TEACHING Our Universe

Transcription

1 TEACHING GUIDE TEACHING Our Universe 3rd Grade Reading Level ISBN Green

2 2 TEACHING OUR UNIVERSE Standards Earth and Space Sciences Language Arts Reading Language Arts Writing Visual Arts Understands the composition and structure of the universe and Earth s place in it. Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the reading process. Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a variety of informational texts. Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Uses the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing. Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in written compositions. Gathers and uses information for research purposes. Understands the characteristics and merits of one s own artwork and the artwork of others. Multiple Intelligences Utilized Spatial, linguistic, logical-mathematical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal Copyright 2003 by Lerner Publications Company All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Student pages may be reproduced by the classroom teacher for classroom use only, not for commercial resale. No other part of this teaching guide may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review. LernerClassroom A division of Lerner Publishing Group 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN U.S.A Website address: Books in the Our Universe series: Earth Jupiter Mars Mercury The Moon Neptune Pluto Saturn The Solar System Stars The Sun Uranus Venus Manufactured in the United States of America IG

3 TEACHING OUR UNIVERSE 3 Lesson 1 Who Am I? Purpose: Students will identify characteristics of the planets, sun, and moon. Materials Our Universe books pencils crayons, markers, or colored pencils Objectives Name the planets in the solar system. Identify planets in the solar system using given clues. Differentiate between the planets in our solar system. Assess knowledge gained from reading nonfiction texts. List additional facts about the planets. Activity Procedures Who Am I? pp. 8 9 lined paper Prepare (teacher) Copy Who Am I? pp. 8 9 for each student. Read (students) Students will read each of the books in the Our Universe series. This will take a number of days to complete. Students may take notes as they read to help them recall specific features of the planets. Model (teacher) Read and complete the first riddle from Who Am I? pp. 8 9 together. Practice (students) Have students complete the rest of Who Am I? pp. 8 9 on their own. Students may use Our Universe books for reference, as needed. Discuss (class, teacher) Review the unique features of the planets in the solar system. How did these features help in the identification process? Evaluate (teacher, class) Review the answers to Who Am I? pp What additional facts did students add for each of the planets? Pretest (teacher, students) Discuss prior knowledge of the solar system. Discuss the special features of the planets in the solar system.

4 4 TEACHING OUR UNIVERSE Lesson 2 Let s Orbit Purpose: Students will develop an understanding of the moon s orbit around Earth, and Earth s orbit around the sun. Materials Our Universe books Let s Orbit p. 12 brass fasteners (3 per student) Objectives Define orbit. Describe the orbits of Earth and its moon. Apply knowledge of orbits to a project. Compare the orbits of the moon and Earth. Assemble a model of Earth, the sun, and the moon. Assess models for accuracy. Activity Procedures crayons or markers scissors black construction paper glue Prepare (teacher) Copy Let s Orbit p. 12 for each student. Prepare a sun, moon, Earth model to use as an example. Pretest (students) What does the word orbit mean? How does this term relate to the sun, moon and Earth? Read (class) Read books from the Our Universe series, particularly Earth, The Sun and The Moon. Model (students, teacher) On the board, have student volunteers draw the sun, Earth, and Earth s moon. Ask volunteers to draw ovals representing the orbital paths of the moon and Earth. Show students your sun, moon, Earth model. Demonstrate how to assemble a model of the sun, moon, and Earth on black construction paper using brass fasteners and Let s Orbit p. 12. Practice (students) Color and cut out the sun, moon, and Earth, and cut out arms A and B from Let s Orbit p. 12. Use a brass fastener to attach one end of arm A to the center of the moon. Use a brass fastener to attach the other end of arm A and one end of arm B to the center of Earth. (Earth will have two arms sticking out of it.) Use a brass fastener to attach the other end of arm B to the center of the sun. This fastener should go through the center of the construction paper to anchor the sun to the paper. Move Earth around the sun and the moon around Earth to demonstrate their orbits. Discuss (class) How does the model you created show the orbits of Earth and Earth s moon? How are their orbits alike and different? How could you create an orbit model for all of the planets in the solar system? Evaluate (small group, teacher) Students will evaluate their understanding by acting out the moon s and Earth s orbits in groups of three for the teacher. Teacher will evaluate student models for functionality and accuracy. Hang orbit models in the classroom or a hallway.

5 TEACHING OUR UNIVERSE 5 Lesson 3 Our Solar System Purpose: Students will learn the placement of the planets in our solar system. Materials Our Universe books Planet Pages pp black construction paper white construction paper crayons, markers, or colored pencils glue pencils silver crayons compasses scissors Objectives Name the planets in our solar system. Identify the location of each planet in our solar system. Organize planets in the correct order. Illustrate the orbits of each planet. Construct a two-dimensional model of the solar system. Compare solar system models. Read (small groups) Students will read Our Universe books to familiarize themselves with the appearance of the planets in our solar system and their relation to the sun and one another. Model (teacher) Show students how to place the sun in the center of the black construction paper. Demonstrate how to use a compass to draw orbital paths around the sun for each planet. Practice (small groups) Color and cut out a sun from white construction paper. Color and cut out the planets from Planet Pages pp Glue the sun in center of the black construction paper. Use a pencil to draw each planet s orbit using a compass. Trace over orbits with a silver crayon. Glue each planet on its appropriate orbital path. Evaluate (teacher) Share solar system models with the class. Evaluate solar system models for accuracy and neatness. Activity Procedures Prepare (teacher) Divide students into groups of three or four. Copy Planet Pages pp for each group. Draw and cut out a sample sun using white construction paper. Pretest (class) Discuss what the solar system looks like. Talk about how the planets orbit the sun.

6 6 TEACHING OUR UNIVERSE Lesson 4 My Trip to... Purpose: Students will use their knowledge of the solar system to write an informative and entertaining story. Materials Our Universe books Organize It p. 13 My Trip to p. 14 My Trip to Rubric p. 16 Objectives Read and comprehend a nonfiction text. Recall information from a nonfiction text. Review and organize information using a graphic organizer. Relate facts about the solar system. Create an entertaining story containing facts about the solar system. Assess story planning techniques and a final product. Activity Procedures Editing Help p. 15 pencils colored pens lined paper Prepare (teacher) Copy Organize It p. 13, My Trip to p. 14, Editing Help p. 15, and My Trip to Rubric p. 16 for each student. Pretest (class) Discuss what students know about the solar system. Review the steps in the writing process. Explain to students that they will be using information from the Our Universe books to write a fictional story containing some factual information about the solar system. Read (students) Each student will read one Our Universe book to gain specific knowledge about a particular planet, the moon, sun, or stars in our solar system. Discuss (class) What makes an interesting story? What kinds of details should you include in the stories you are going to write? Model (teacher) Show students how to use Organize It p. 13 to help plan a story. Demonstrate how to use Organize It p. 13 to write a rough draft of a story. (This should occur around Day 3 of the project.) Practice (students) Day 1 Students will read and note important information from one of the Our Universe books. Day 2 Students will use Organize It p. 13 to plan their stories. Day 3 Each student will use their completed Organize It p. 13 to write a rough draft of their story. Day 4 Students will use Editing Help p. 15 to edit their stories. (Students may also read and edit classmates stories.) Day 5 Students will revise their stories and write final drafts on My Trip to p. 14. Evaluate (class, teacher) Share completed stories with the class. Teacher should assess stories using My Trip to Rubric p. 16.

7 TEACHING OUR UNIVERSE 7 Additional Resources BOOKS Arnold, Eric. Race into Space. New York: Random House Children s Books, Students will learn about space exploration from its beginnings to space exploration of the future. Branley, Franklin Mansfield. International Space Station. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, This book explains how the space station was built, its purpose, and what life is like for the astronauts who live there.. Mission to Mars. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, This book explores the possibility of humans inhabiting Mars in the future. It includes information on Mars mission plans, including some of the experiments that astronauts plan to perform on Mars. Brown, Jeff. Stanley in Space: New York: HarperCollins, This comedic fiction title tells about the Lambchop family s adventure into space. A fun companion to a nonfiction-based space unit. Davis, Kenneth C. Don t Know Much About the Solar System. New York: HarperCollins, This book uses illustrations, riddles, and a question-and-answer format to inform students about many aspects of the solar system, including information about planets, asteroids, and eclipsewatching. Ganeri, Anita, John Malam, Clare Oliver, and Adam Hibbert. Earth and Space: Questions and Answers. New York: Parragon Publishing, This book answers kids questions about Earth and the solar system. Hayden, Kate. DK Readers: Astronaut Living in Space. New York: DK Publishing, Inc., Students will learn about the preparation an astronaut must go through in order to travel into space. Written about a female astronaut s experience, this book is sure to be a hit among girls interested in space exploration. Holland, Simon, and Carole Stott. Space. New York: DK Publishing, Inc., This reference book s photographs and easy-toread text teach young readers about planets, stars, galaxies, space exploration, and more. Moore, Eva. Space Explorers. New York: Scholastic, Inc., Mrs. Frizzle s class learns all about the solar system during an outer space adventure. Ross, Michael Elsohn. Earth Cycles. Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, This illustrated book examines three of Earth s cycles the day/night cycle, the seasons cycle, and the moon cycle. Stott, Carole. I Wonder Why Stars Twinkle and Other Questions about Space. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, This informative book answers common questions about space. Wetterer, Margeret. Clyde Tombaugh and the Search for Planet X. Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, This illustrated title from the On My Own Biographies series tells the story of Clyde Tombaugh, the person who discovered Pluto. Zemlika, Shannon. Neil Armstrong. Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, This title from the History Maker Biographies series tells the life story of astronaut Neil Armstrong, one of the first people to land on the moon. WEBSITES Astronomy for Kids This site is full of astronomy information, from space shuttle facts to telescope functions, Mars tidbits and more. NASA Kids Club flash/index.html This kid-centered website contains photos and information about astronauts, the international space station, and the United States space plan. It also includes interactive games for kids of all ages. Space Science for Kids This site contains links to a variety of kid-friendly space sites.

8 8 Who Am I? Directions: Read each riddle and write the name of the planet it describes on the line below. Write one additional fact about that planet under its name. I am the closest star to Earth. I am at the center of the solar system. I am home to plants, animals, and people. It takes me 365 days to orbit the sun. I am the closest planet to the sun. I don t have any moons. I am really hot. I am yellow and have wide, flat rings. I am the 6th planet from the sun. I am usually the farthest planet from the sun. I am covered with ice.

9 9 I am a blue planet with strong winds and storms. I am too far away to see without a telescope. I am the largest planet. I have a big storm called the Great Red Spot. I have red rocky ground. I am the 4th planet from the sun. I am the 2nd planet from the Sun. Sometimes, I am called Earth s twin. I have 21 moons. I rotate on my side. I am one of the giant planets.

10 10 Planet Pages Jupiter Neptune Uranus

11 Planet Pages 11 Pluto Mercury Venus Earth Mars Saturn

12 12 Let s Orbit arm B arm A Sun Moon Earth

13 13 Organize It Name Date

14 14 My Trip to By

15 15 Editing Help Is every sentence a complete sentence? Does every sentence have a capital letter at the beginning? Does every sentence have punctuation at the end? Did you use describing words in your story? Does your story have a beginning, middle, and an end? Use this Proofreading Checklist: Check for errors in capitalization. Use these Editor s Marks Capitalize. Make a lowercase letter. / Check for errors in punctuation. Add a period. >, > Add a comma. Circle any words you think are misspelled. Spell correctly. sp Be sure that your paragraphs are indented. Check your grammar. Indent paragraph. Add something.

16 16 My Trip to Rubric Student Score Elements 4 Student completed each step in the writing process. Story has a beginning, middle, and end. Few or no spelling errors. Complete sentences throughout story. Paragraphs are constructed appropriately. 3 Student completed each step in the writing process. Story has a beginning, middle, and end. Some spelling errors. Nearly all sentences are complete. Paragraphs are used in the story. 2 Student completed most steps in the writing process. Story does not have a beginning, middle, or end. Many spelling errors. Some sentences are complete. Paragraphs are attempted but not used correctly. 1 Student did not complete steps in the writing process. Story does not have a beginning, middle, or end. Numerous spelling errors. Few complete sentences. Paragraphs are not used. Comments