Grade 08 Science - EC: S8.D.3.1.3
Grade 08 Science - EC: S8.D.3.1.3
Continuum of Activities
The list below represents a continuum of activities: resources categorized by Standard/Eligible Content that teachers may use to move students toward proficiency. Using LEA curriculum and available materials and resources, teachers can customize the activity statements/questions for classroom use.
This continuum of activities offers:
- Instructional activities designed to be integrated into planned lessons
- Questions/activities that grow in complexity
- Opportunities for differentiation for each student’s level of performance
Grade Levels
8th Grade
Course, Subject
Science
Related Academic Standards / Eligible Content
Activities
- Define asteroids.
- Define comets.
- Define meteors.
- What is the correlation between a planet’s size and the number of moons.
- Compare and contrast asteroids and comets.
- Identify an inner and outer planet. Contrast the two planets. Comment on how gravity influences some of these characteristics.
Answer Key/Rubric
- Asteroids are small (up to about 600 miles across), irregularly- shaped bodies composed of rock and metal orbiting the Sun. Many asteroids are found in the region between Mars and Jupiter.
- Comets are celestial objects composed of ice and dust that emit a long, bright tail when they pass near the Sun.
- Meteors are small celestial bodies that appear as a streak of light in the night sky when they pass into Earth’s atmosphere.
- Acceptable answers include, but are not limited to:
Large planets have a stronger gravitational pull, therefore they tend to have more moons because their gravity has the ability to attract more objects. Mercury, the smallest planet, has no moons while Jupiter, the largest has at least 65 (approximation may vary) known moons.
- Acceptable responses may include, but are not limited to:
- Acceptable responses must identify an inner and outer planet, contrast its characteristics, and comment on how gravity affects these features.
Sample Response:
- Mercury is an inner planet and is the closest planet to the sun. Jupiter is the largest planet and is the 5th planet from the Sun.
- Mercury has a solid surface made mostly of iron, while Jupiter does not have a solid surface and is mostly made of hydrogen and helium gas.
- Mercury has no moons, while Jupiter has at least 65.
- Mercury has a thin atmosphere, while Jupiter has a thick atmosphere.
- Mercury’s temperature is extremely hot, while Jupiter is cold.
- The larger the planet, the stronger its gravitational pull. Since Jupiter is larger, it has a thicker atmosphere since in can hold in more gases. Its vast number of moons is also related to the gravity, since its stronger gravitational holds more objects.
