in pairs, or in groups to read and complete these assignments. Grade according to teacher discretion. E. Assessment/Evaluation 1. Students will hand in Appendix C- Lesson One: Worksheet (p. 4) for evaluation and will be graded as teacher decides. Lesson Two: Orbit and Rotation (45 Minutes) A. Daily Objectives 1. Concept Objective(s) a. Students understand the processes of scientific investigation and design, conduct, communicate about, and evaluate such investigations. b. Students understand the processes and interactions of Earth s systems and the structure and dynamics of Earth and other objects in space. c. Students understand interrelationships among science, technology, and human activity and how they can affect the world. 2. Lesson Content a. Planetary motion: orbit and rotation i. How day and night on earth are caused by the earth s rotation ii. Sunrise in the east and sunset in the west iii. How the seasons are caused by the earth s orbit around the sun, tilt of the earth s axis 3. Skill Objective(s) a. Students will be able to define the words orbit and rotation. b. Students will be able to state how long it takes the earth and other planets to orbit the sun. c. Students will be able to explain why it is dark on one side of the earth while it is light on the other. d. Students will be able to state why the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. e. Students will be able to explain why we have seasons. B. Materials 1. Lamp 2. Globe 3. Pens, pencils, colored pencils 4. Overhead Projector 5. Dry Erase Markers 6. Overhead Transparencies 7. Folder (with papers in it from previous lesson) 8. Notebook/Journal 9. Appendix D- Lesson Two: Worksheet (p. 1) C. Key Vocabulary 1. Orbit- the invisible path followed by an object circling a planet, the sun, etc. 2. Rotation- to turn around like a wheel D. Procedures/Activities 1. Yesterday we talked about the sun and how it provides us with two types of energy-heat and light. Well, the light the sun provides us with seems to move as the day goes on. But, is it the sun that is moving or is it the earth? Allow time Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 6

7 for students to respond. It is the earth that is orbiting around the sun on its axis. The sun is stationary, it does not move. 2. So, what does orbit mean? Orbit means the invisible path that a planet, the sun or any object follows. And rotate means simply to turn around or spin like a wheel. It appears as though the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, but it is just how the earth is rotating. The earth rotates on its axis from east to west. That is why there are time differences. The time on the east coast is two hours earlier than here in Colorado and three hours different from the west coast because the earth rotates on its axis from east to west. How long do you think it takes for the earth to rotate once on its axis? (one day) It takes one day for the earth to rotate on its axis. While it is sunny on our side of the earth (in North America) it is dark on the other side of the earth (in Asia) and visa versa. 3. Let me show you an example. Take out the lamp and the globe. Place the lamp in the middle and place the globe on its axis on one side of the lamp. Then spin the globe slowly, on its axis, so students can see how it is light on one side while it is dark on the other. Now tell the students, See, while it is light here in North America, it is dark on the other side of the earth in Asia. As I spin, or rotate, the globe, you can see when it is light in Asia it is dark in North America. One rotation as shown like this and one day has passed. But does the Earth just stay in one spot and rotate on its axis? Students should respond, No. You are correct! The Earth does not stay stationary. It keeps rotating on its own axis, but then it rotates around the sun as well. Demonstrate how this works. Rotate the globe around on its axis then move the globe around the lamp. Rotation and orbiting of the earth is how we get our years and our seasons. Does anyone know how long it takes the Earth to orbit the sun? Allow time for student responses. It takes one year for our planet Earth to orbit the sun. And how long is one year? Students should respond with 365 days. One year is 365 days, and within those 365 days, some parts of the earth experience seasons, while other places on earth have the same weather year round. 4. Do we in Colorado experience seasons? Yes. Let s look back at the globe to see how this works. If the earth is tilted like this on its axis (show students with the globe) and the sun is shining predominantly on North America (tilt North America towards the lamp), then what season do you think we are in? Remember, the sun is shining mostly on our country and the sun gives off heat and light. Students should respond with summer. Excellent! The sun is shining more brightly on us giving us more heat and more daylight. So when it is summer in North America it is the same for people in Europe and Asia. But, when the earth travels to the other side of the sun, (move the globe half way around the lamp) and South America is more toward the sun (show on the globe) what season do you think they are in? Students should respond with summer. Good, so what season are we in then? Remember, the sun is not shining on us a lot. That means we have less light and less heat. Students should respond with winter. Excellent. And when the earth is in between summer and winter, what season do we experience? Here we have a little heat and a little light. (Move globe another quarter) Students should respond with spring or fall. Great. So, why do we have seasons? Students should respond with, Because when the sun shines more toward our land/country it is hotter and lighter, therefore we are in the season of summer. When the earth is tilted the other way, away from the sunlight, that is when we experience winter. Great! You are really catching on. We have seasons because our country is moving towards and away from the sun. But what about the places on earth that are always facing the sun like the Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 7

8 countries near the equator? Or, what about the places that are always facing away from the sun like Antarctica? Students should respond with, The places that are always facing the sun always have summer, and the places always away from the sun are always experiencing winter. Excellent! Right, because this part of the earth, (point to places near the equator on the globe) is always facing the sun they are always getting heat so it always summer. And places like Antarctica are always away from the sun and heat they always experience winter or cold weather. They still experience day and night because the earth rotates, but they always experience summer because no matter where the earth is around the sun (move the globe around the lamp) that part of the earth is always either facing towards or away from the sun because of the tilt of the earth. Good. 5. We already said that it takes one year for the earth to orbit the sun. But how long is one year for us here on Earth? Students should respond with 365 days. That is right, our one year on Earth is equal to 365 days, but each planet s year (in days) is different. It actually takes 365 ¼ days for the earth to orbit the sun. That is why we have a leap year every four years. It gives us time to make up for those ¼ days. Every four years on February 29 we add a day for leap year. Otherwise, every other year, February only has 28 days. Let us take a look at some of the other planets, and how long their year is. 6. Pass out Appendix D Lesson Two: Worksheet (p. 1). Focus students attention to the length of year for each of the planets. The teacher can then ask the students questions about how long a year is for each of the planets. How long is Jupiter s year? How long is Saturn s year? How long is Pluto s year? Then they can answer the questions on the page. E. Assessment/Evaluation 1. Students will hand in Appendix D- Lesson Two: Worksheet (p. 1) for evaluation and to be graded as teacher decides. Lesson Three: The Moon and its Phases and Gravity (45 minutes) A. Daily Objectives 1. Concept Objective(s) a. Students understand the processes of scientific investigation and design, conduct, communicate about, and evaluate such investigations. b. Students understand the processes and interactions of Earth s systems and the structure and dynamics of Earth and other objects in space. c. Students understand interrelationships among science, technology, and human activity and how they can affect the world. 2. Lesson Content a. Gravity, gravitational pull i. Gravitational pull of the moon (and to a lesser degree, the sun) causes ocean tides on earth 3. Skill Objective(s) a. Students will be able to define the words gravity, moon, and satellite. b. Students will keep a journal of the phases of the moon. c. Students will be able to describe the phases of the moon. B. Materials 1. One globe 2. One lamp 3. Tennis ball 4. Pens, pencils, colored pencils 5. Overhead projector Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 8

9 6. Dry erase markers 7. Overhead transparencies 8. Notebook (one per student to record phases of the moon) 9. Folder (with papers in it from previous lesson) 10. Maya Moon 11. Appendix E- Lesson Three: Worksheet (pp. 1-3) C. Key Vocabulary 1. Gravity- the force that pulls things down toward the surface of the earth and keeps them from floating away into space 2. Moon- the satellite that moves around the earth once each month and reflects light from the sun 3. Satellite- a spacecraft that is sent into orbit around the earth, the moon, or another heavenly body D. Procedures/Activities 1. Yesterday we learned about planetary motion. Today we are going to learn about the motion of the moon. Who can tell me what you notice about the moon? Does it stay the same every night? Students should respond, No. The moon changes from a crescent, to half a moon, to a full moon. Excellent. The moon has phases. Before we go on, let us look up the term moon. What is the definition of the moon? Have a student look up the word moon in the dictionary and then have all students record the definition in Appendix A. Before we get started, let s listen to a story of the moon. This is a folktale. Does anyone know what a folktale is? A folktale is a story that is passed down from generation to generation. That is why this story is retold by Marianne Mitchell. The title of the story is Maya Moon. Read the story then discuss the phases of the moon at the end. So, what do we know about the phases of the moon from this story? Students should respond, It started out as a full moon, then it went to a sliver smile in the sky. Then it sent one more piece into the sky each night and became bigger and bigger until it became a full moon again. Excellent! Is that what happens to our moon? Students can respond with, Yes. You are pretty much right. That is what it looks like in our night sky, but we have technical terms for each part of the moon that we see. 2. First we need to figure out where our moon comes from and how we get to see it each night. The moon is a satellite of Earth. The moon rotates around the earth all of the time. Sometimes we see it full and other times we only see part of it because the moon gets its light from the sun. We can see the moon because of what is reflected off of the sun. What is a satellite? Allow time for student responses. Then state the definition of a satellite and have students write it in Appendix A. The word satellite comes from the Latin word meaning attendant which means someone who waits on another important person. It is almost like the moon is waiting on the Earth. It is protecting it, guarding it by rotating around it. This is why we can see the moon shining brightly one night, than we cannot see it at all later in the month. It is because the moon is orbiting, or going around earth. While Earth is rotating on its axis and around the sun, the moon is rotating around the earth. Let me show you how this works. I need a volunteer to hold up this tennis ball. Hold the globe near the lamp. Then have the student hold the tennis ball near the globe. Tell the student that wherever you go, they have to go. Move the globe around the lamp. See, wherever I move the earth, the moon goes with me. But as I rotate on my axis and rotate around the sun, the moon is rotating around the earth. Now have the student move the tennis ball around the globe while you rotate the globe on its axis and around the Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 9

10 lamp. This is how we get the different phases of the moon. Depending on the position of the moon and the sun to our eyes, we on Earth, see all, part, or none of the moon. During a months time, the moon may appear to change shape, but it is really how much light is being reflected off of it by the sun. It takes 29 days for the moon to go through all of its phases. The phases are New moon, crescent moon, and half moon, waxing moon, full moon, waning moon, half moon, crescent moon, then back to full moon. We use the terms waxing and waning to tell whether the moon is becoming more visible or less visible. When it is becoming more visible (getting ready to be full) it is waxing, when it is becoming less visible (going down from a full moon) it is waning. This month, you are going to keep a journal and record what you see of the moon each night. You are going to start this project tonight. You will draw a picture of what the moon looks like, then take a guess as to whether it is a full moon, crescent moon, half moon, waxing moon, or waning moon. We will discuss what we saw that night during the next class each day. Sometimes we cannot see the moon because of clouds or other causes. If you do not see the moon that night, record that you did not see it in your journal and write a prediction as to why you think you were not able to see it. 3. But what is the moon made of? Green cheese? What do you really see when we say we see the man in the moon? We see mountains and craters made up of rock and moon dust. The moon is made up of rock. It has no atmosphere which means nothing can grow or live on the moon because it has no rain, no clouds, no water, and no air. But can people visit the moon? Yes, astronauts have visited the moon since Does anyone know the astronomer that first landed on the moon? Allow time for student responses. It was Neil A. Armstrong. He and two other men, Edwin E. Buzz Aldrin, Jr., and Michael Collins left in the spaceship Apollo 11 from Cape Kennedy in July of 1969 on a space mission to the moon. On July 20 th, Neil Armstrong was the first one to step foot on the moon and as he did he said, That s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind. There they left a flag and footprints on the moon. Would any of you like to visit the moon? I know I would. But what is different about the moon, as compared to earth? Why did they have to wear those space suits? 4. Well, there is no atmosphere on the moon, so they had to wear them in order to breathe and they had to be connected to the ship by strings because there is a weak gravitational pull on the moon. What does gravity mean? Have students state their answers then record their answers on Appendix A. Gravity is what keeps us from floating into the air. It is a force between bits of matter, attracting every bit to every other bit. How do we know gravity exists besides the fact that we aren t floating into space? Allow time for students to respond. Well, when we throw a ball up into the air, does it keep going up, or does it eventually come down again? Everything that goes up must come down and that is because of gravity. But that isn t the case on the moon. You throw something up on the moon, and it keeps going because the gravitational pull is weaker than that on earth. Gravity also effects how much we weigh. On the moon we would weigh a lot less than here on earth because there is less gravity pushing us down. Earth s gravity pulls on the moon and the moon s gravity pulls on the Earth. The sun s gravity pulls on Earth and the Earth s gravity pulls on the sun and the same thing happens with all the other planets as well. That is how they all stay in orbit. The power and pull of gravity between objects depends on two things: how far apart the objects are and the mass of each object-that is how much matter each object contains. Objects that are really close to one another and have a lot of Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 10

11 mass have a very strong connection while those objects that do not contain a lot of mass and are not that close to one another do not have a strong attraction. 5. Let s think about this for a moment. Because the moon is a lot smaller than Earth and has a lot less matter, it has less gravity than here on Earth. There is less force pushing down on something on the moon than there is on earth. That is why it is a lot easier to jump up on the moon, because you weigh less. You weigh 1/6 less on the moon than what you weigh here on earth. But just because there is less gravity on the moon, that doesn t mean that the moon s gravity does not affect us. As a matter of fact, it really affects our oceans. Does anyone know how the moon can affect our oceans? Allow time for students to respond. Because of the gravity of the moon it pulls on the waters here on Earth. The gravitational pull causes tides. This means the water levels of the oceans get higher and lower. Has anyone been to the beach before? Did you notice anything while you sat there all day? Allow time for students to respond. If you spend all day there, you will notice that you can put your towel anywhere on the beach when you first arrive. After you have been there for a while, you will notice that the water will eventually come up to your towel and later on, you will notice that you can play anywhere on the beach again. That is the difference between low and high tide. Because of the moon, it causes the water levels to rise and fall. Does anyone have any questions? Allow time for students to respond. 6. Now we will do some worksheets that reinforce what we learned today. Hand out Appendix E- Lesson Three: Worksheet (pp. 1-3). OPTIONAL: If students would like extra credit, you may tell them to find out what their weight would be on each planet after looking at the chart. E. Assessment/Evaluation 1. Students will hand in Appendix E- Lesson Three: Worksheet (p. 2) for evaluation and to be graded as teacher decides. 2. Students will hand in or teachers will look over the students journals of the moon watch. Lesson Four: The Planets (45 minutes, three days) A. Daily Objectives 1. Concept Objective(s) a. Students understand the processes of scientific investigation and design, conduct, communicate about, and evaluate such investigations. b. Students understand the processes and interactions of Earth s systems and the structure and dynamics of Earth and other objects in space. c. Students understand interrelationships among science, technology, and human activity and how they can affect the world. 2. Lesson Content a. Our solar system i. The nine planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) 3. Skill Objective(s) a. Students will be able to name the nine planets. b. Students will create a planet project with classmates. c. Students will present their projects to the class. B. Materials 1. Pens, pencils, colored pencils 2. Overhead projector Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 11

12 3. Dry erase markers 4. Transparencies 5. Notebook (one per student to record the phases of the moon) 6. Folder (with all other previous papers) 7. Appendix F Lesson Four: Worksheet (pp. 1-10) 8. Appendix G Lesson Four: Rubric for Planet Project C. Key Vocabulary None D. Procedures/Activities 1. Day 1: Today we are going to learn about the nine planets. Does anyone remember what the four inner planets were? Allow time for students to respond. The four inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. What are the 5 outer planets? Allow time for students to respond. The five outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. In a previous lesson, we talked about how each planet has a different amount of time that it takes to orbit the sun. Does anyone know why it takes less time for Mercury to orbit the sun than Earth? Allow time for students to respond. It takes more time for Earth to orbit the sun because it is further away from the sun than Mercury and its orbit ring in longer. Let us look at Appendix C (p. 1). Here we can see that each planet has an orbit path. Starting from Mercury, each planet s path is longer. That is because each planet is further and further away from the sun so it takes a longer amount of time to go around the sun. Each planet s year is one rotation around the sun, so the further away you are, the longer it is going to take to orbit the sun, and the longer the planet s year is going to be. 2. Now let s take a look at each planet individually. Take out Appendix F- Lesson Four: Worksheet (p. 1-9). Go over each planet and their features. After you look at each of the planets and discuss their features, do Appendix F- Lesson Four: Worksheet (p. 10). 3. Now, let s talk about our planet project. We are going to go to the computer lab to find out more about each of the planets. I will give you websites you can use to find out more about the planets. In the computer lab, each of you will have a partner or a group to work with. With that partner, you will be assigned a planet to research. Your job is to find out as much as you can about that planet. Then you are going to present your planet to the class. You can just write up something about your planet. You can create a planet out of Styrofoam, construction paper, card board, or you can create a mobile, whatever you want to do. I am leaving this project up to your imagination. Each group will be graded according to a rubric, so you may want to look at the rubric before you start your project. We will discuss the rubric at the end of this lesson. Each person in your group is responsible for this project, so you must work together and work cooperatively. Does anyone have any questions at this point? Allow students to ask their questions. Then go over the rubric, Appendix G. Then break the students up into groups. There should be nine groups (one for each of the planets). Allow them to start looking up information about the planets on the computer. (Make sure all students are continuing to work on their moon journals). 4. Day 2: Review information about each of the planets. Then allow students to look up more information about their planet and continue working on their presentation. (Make sure all students are continuing to work on their moon journals each night). Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 12

13 5. Day 3: Have each group present their planet project. Grade according to the rubric, Appendix G. E. Assessment/Evaluation 1. Students will be graded on Appendix G, the rubric for the planet project. 2. Students will hand in or teachers will look over the moon journals. Lesson Five: Stars, Constellations, Dirty Snowballs and Shooting Stars (45 minutes, two days) A. Daily Objectives 1. Concept Objective(s) a. Students understand the processes of scientific investigation and design, conduct, communicate about, and evaluate such investigations. b. Students understand the processes and interactions of Earth s systems and the structure and dynamics of Earth and other objects in space. c. Students understand interrelationships among science, technology, and human activity and how they can affect the world. 2. Lesson Content a. Stars and constellations b. Orienteering (finding your way) by using North Star, Big Dipper 3. Skill Objective(s) a. Students will be able to state some of the constellations in the night sky. b. Students will be able to create their own constellation of choice. c. Students will be able to name what constellations are in the sky during different seasons. d. Students will be able to define constellation, comet, and meteor. B. Materials 1. Pens, pencils, colored pencils 2. Black construction paper 3. White crayons 4. Overhead projector 5. Dry erase markers 6. Overhead transparencies 7. Notebook (one per student to record the phases of the moon) 8. Folder (with all other previous papers) 9. Appendix H- Lesson Five: Worksheet (pp. 1-2) 10. Appendix I- Lesson Five: Worksheet (p. 1) 11. Appendix J- Lesson Five: Constellation Rubric C. Key Vocabulary 1. Constellation- a group of stars that forms a shape or pattern 2. Comet- a bright heavenly body with a long tail of light 3. Meteor- a piece of rock or metal from space that enters the earth s atmosphere at a high speed, burns, and forms a streak of light as it falls to the earth D. Procedures/Activities 1. Day 1: In the past couple of lessons we have learned a lot about our solar system. Today, we are going to learn more about the stars in our solar system. All of the stars in the sky create constellations. But what is a constellation? A constellation is a pattern or shape in the sky made up of stars. This is how humans used to know what direction they were going in. There were no maps or compasses. They used the stars to inform them of the direction in which they were going. They began to see different patterns and shapes such as lions, maidens, and hunters. These connect the dots were the constellations. Each Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 13

14 pattern or shape that you see in the sky has a name to it. For example, the stars that look like a lion, that constellation is Leo. Connected stars that look like a bull is the constellation Taurus. One of the easiest constellations to detect in the night sky is the Big Dipper. This set of stars looks like a cup with a long handle. The Big Dipper is part of the constellation called Ursa Major or the Great Bear. Once you find the Big Dipper, you can find the Little Dipper and the North Star. 2. To find the North Star, find the two stars that form the front of the Big Dipper. The follow an imaginary line to the next star you see. That should be the brightest star in the sky. This star is called the North Star. Now you can tell which way is north. Now you have also found the little dipper. The North Star is the last star of the handle of the Little Dipper. 3. Now we are going to take a look at some of the constellations that appear in the night sky. Because the earth is constantly rotating around the sun, there are times when you cannot see certain constellations. There are separate night skies. There is a summer, winter, spring and fall night sky. Today, each of you will create a constellation that might appear in the night sky of this season. Then, tonight, I would like each of you to go out and record if you can find that constellation in the night sky and record it in your journal with what you record of the moon. Sometimes it is very difficult to find the constellations. Once we go over these sheets together, you will then each create a constellation that would be found in this season s night sky. Teachers must find out what constellations appear in the specific season that you are teaching this lesson. This is when you can go to the website, Then click on constellations by month. Hand out Appendix H- Lesson Five: Worksheet (pp. 1-2). Go over each of the sheets. Once you have finished going over each sheet, hand each student a black sheet of construction paper and a white crayon and have them create a constellation of their choice from the night sky that coincides with the season you are teaching this lesson in. Then remind the students that they will try and find the constellation that they drew in tonight s sky. 4. Day 2: Check student s constellation of the night sky. Today we are going to learn about dirty snowballs and shooting stars. During the night sky, besides just being able to see stars, we can see comets and meteors. These comets and meteors are chunks of matter flying through space. Have students write down these definitions in Appendix A. Astronomers believe that these chunks of matter are left over from the beginnings of the solar system. Comets are sometimes called dirty snowballs. The reason why they are called dirty snowballs is because they are made of ice, rock, and dust. The reason why you are sometimes able to see a tail from the comet is because when the comet flies past the sun, the sun s rays melt part of the comet and the tail is the aftermath of the melting of the comet. The tail of the comet can stretch out for hundreds of thousands of miles! There is one comet that orbits the sun every seventy-six years and comes into view from Earth. This comet is called Halley s Comet. This comet was last seen in When will we be able to see it again? Seventy-six years from now is But this comet isn t the only one that comes into view. Millions of comets orbit the sun and come back into view hundreds of years later. 5. Other than comets, the bright stars that we see shoot across the night sky aren t stars at all. They are meteors. These meteors are bits of matter that soar though space and cross the path of Earth. The fiery streak that you see fly across the night sky is a meteor that got so hot it burned up. These meteors hardly ever Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 14

15 reach the ground. Those that do end up reaching the ground are called meteorites. Most meteorites are made of iron and rock. Scientists try to find as many meteorites as they can find. When lots of meteors fly through the sky at one time, we usually call that a meteor-shower. Now we will go over some worksheets that reinforce what we learned today. Hand out Appendix I- Lesson Five: Worksheet (p. 1). E. Assessment/Evaluation 1. Students will hand in their constellation that they created and be graded according to the rubric. 2. Students will hand in or teacher will look at their moon journal and constellation journal. VI. VII. VIII. CULMINATING ACTIVITY A. Test: Located in Appendix K HANDOUTS/WORKSHEETS A. Appendix A: Vocabulary Sheet B. Appendix B: Vocabulary Sheet Answer Key C. Appendix C: Lesson One: Worksheet (pp. 1-4) D. Appendix D: Lesson Two: Worksheet (p. 1) E. Appendix E: Lesson Three: Worksheet (pp. 1-3) F. Appendix F: Lesson Four: Worksheet (pp. 1-11) G. Appendix G: Lesson Four: Rubric for Planet Project H. Appendix H: Lesson Five: Worksheet (pp. 1-2) I. Appendix I: Lesson Five: Worksheet (p. 1) J. Appendix J: Lesson Five: Constellation Rubric BIBLIOGRAPHY A. Barish, Wendy, Wright, Kenneth R. Scholastic Children s Dictionary. Bellrose, New York: Scholastic Reference, B. Hirsch, E.D. What Your Third Grader Needs to Know. New York, New York: Bantam Dell Publishing, C. Mitchell, Marianne. Maya Moon. Littleton, Massachusetts: Sundance Publishing, D. E. F. G. Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 15

16 Name: Appendix A, page 1 Lesson One: Vocabulary Sheet Please define the words below using a dictionary. Date: 1. Astronomy: 2. Solar system: 3. Planets: 4. Stars: 5. Sun: 6. Nicolaus Copernicus: 7. Orbit: 8. Rotation: 9. Gravity: 10. Moon: Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 16

17 Appendix A, page Satellite: 12. Constellation: 13. Comet: 14. Meteor: Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 17

18 Appendix B Lesson One: Vocabulary Sheet Answer Key Name: Date: 1. Astronomy: the study of stars, planets, and space 2. Solar system: the sun and the bodies that move in orbit around it 3. Planet: one of the nine large heavenly bodies circling the sun 4. Stars: a ball of burning gasses is space 5. Sun: a star that the earth and other planets revolve around and that gives us light and warmth 6. Nicolaus Copernicus: argued that the earth and the other planets orbit the sun 7. Orbit: the invisible path followed by an object circling a planet, the sun, etc. 8. Rotation: turn around like a wheel 9. Gravity: the force that pulls things down toward the surface of the earth and keeps them from floating away into space 10. Moon: the satellite that moves around the earth once each month and reflects light from the sun 11. Satellite: a spacecraft that is sent into orbit around the earth, the moon, or another heavenly body 12. Constellation: a group of stars that forms a shape or pattern 13. Comet: a bright heavenly with a long tail of light 14. Meteor: a piece of rock or metal from space that enters the earth s atmosphere at high speed, burns, and forms a streak of light as it falls to the earth Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 18

19 Appendix C, page 1 Lesson One: Worksheet OUR SOLAR SYSTEM Included in our solar system are stars, planets, asteroids, meteors, satellites and comets! What is the largest star in the solar system? Why it is the SUN! What planets revolve around the sun? The nine planets in our solar system are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Looking at the picture below, which planet is closest to the sun? Looking at the picture below, which planet is the farthest from the sun? Did You Know? Our solar system has approximately 69 moons. You will learn in later lessons which planets have moons and how many each of them have or at least the ones scientists have found so far! Our solar system is approximately 4.6 billion years old. Is that older than you? Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 19

20 Appendix C, page 2 Lesson One: Worksheet OUR GALAXY What galaxy do we live in? You are correct the Milky Way Galaxy! But, why is it called the Milky Way? Can we eat it like the candy bar? No, but it does have some of the same colors as the candy bar. Because of the billions of stars and their satellites it gives off a mostly white color. It also contains blue, yellow, and red stars. Isn t that pretty? But what would you use to see it? Third Grade, Astronomy 2004 Colorado Unit Writing Project 20