TITLE: THE SOLAR SYSTEM
AUTHOR: Lydia Flynn, St. John Nepomuk Catholic School,
Yukon, OK
GRADE LEVEL: Appropriate for grades 4-6.
OVERVIEW: The magnitude and complexity of our solar system
is often difficult for students to understand. As students
investigate and understand the forces of gravity and the
consequences of the Earth's movement, they can better
comprehend Earth's place in the solar system.
OBJECTIVE(s): Students will be able to:
1. Describe the different bodies that make up our solar
system.
2. Explain the place of our solar system within the
Milky Way Galaxy and the universe.
3. Explain day and night and the Earth's movement.
4. Discuss the causes of the seasons.
5. Describe the relationship between an object and its
gravitational attraction.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS: Maps of the community, state, country,
and world, a globe, an illustration or model of the solar
system, a spring scale, various objects to be weighed,
string, pencils, and paper.
ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
1. By using a series of maps, you can help the student
visualize the enormity of the universe. Start with a
map of the community and continue with a state map,
then a map of the country, a globe of the world, and
finally an illustration of the solar system.
2. To help the students learn the positions of the
planets, make up a phrase using the first letter of
each planet's name in the order of their distances from
the sun. For example: "My Very Educated Mother Just
Sat Upon Pink Nests" (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars,
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Pluto, Neptune). Note that
until 1999, the orbit of Pluto will be closer to the
sun than that of Neptune.
3. Let the students act out the parts of the sun and the
Earth. Have them demonstrate the rotation of the Earth
and its revolution around the sun.
TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:
1. Students can use colored styrofoam balls to construct a
model of the solar system. Have the students choose a
planet, research the planet, and then present this
information to the other students. At this time, the
students can make a living model of the solar system.
2. Students can use a spring scale to measure the
gravitational pull or weight of several objects. They
can compare the gravitational pull and construct a
chart of their results.
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