Planets WebQuest Hello astronauts! Today we are going to learn about the different planets in our Solar System! The universe is a big place to study, but it is important that we are first aware of our own backyard.
There are eight major planets as well as one dwarf
planet in our solar system, however, there are tons of qualities that make each of these planets unique.
Today we will be
identifying the properties that make these planets so interesting.
Step 1: Watch YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9UWNBTR6_I Step 2: Before we begin our activity, we must know the planets in order in relation to how close they are to the sun. The planets in order are as follows: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Come up with and record in your journal your own way of remembering the planets in the correct order. For example, you can remember the order by stating the following acronym: My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas. The beginning letter of each word tells us the first letter of the planets in the proper order.
Step 3: Go to the following websites to learn more about each individual planet and its characteristics. 1- http://www.kidsastronomy.com/mercury.htm 2- http://msnucleus.org/membership/html/k-6/uc/solar_system/2/ucss2_1a.html
Step 4: As you read about each planet, you will be completing a property chart for it. You will be required to find the planet’s distance from the sun, the length of the planets year, its rotation time, its number of rings, number of moons, its average temperature, what it looks like (color, size, etc.), and one interesting fact about each. You must use the websites given in step 3, however, you are allowed to search for more information about the planets on other sites as well.
Step 5: Once you have completely filled out your planets chart, go to this review website and complete the missions.
Step 6: Pair up into groups of three. Once you have your groups together, you will be assigned a specific planet by the teacher.
Your group will
discuss the information you have gathered about your planet, and create a poster board that describes the key points of your planet. Important: do not tell other groups what planet you have and do not write the name of your planet on your poster.
Step 7: Once your group has created your poster board over your planet, you will now go in front of the class to tell about the properties of your assigned planet. Using the property charts that were filled out earlier, the other groups will have to guess what planet you are describing.
Step 8: To conclude our assignment, you will choose your favorite planet that you learned about in class today. Once you have chosen, you will write a journal entry about why this planet is your favorite, what you like about it, and what you would do if you lived there.
