Unit Title: The Solar System: Planets
Collaborators: Lisa Fink and Janie Schomberg
Curricular area: Science
Grades: 2-3
Number of students: 22 total, 14 3rd graders
Starting date: February 26
Length of unit: 4 weeks
Unit Overview and Objectives:
The students will be participating in a 4 week unit on the Solar
System. They will be learning about the sun, moon, and stars as well
as studying the nine planets. As a final project, the second grade
students will create a postcard giving pertinent information about
their study topic. The students in third grade will make a flip book,
giving information about their chosen planet. The students will
complete a pre-assessment and have their content activities assessed
by the classroom teacher. Their final projects will be assessed on
process and product by the teacher and the librarian. The students
will also complete a self-assessment instrument on the research
process and product.
State Standards addressed:
Science -
Early Elementary Illinois Learning Standards:
12.E.1a. Identify components and describe diverse features of the
Earth’s land, water and atmospheric systems.
12.F.la. Identify and describe characteristics of the sun, Earth and
moon
as familiar objects in the solar system.
12.F.1b. Identify daily, seasonal and annual patterns related to the
Earth’s rotation and revolution.
Late Elementary Illinois Learning Standards:
12.E.2a. Identify and explain natural cycles of the Earth’s
land, water and atmospheric systems.
12.F.2a. Identify and explain natural cycles and patterns in the
solar system (e.g., order of the planets; moon phases; seasons as
related to Earth’s title, one’s latitude, and where Earth
is in its yearly orbit around the sun).
12.F.2b. Explain the apparent motion of the sun and stars
12.F.2c. Identify easily recognizable star patterns.
Language Arts -
Early Elementary Illinois Learning Standards:
5.A.1a. Identify questions and gather information.
5.A. 1b Located information using a variety of sources
5.B. 1a Select and organize information from various sources for a
specific purpose.
5.B.1b Cite sources used.
5.C.1a Write letters, reports and stories based on acquired
information.
5.C.1b Use print, nonprint, human and technological resources or
acquire and use
information.
National Educational Technology Standards for Students
Use a variety of media and technology resources for directed and
independent learning activities.
Use developmentally appropriate multimedia resources to support
learning
Knowledge and understandings to be developed:
Students will:
explain what a planet is and describe the planet Earth as seen from
outer space
explain planetary revolution, rotation, and gravitation and the
effects of each
explain what a satellite is and describe the movement of Earth’s
satellite, the moon
describe the surface of the moon and some of its features
compare the Earth and the sun
describe meteors, meteorites, comets, stars, and constellations and
explain how
to find the north star
describe the major features of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus,
Neptune, and Pluto
Strategies and processes to be learned and applied
Locate information in pre-selected sources:
1. understanding and use of keywords
2. identifying and locating resources
Process information:
1. locating information in learning resources
skimming, scanning, extracting
2. notetaking
3. organize information
4. credit sources
Share information: Product
Assessment Tools
Research Process Checklist (Student Self-Assessment)
Process, Content, and Product Rubric (Student Assessment)
Products:
1. create large action model of solar system
2. create a flip book on each planet - 3rd graders
|
TASK |
Teacher |
Librarian |
Student |
|
Select information sources |
XX |
XX |
|
|
Present concept and information overview of solar system |
XX |
|
|
|
Complete activity assignments in Solar System Binder |
|
|
XX |
|
Model simplified research process and product using EARTH as example |
XX |
XX |
|
|
Locate, process and organize information on research topic |
|
|
XX |
|
Create planet flip book as final product |
|
|
XX |
1. Welcome to the Planets
http://pds.ipl.nasa.gov/planets/
2. Space and Beyond
http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/Space/Puzzles/Games/
3. The Nine Planets
http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/nineplanets.html
Special Accommodations
To accommodate the project for an autistic student and a student with
general learning disabilities, the expectations were developed with
an emphasis on life skills. These two students focused on the sun,
learning about its layers, day and night, and the need to have
protective coverings when exposed to the sun. The other life skill
strongly emphasized was in the basic writing area, more specifically,
power writing skills.
February 2001