Day 1: Why Isn’t Pluto a Planet?
Tell students that until recently, Pluto was considered to be one of the planets in our solar system. Now it is called a “dwarf planet.” Ask them, “What happened to Pluto? Why do you think it’s not really a planet?” Accept all reasonable responses.
Draw a graphic organizer on the board that is similar to the one in the Pluto Graphic Organizer resource (S-5-6-3_Pluto Graphic Organizer.docx). Write “Why Isn’t Pluto a Planet” in the central circle. Have students copy the graphic organizer into their notes. Note: The second page of the Pluto Graphic Organizer is provided as background information for you; it is not intended as a reading selection.
Hand out copies of Hail King of the Ice Dwarfs! (S-5-6-3_Pluto Article.docx). Answer the multiple-choice question at the top together as a class. Have students independently read the article and fill in the graphic organizer as they read. Afterward, have students share their answers and record them on the graphic organizer on the board. Then have students answer these questions in their science journals:
- Why isn’t Pluto a planet? (because of its small size and different orbit shape)
- What is different about Pluto’s orbit from the other planets? (Pluto’s orbit is oval-shaped and the Sun is not near the center of its orbit.)
- How can we use technology to learn about Pluto? (We can study Pluto using powerful telescopes and robot spacecraft like New Horizons.)
Discuss the New Horizons mission to Pluto that departed Earth in 2006. Explain that Pluto is part of the “Kuiper Belt,” which is a large band of thousands of small, icy objects that orbit the sun beyond Neptune. Ask students what kinds of information they think the robot spacecraft can provide us with about Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. Note: For more information on New Horizons, see the New Horizons link in the Related Resources section.
Day 2: Outer Planets
Have students turn to a partner and give them one minute to talk about what they know about the inner planets of the solar system. Review the mnemonic device, “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles.” Have students list the names of the outer planets in their journals. (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)
Tell students that today’s lesson is about the outer planets, the four planets in our solar system that are farthest from the Sun. Tell them the names of the four outer planets. Show students a three-dimensional model, solar system Web site, or a picture of the outer planets (S-5-6-3_Outer Planets.docx). Note: If you use the Outer Planets resource, make sure students understand that Mars is an inner planet; it is only included in the diagram for comparison with the outer planets.
Have students complete the “K” and “W” sections on the K-W-L chart with what they know about the outer planets (S-5-6-1_K-W-L.docx). As a class, discuss what they already know.
Have students take out their Planets Mini-Books from the previous lesson (S-5-6-2_Planets Mini-Book.docx). Explain that they will complete their books with facts on the outer planets.
Give students information about the outer planets using the Outer Planets PowerPoint presentation (S-5-6-3_Outer Planets PPT.pptx). Have students record information about the outer planets based on the PowerPoint presentation and the Planetary Data table and draw each planet in their mini-books.
Close the lesson by having students complete the “L” section of the K-W-L chart with what they have learned about the outer planets.
Day 3: Aliens Searching for a Planet
This activity is based on Lesson 4: Search for a Habitable Planet from NASA’s Modeling the Solar System at http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/educ/docs/modelingsolarsystem_20070112.pdf. Introduce the activity by reading the following introduction:
“Greetings Earthlings,
We are a group of creatures from a distant star system. We had to leave our star system because our star is expanding and it is getting too hot. We are searching for new planets to move to. On our spaceship, we have creatures from six very different planets. We all have different needs, and we need you to help find the best new planetary homes for us. Will you help us?”
Tell students that first the class must gather some information about what these creatures might require for survival. Have them help you generate a list and write it on the board. Accept all reasonable answers. (Answers could include: food, shelter, air/other gas to breathe, comfortable temperature, ability to move around.)
Then ask students what kinds of probes the aliens could use to test our planets for these resources. Answers could include telescopes, cameras, radar, thermometers, and x-ray machines.
Divide students into six or more groups (more than one group can investigate the same creature). Explain that each team will find out about one of the six different types of creatures. Give each team the planet information cards and give one creature card to each team (S-5-6-3_Creature Cards.docx).
Summary of the Creature Cards
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Creature
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Food
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Breathes
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Motion
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Temperature
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A
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helium
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hydrogen
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flies
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cold
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B
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rock
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carbon dioxide
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flies
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hot
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C
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carbon
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oxygen
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walks
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moderate
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D
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methane
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hydrogen
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swims
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cold
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E
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water
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carbon dioxide
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walks
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moderate
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F
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carbon
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oxygen
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swims
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moderate
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| |
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|
|
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Give each team time to read the planet information cards and decide which planet(s) would make a suitable home for their creature. Allow students to use their planet mini-books and planetary data tables from this unit. Then have students identify the planets based on the information given on the cards and place them in order of distance from the Sun. If time permits, have students draw what they think their creature might look like.
Have members from each team share information about their creature and the choices that they made. Have them explain their choices and record their choices on the board. As a class, decide which planets the creatures should move to.
Possible answers:
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Creature
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Planet(s)
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A
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2, 3, 4, or 5 (Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter)
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B
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8 (Venus)
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C, F
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7 (Earth)
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D
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2 or 3 (Neptune or Uranus)
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E
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6 (Mars)
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Note that no creatures can survive on Mercury (planet 1), because there are no gases in the atmosphere for them to breathe.
Then reveal the identity of the planets on the cards: 1–Mercury, 2–Neptune, 3–Uranus,
4–Saturn, 5–Jupiter, 6–Mars, 7–Earth, 8–Venus.
Close the lesson by asking students if there are any other planets in our solar system that might be able to support human life. Have them explain what kind of technology or resources we might need to survive on another planet, based on our survival needs.
Extension:
- For students who might need an opportunity for additional learning, review the characteristics of all the planets with the Solar System Trading Cards game at: http://amazingspace.stsci.edu/resources/explorations/trading/images/trading-cards.pdf.
- For Day 2, pause during the PowerPoint presentation to allow students who might need an opportunity for additional learning ample time to complete the page for each of the inner planets.
- For Day 2, students who might be going beyond the standards can research the New Horizons mission and create a fact sheet about it (see link in Related Resources).
- For Day 3, label the planet information cards with the names of the planets (use sticky notes if you plan to reuse the cards) for students who might need an opportunity for additional learning.
- For Day 3, students who might be going beyond the standards can write a letter from their group’s creature to the creature’s home planet, explaining why the planet the group found will or will not be suitable for their creature.
- Challenge students who might be going beyond the standards to test their knowledge of solar system trivia by playing the Solar System Shuffle game at: http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/activity/solar_system_shuffle.html.
